The 2023 NFL Draft is in the books. With the NFL Draft comes dynasty rookie draft season! We have you covered with our dynasty rookie draft coverage, and of course, you can complete fast and FREE dynasty rookie mock drafts using our mock draft simulator. While you take that simulator for a spin to prepare for your dynasty rookie mock drafts, check out our latest dynasty rookie mock and analysis from our analysts.
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Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft
1.03 – Anthony Richardson (QB – IND)
Anthony Richardson looks like a quarterback with only one full season of starting experience under his belt. Many passing plays have a predetermined target immediately. Richardson rarely gets to his second option; when he does, it feels a tick behind. Sometimes, he hesitates with open wide receivers pumping the ball instead of firing as if he doesn’t trust his eyes. Richardson was utilized on a ton of bootlegs to the right. This was also a favorite escape path when pressured, as he would roll out right in many cases instead of stepping up in the pocket. Richardson looks comfortable throwing on the run, moving to his right. His ball placement is strong in these play designs. Richardson has a cannon for an arm, but he’s still refining it. His ball placement can be erratic. He’ll toss a ball behind a receiver running a slant and then hit a receiver in stride for a 50-yard bomb into double coverage. The flashes of upside are brilliant.
You get a glimpse of the type of game-changing quarterback Richardson can be if it all coalesces. His strong arm still needs taming. He needs to gain touch on short and intermediate throws. He has only one gear on many of these plays: a full-bore fastball. Richardson isn’t an anticipatory thrower. He’s still in the see-it, throw-it phase of his evolution. Richardson is a sick athlete capable of highlight-reel-worthy play every snap. He’s an explosive rusher with some nice lateral agility for his size. When he’s in a rhythm, he is a special player.
Dynasty Outlook: If you’re a Richardson truther or just a fan of elite upside, you should be streaking in the streets after shotgunning a few cocktails, with Richardson landing with Shane Steichen. Steichen’s track record with quarterbacks is proven and polished. Yes, he helped Jalen Hurts, but even before that, he assisted Justin Herbert in his rookie season and Philip Rivers before him. Richardson’s rushing upside is ridiculous. That alone gives him a top-12 floor in fantasy in his rookie season, assuming he starts in Week 1. Indy has Michael Pittman, Jonathan Taylor, Alec Pierce and Josh Downs to help make Richardson’s life easier when he drops back to pass.
Look for Steichen to dial up the deep heaves, as well. Over the last two seasons, Hurts finished 14th and fourth in deep ball passing rate (minimum 20 deep attempts per PFF). Last year among 148 quarterbacks with at least 20 deep attempts (per PFF), Richardson ranked 20th in PFF deep passing grade and 30th in deep passer rating. The Colts will be an explosive play factory this year. In superflex dynasty rookie drafts, you can make an argument for Richardson over Bijan Robinson, with Richardson’s floor being 1.03. In 1QB dynasty formats, he is the QB1 of this class because of his rushing production.
2.03 – Zach Charbonnet (RB – SEA)
Zach Charbonnet is a dancing rhino covered in butter. Charbonnet is a tough runner with nimble feet for his size and a mean stiff arm. He can string together jump cuts to daylight more regularly than a person his size should be able to. Arm tackles don’t bring down Charbonnet. He slips through them with ease. Charbonnet has a strong leg drive and consistently finishes runs well. While his lateral agility will surprise, he’s still at his best when he gets downhill in a hurry. Charbonnet is a decisive runner who operated in a gap-heavier scheme over the last two seasons (53.5% of his runs came on gap designs). Charbonnet is a serviceable pass-catcher. He displays soft hands, but his athletic ceiling will limit how creatively a team will deploy him through the air at the next level. He can be a trusted check-down option for his next quarterback. His calling card will be his ability to handle volume and break off chunk plays. His home run-hitting ability will not. Charbonnet is a buildup speed back who utilizes his fancy footwork to cover up for an average burst.
Dynasty Outlook: Seattle crushed my heart. You heard my audible sorrow if you listened to our live reaction podcast of Round 2. That pain was and remains real. Charbonnet got the draft capital we wanted from a dynasty perspective, but Seattle just dolled out similar capital for Kenneth Walker last year. Charbonnet is now locked into a timeshare for the foreseeable future with Walker. Unless Seattle plans to transition to a top five-10 neutral rushing rate team, this will cap the volume for Walker and Charbonnet yearly, assuming both stay healthy. I can’t drop Charbonnet below the ranking of RB3 in this class because of the combination of talent, draft capital invested in him and the fact that nearly every running back in this class was sent to a butthole-clenching landing spot. Charbonnet is a late first-round/early second-round rookie draft pick.
