There are some who get away from football for a while after the draft. Then there are others who study as much as they can, trying to gain that sliver of an edge that might put them over the top in 2021. I’m talking about those of you reading this article right now. It’s May, but you’re interested to see what roster construction might look like.
Using our patented Draft Wizard (it’s free), I’ve set up a PPR mock draft and randomized my draft slot. If I’m being completely honest, I pulled the No. 1 selection the first time, but ultimately felt some would question that, so I hit it again and got the No. 11 pick, which presents a much tougher task.
We don’t have adequate ADP (average draft position) information just yet, so I’m going to be drafting against experts in this particular one. As time goes on, we’ll allow you to draft against ADP on whichever hosting site you prefer. The settings for this draft are 1QB, 2RB, 3WR, 1TE, 1 W/R/T, and six bench slots. As the offseason goes on, we’ll do more mock drafts, including SuperFlex.
I’m going to write in my thought process as I work through the draft, jotting notes in-between every pick. The Draft Wizard allows you to revert picks if you’d like a re-do, but I’m going to ride or die with each pick I make. Let’s get started.
1.11 – Stefon Diggs (WR – BUF)
This is my nightmare. Running backs flew off the board and though some would say you smash Jonathan Taylor‘s name with this pick, I have him and Nick Chubb in the same tier, as both are downgraded in PPR formats. Because of the high probability that one of them will be there on my next pick, I’ll take Diggs, who’s an absolute stud in PPR formats (caught 127 passes in his first year with Josh Allen).
2.02 – Travis Kelce (TE – KC)
As expected, Taylor went off the board and Chubb fell to me. I’m not going to lie about it; I’m really thinking about taking Travis Kelce with this pick, but the thought of having no running backs on my roster until pick 35 is scary. But hey, that’s what mock drafts are for, right? Rather than take my RB8, I can have my WR3 and TE1 to pair with what might be my RB13 (Clyde Edwards-Helaire has been falling to that range. Let’s see how this plays out.
3.11 – Clyde Edwards-Helaire (RB – KC)
The draft fell the way we wanted it to, with Edwards-Helaire falling to us. While it’s best to have him as your RB2 this year, I do believe he’s teetering on the RB1 conversation. He was the RB11 before Le’Veon Bell was acquired last year, and if he’d scored just one more touchdown, he would’ve been the RB5 during the first six weeks. I love being tied to the Chiefs offense, and two of my first three picks are just that. Also, how the heck is Julio Jones still available?
4.02 – J.K. Dobbins (RB – BAL)
If Julio Jones hadn’t come off the board at 3.12, I would be selecting him here. It’s ridiculous that he’s available that late. I already knew I was behind at running back with Edwards-Helaire as my RB1, so I needed to make up ground with this pick. Dobbins does get a ding in PPR formats, but knowing the Ravens didn’t replace Mark Ingram in the offense, we should see him in the 13-16 touch range on a consistent basis (with upside for more), which is more than enough for him to do work as my RB2.
5.11 – Josh Jacobs (RB – LVR)
Ok, look… I’m not the biggest Jacobs supporter, but he shouldn’t be lasting until the sixth round. The addition of Kenyan Drake certainly lowered expectations, but my initial projections put him in a similar tier to Antonio Gibson, who went at 2.11 in this draft. I know there’s some downside to Jacobs, but as my RB3 in a league we start two flex spots, he’s perfect. The other player I’m considering here is Ja’Marr Chase, but the pick predictor is telling me it’s more likely that he falls than Jacobs, and I’d agree.
6.02 – Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN)
He fell, as I’d hoped, but it’s awfully tempting to select Lamar Jackson with this 6.02 pick. Some think it’s taboo to select a quarterback early, but I don’t consider the sixth round early. Now having more talent at receiver than he’s ever had, we should see his passing numbers inflate a bit. But knowing it’s a single quarterback league and that there are 20 different quarterbacks I’m okay with, I select Chase.
