We’ve now reached the “downtime,” in the NFL calendar. The draft and free agency have commenced and the full 2023 schedule is out. Barring a few inevitable news items, there isn’t much happening between now and the start of training camps at the end of July.
To me, May marks the beginning of mock draft season. So without further ado, let’s mock! Using our Draft Wizard, here are the results of a mock draft I conducted for a 12-team, half-PPR, superflex redraft league. I was randomly assigned the eighth pick.
Happy mock drafting to all of you. And be sure to mock in minutes to prepare for your draft with our FREE mock draft simulator.
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Fantasy Football Superflex Mock Draft
Pick 1.8: Ja’Marr Chase (WR – CIN)
The top four quarterbacks are off the board when we reach my first round pick, but with Joe Burrow, Justin Fields, Justin Herbert and Trevor Lawrence still available, I’m confident I’ll be able to get one of those players at the top of Round Two.
Picking eighth in this scenario left me with a pretty tough choice. My primary candidates were Ja’Marr Chase, Jonathan Taylor, Saquon Barkley, and Bijan Robinson. You could conceivably argue for any of these guys at this spot, but I ultimately went with Chase because he offers the best combination of ceiling and floor.
Obviously, it’s only May, and draft boards will surely change, but at first blush I don’t think I’ll mind picking toward the latter end of the first round in my redraft leagues this year.
Pick 2.5: Nick Chubb (RB – CLE)
Fields, Herbert and Lawrence are all available as I anticipated, but for some reason, I’m more enamored with some of the skill position players still on the board. Chubb, Tony Pollard, Cooper Kupp, Stefon Diggs, Davante Adams, and CeeDee Lamb are the best names available, however, with my WR1 locked up, I opt for Chubb, who still feels undervalued as a mid-second rounder. Unlike Pollard, Chubb has proven he can perform with a true bell cow workload, and Kareem Hunt is no longer in the picture. Cleveland’s offense should also take a step forward, which should only help Chubb’s case. Injuries are a concern, but is there any tailback where that isn’t the case?
Since this is a mock, I’m going to experiment with how my team shakes out after waiting to nab my QB.
Pick 3.8: Trevor Lawrence (QB – JAX)
Well, thank my lucky stars, Lawrence is still available at the end of the third round. I agree that Lawrence has the upside to be ranked among the second-tier of QBs, and I think that ceiling puts him a cut above guys like Dak Prescott and Deshaun Watson. I’ll take Lawrence and run.
Pick 4.5: Chris Olave (WR – NO)
We’re entering the portion of this draft that’s filled with a lot of high-floor established veterans, so I’m excited to land one of the true high-upside players left in Olave. Olave caught 72 passes for 1,042 yards and four touchdowns as a rookie with Jameis Winston and Andy Dalton throwing him the ball. I’m not the biggest Derek Carr proponent, but I can admit that he’s a huge upgrade over both of those guys. He’s an exciting WR2.
Pick 5.8: Aaron Rodgers (QB – NYJ)
That felt weird to type. Aaron Rodgers, quarterback of the New York Jets. If it’s taking me time to adjust to typing out his name, I imagine it’ll take Rodgers some time to adjust and build chemistry with his new weapons. I think it’s naive to automatically assume the Jets will be an offensive juggernaut, but I also think it’s naive to think Rodgers just suddenly fell off a cliff in 2022. His supporting cast was lousy and I do think his thumb injury impacted his accuracy. I’ll take the shot on him as my QB2 who could finish top 5 if everything pans out and if nothing else still presents a higher floor than the market thinks.
Pick 6.5: D’Andre Swift (RB – PHI)
I think Swift could be one of the most undervalued players in drafts this summer after he was shown the door by the Detroit Lions, of all organizations. I’ll take the risk on a really talented and, hopefully, highly motivated player who was somehow traded to an even better situation in Philadelphia. While durability is a concern, I don’t think Swift needs to touch the ball more than 10-to-15 times a game to make a legitimate fantasy impact. I’ll gladly take a shot on him as a high-upside RB2.
