The 2022 NFL Draft has come and gone, and that means it’s time for dynasty rookie and startup drafts to really take off. We’ll have you covered throughout the draft season. You can find our full dynasty startup, dynasty rookie, and dynasty superflex rookie rankings that will be updated through draft season.
You can also practice and prepare for your dynasty rookie and startup drafts using our FREE dynasty mock draft simulator. Let’s take a look at a dynasty rookie mock draft.
Let’s take a look at Andrew Erickson’s top targets in dynasty rookie drafts.
James Cook (RB – BUF)
No. 7 overall, +5 vs. ECR
There’s fantasy football juice to squeeze with running backs who possess top-tier pass-catching ability, and Georgia’s James Cook fits that mold to a tee. The younger brother of Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook finished with the fifth-highest PFF receiving grade at the position in 2021 among his draft class. He hauled in 27 of 30 targets for 274 receiving yards, including 112 in the College Football Playoff game against Michigan. His overall counting stats are not particularly great, but that’s because he split work with Zamir White and Kenny McIntosh, as many Georgia backs often do. What matters more is Cook’s career three yards per snap – a mark that is a strong indicator of future production at the position. If Cook added 10-plus pounds of muscle to his frame, he’d look extremely similar to his brother. At his current build, he just looks like a smaller, faster version of Dalvin – Andre Ellington-esque.
The 2022 NFL Draft has come and gone, and that means it’s time for dynasty rookie and startup drafts to really take off. We’ll have you covered throughout the draft season. You can find our full dynasty startup, dynasty rookie, and dynasty superflex rookie rankings that will be updated through draft season.
You can also practice and prepare for your dynasty rookie and startup drafts using our FREE dynasty mock draft simulator. Let’s take a look at a dynasty rookie mock draft.
Let’s take a look at Andrew Erickson’s top targets in dynasty rookie drafts.
James Cook (RB – BUF)
No. 7 overall, +5 vs. ECR
There’s fantasy football juice to squeeze with running backs who possess top-tier pass-catching ability, and Georgia’s James Cook fits that mold to a tee. The younger brother of Minnesota Vikings running back Dalvin Cook finished with the fifth-highest PFF receiving grade at the position in 2021 among his draft class. He hauled in 27 of 30 targets for 274 receiving yards, including 112 in the College Football Playoff game against Michigan. His overall counting stats are not particularly great, but that’s because he split work with Zamir White and Kenny McIntosh, as many Georgia backs often do. What matters more is Cook’s career three yards per snap – a mark that is a strong indicator of future production at the position. If Cook added 10-plus pounds of muscle to his frame, he’d look extremely similar to his brother. At his current build, he just looks like a smaller, faster version of Dalvin – Andre Ellington-esque.
Tyler Allgeier (RB – ATL)
No. 16 overall, +10 vs. ECR
Love me some Tyler Allgeier. The Atlanta Falcons’ fifth-round running back ranks 1st in rushing yards after contact (1,847), 2nd in rushing touchdowns (36) 3rd in PFF rushing grade (94.8) among FBS players with at least 150 carries over the past two seasons. I believe he would have been taken by Atlanta in Round 4 if they had a pick available to them, so I don’t think it’s fair to view the RBs that went in Round 4 in higher regard. I also don’t think it’s outlandish to think that he’s already the best pure rusher among a backfield that consists of Cordarelle Patterson, Damien Williams, and Qadree Ollison. He’s proven to be able to shoulder a massive workload as both a rusher and receiver, which is not true of any other back for the Dirty Birds.
Danny Gray (WR – SF)
No. 31 overall, +16 vs. ECR
Danny Gray got his start at the junior college level playing at Blinn College before spending the last two years at SMU. In 2019, Gray led the team with 54 receptions for 877 yards and eight touchdowns. He totaled 958 all-purpose yards. As a true freshman, Gray registered 15 catches for 409 yards and six touchdowns. The 6-foot and 186-lb wide receiver finished his juco career averaging 18.6 yards per reception. His big-play ability earned him a spot on SMU’s football team where he showed out big time in 2021. He finished fifth in the class in yards after the catch per reception (8.5). Gray also boasted a 19% target share and 24% air yards share. With elite speed – 4.33 40-yard dash – separation skills and experience playing out wide, Gray fits the archetype as a Day 3 player that could easily outperform his draft capital. Vertical prowess is a common trait among late-round WRs that make noise as rookies. He looks a lot like Nelson Agholor on tape – drops included. His 12.5% drop rate is the 7th-worst mark in the class among WRs with at least 50 targets last season.
Justyn Ross (WR – KC)
No. 32 overall, +11 vs. ECR
Justyn Ross looked the part of college football’s next superstar after a breakout freshman season. At 18 years old, Ross led the Clemson Tigers in receiving yards despite playing alongside older teammates Tee Higgins, Amari Rodgers and Hunter Renfrow who were future pros. He was PFF’s second-highest-graded WR in his first season (91.2). The 6-foot-4 and 205-pound wideout followed up with an impressive sophomore campaign, leading the team in receptions (66) as Trevor Lawrence‘s most heavily targeted receiver. Ross was well on his way to being a locked-and-loaded Round 1 selection for the 2021 NFL Draft, but a rare condition affecting his neck and spine forced him to miss the entire 2020 season. He came back in 2021 to show that he was fully healthy, but an anemic Clemson offense that ranked 87th in PFF’s grading torpedoed his numbers. Only 64% of his targets were deemed catchable, which ranked in the 28th percentile. If Ross can recapture his playmaking ability from 2018, he will be a steal for a team on Day 2. He’s an underrated route runner at his size, but not a contested-catch fiend. Reminds me a lot of Corey Davis because Ross is not particularly explosive. He signed with Kansas City as a UDFA.
2022 Dynasty Rookie Rankings
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