7.11 – Laviska Shenault (WR – JAX)
I’m happy I decided to go with Chase last round because wide receiver has dried up considerably. I wouldn’t want someone like Shenault, Antonio Brown, or Corey Davis as my WR2. There are some convinced that Shenault will be a breakout star in 2021, and while I definitely see the path, he’s far from a lock in a crowded pass attack. Even as my WR3, it’s not the best-case scenario. What this mock has taught me to this point is that you’re really going to pay by selecting a quarterback in the early rounds, especially if your league has a lot of starting positions, like this one does.
8.02 – Melvin Gordon (RB – DEN)
Apparently, I like the value of getting proven talent at a discount. While Javonte Williams is going to have a role, it’s likely going to be similar to Phillip Lindsay‘s last year. That doesn’t mean Gordon can’t be a low-end RB2/high-end RB3 like he was last year (actually finished as the RB13). In this case, he’s my second flex alongside Josh Jacobs. I will note that Aaron Rodgers is available with this pick right now, and while tempted, there’s too much uncertainty to select him here, but we’re getting close.
9.11 – Tom Brady (QB – TB)
This is where I’ll pull the trigger on my quarterback, as Brady is the No. 8 quarterback in my early projections. It’s remarkable what he did last year in a brand-new offense without an offseason, throwing for 4,633 yards and 40 touchdowns. Them bringing back all the starters, including Antonio Brown, Brady is someone you just plug-and-play every week.
10.02 – Mike Williams (WR – LAC)
I don’t know why more aren’t hopping on the Williams sleeper bandwagon, but I’m happy about it right now. He’s the clear-cut No. 2 option in the offense, and is a go-up-and-get-it receiver for a young, upcoming quarterback who might throw 35 touchdowns this year. Having him and Shenault as my WR3 and WR4 options, I’m confident one of them will pan out.
11.11 – Mecole Hardman (WR – KC)
This is where understanding your roster becomes very important. Are you loaded with high-upside prospects but not enough stability? Or do you have a boring roster of consistent producers that might lack upside? There are players like John Brown available, who should be a stable producer with the Raiders (when healthy), and then there are players like Hardman and Henry Ruggs, who should be on your bench until you find out what you have. Knowing I have a couple stable running backs in my flex spots, I can afford to take some risk.
12.02 – Gus Edwards (RB – BAL)
I didn’t take Edwards because I have Dobbins on my roster, but I didn’t actively avoid him, either. Edwards is someone who comes with 20-plus touch upside if Dobbins were to miss time, whether he was on my roster or not. He doesn’t do much in the passing game, but as a late-round stash in the 12th round? I like it. I debated going with Henry Ruggs here, but figured I have plenty of upside projects at wide receiver, which allowed me to pass.
13.11 – John Brown (WR – LVR)
Well, two rounds later, he’s still available. If Laviska Shenault or Mike Williams don’t have a hot start to the season, I can plug Brown into my lineup as a WR3. That’s not something I can say about Henry Ruggs, who’s oddly still available.
14.02 – Darrel Williams (RB – KC)
I swear I don’t just handcuff all my running backs. What I do is attach myself to handcuff running backs who are tied to high-scoring offenses, and Williams falls into that bucket.
15.11 – Elijah Moore (WR – NYJ)
This is a pick I’m making that I can change right after Week 1 for the hottest waiver wire pickup. We’re going to know Moore’s role in the offense right out of the gate, so it won’t take any patience. Knowing him and Zach Wilson are coming into the league together, we might see an instant connection between them. On top of that, I also think it’s possible they cut Jamison Crowder.
FINAL ROSTER
QB – Tom Brady (TB)
RB – Clyde Edwards-Helaire (KC)
RB – J.K. Dobbins (BAL)
WR – Stefon Diggs (BUF)
WR – Ja’Marr Chase (CIN)
WR – Laviska Shenault (JAX)
TE – Travis Kelce (KC)
FLEX – Josh Jacobs (LVR)
FLEX – Melvin Gordon (DEN)
BENCH – Mike Williams (LAC), Mecole Hardman (KC), Gus Edwards (BAL), John Brown (LVR), Darrel Williams (KC), Elijah Moore (NYJ)
FULL DRAFT BOARD
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Mike Tagliere is a featured writer at FantasyPros. For more from Mike, check out his archive and follow him @MikeTagliereNFL.