Pick 7.8: Terry McLaurin (WR – WSH)
I’ll gladly snag McLaurin as my WR3 and flex player. I’m not sure how high of a ceiling McLaurin has in 2023 with Sam Howell under center, but the quarterback play hasn’t been good during his entire Commanders career. Still, he’s a darn good bet to haul in 70 balls and rack up 1,000 yards. If we can get some better touchdown variance, that’s gravy. If you can get him as your WR3 in drafts this summer, do it.
Pick 8.5: Diontae Johnson (WR – PIT)
Johnson is one of my favorite bounce-back candidates in 2023. Through his first three seasons, Johnson caught 20 total touchdowns, yet in 2022, he had zero, despite catching 86 passes on the year. Part of that can be blamed on quarterback play, as Kenny Pickett was getting his feet wet as a rookie. If you expect Pickett to improve, then there’s really no reason to pass up Johnson at this price. His 2022 season was his absolute floor, now’s the time to buy low.
Pick 9.8: Brian Robinson Jr. (RB – WSH)
If you’re worried about the fact that I only have two running backs to this point, I’m with you. Now that I’m set at receiver and quarterback for now, it’s time to cobble this group together. While I don’t love investing heavily in the Washington offense, Robinson felt like the last true lead back available. Robinson’s high floor complements Swift’s high ceiling from a roster construction standpoint. The volume should be there for him and, hopefully, a few more touchdowns are as well.
Pick 10.5: Elijah Mitchell (RB – SF)
One of the most fascinating situations to watch this season will be how the 49ers manage Christian McCaffrey over the entire length of the regular season. I’m not suggesting Mitchell is the 1B in this backfield, but I think he’s definitely more than a pure handcuff from a fantasy perspective. Mitchell’s a legitimately good running back. It wouldn’t stun me if Mitchell hit double-digit touches some weeks and we all know a McCaffrey injury would vault Mitchell into RB2 territory at a minimum.
Pick 11.8: Darnell Mooney (WR – CHI)
Mooney has always felt more destined to be a high-upside WR2 than a true WR1 and the arrival of D.J. Moore makes that the case. While it might result in less target volume for the field stretcher, I suspect it’ll free Mooney up to be even more threatening opposite Moore. If Justin Fields takes the next step, there will be plenty of opportunities for Mooney to finish as a top 36 WR, yet he’s currently ranked as the WR49. There’s upward mobility here for sure.
Pick 12.5: Jimmy Garoppolo (QB – LV)
I was hoping to snag C.J. Stroud here, but he went two picks before mine. I’ll settle for Garoppolo, who is the definition of a QB3 in superflex formats. I likely won’t play him other than a bye week or injury.
Pick 13.8: Greg Dulcich (TE – DEN)
This is the part of the mock draft where I am obligated to take a tight end. You can pick out of a hat if you don’t land one of the top four tight ends. However, if Russell Wilson is any good in 2023, Dulcich could benefit after he showed some flashes last season.
Pick 14.5: Jerome Ford (RB – CLE)
I don’t fully endorse handcuffing tailbacks, but for the cost, I don’t mind protecting my investment in Chubb with Ford, who seems in line for primary backup duties.
Pick 15.8: Israel Abanikanda (RB – NYJ)
Don’t be surprised if the rookie out of Pittsburgh plays a relatively significant role as a rookie. There’s no guarantee Breece Hall returns back to form off of his ACL injury and Michael Carter is coming off a down year. Zonovan Knight is still on the roster, but he’s more of a straight-line runner. Abanikanda has some serious juice and offers pass-catching ability. It wouldn’t stun me if Abanikanda surpassed Carter as the team’s RB2 and if Hall has a J.K. Dobbins type of season, there’s even more room for production.
DraftWizard Grade: 86/100 (B)
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