3.03 – Tyjae Spears (RB – TEN)
Tyjae Spears concluded his final season at Tulane with stellar numbers, ranking fifth in yards after contact per attempt, 15th in breakaway rate and 11th in PFF’s elusive rating. He’s electric in space with plus lateral agility and an effective jump cut. Spears flashes good change of direction ability with the juice to flip the field and get to the edge on zone runs. He’s adept at utilizing his vision and angles, making it difficult for tacklers to wrap him up head-on. Weighing in at 204 pounds at the Senior Bowl helps his projection at the next level. He added essential “work weight” with a stacked lower half, without sacrificing his explosiveness. Spears possesses fluidity in his routes from the backfield with the ability to separate from linebackers. He is a work in progress in pass protection, but he has the tenacity and lower-half strength to at least grow into a serviceable back in this area.
Dynasty Outlook: I love Spears’ talent and what he showed both at Tulane and in the pre-Draft process. If you feel like a but is incoming, there is, but his medicals are concerning. The conversation around his knee is frightening. His problematic knee could easily derail his short-term and long-term projection in the NFL. Derrick Henry is an unrestricted free agent after this year, so it’s equally possible that Spears is the favorite to take over as the team’s starter next year. I’ll only let him slip so far in rookie drafts before pulling the trigger based on that upside alone. Spears shouldn’t be available past the second round of Superflex rookie drafts.
4.03 – DeWayne McBride (RB – MIN)
DeWayne McBride is a tough runner. He has strong contact balance as he pinballs off defenders into the second level. His plus leg drive masks average burst at the line. McBride has enough lateral agility to sidestep to a different gap when the designed hole is filled with a defender. His vision is a plus as he presses the line well and improvises when it’s called for. He’s at his best when he gets downhill in a hurry as a one-cut-and-go back. McBride lacks the extra immediate juice to hit some creases as he looks a second behind. This also shows up when he’s asked to avoid a defender in the backfield. He can jump-cut an early surprise occasionally, but he’s getting dropped behind the line on many plays that he encounters a defender immediately. He’s an unknown in the passing game. McBride only garnered 10 targets in college. This could be related to offensive design or a reflection of stone hands, but with such a small sample to work with, it’s impossible to know which. McBride did perform as a plus pass protector in his final season in college, so we can assume that the lack of targets wasn’t related to him coming off the field on passing plays. Last year McBride was 15th in PFF pass-blocking grade (minimum 50 pass-blocking snaps, 109 RBs).
Dynasty Outlook: McBride nearly fell to UDFA status before the Vikings drafted him in the seventh round. McBride’s rushing talent is undeniable, but his pass game usage is likely zero in the NFL. He should still battle last year’s fifth-round selection Ty Chandler for the RB2 spot on this depth chart behind Alexander Mattison, now that Dalvin Cook has been released. He’s a fourth-round dynasty rookie pick worth investing in. It could net you a starting running back if he can somehow beat out Mattison and Chandler in camp. That’s an upside play worth making.
5.03 – A.T. Perry (NO – WR)
A.T. Perry understands leverage and route running well overall but needs to continue polishing his routes. He utilizes his size and a quick first step well on slants with a good feel versus zone. His fluid hips help him snap off routes at the top of his stem with average foot speed. His shortcomings in short-area agility show up on comebacks and curls and selling a vertical push. Perry isn’t as physical as his size or frame would lead anyone to believe. He’s not a strong YAC producer, with only 3.1 yards after the catch per reception during his collegiate career. He never ranked higher than 60th in missed tackles forced among wide receivers (minimum 50 targets).
Perry does have a quick first step, though, transitioning into a runner after the reception, so while he doesn’t break tackles, he can pick up extra yards and extend plays in space. He can be pushed off his routes and have issues with physical corners that get can into his body. Perry lacks a second gear to stack corners on nine routes easily. Add in that he only secured 40% of his contested opportunities in college, and we’re left with a “prototypical X receiver” type, who should be utilized in the intermediate areas of the field. Perry profiles as a chain-moving outside receiver that can beat zone and man coverage, but he shouldn’t be asked to stretch the field often on go routes. His size and skill set are more conducive to success via corner and post routes. Perry dealt with drops at Wake Forest with a 10.4% drop rate. This could be related to technique or his 39th percentile hand size. Only time will tell if NFL coaching can clean this up some or if it lingers at the next level.
Dynasty Outlook: I was shocked that Perry was on the board in the sixth round of the NFL Draft. The Saints made sure he didn’t sit out there any longer. Perry’s path to playing time could be easier than it appears at first glance. Chris Olave is locked into a starting role and should lead the team in targets, but after him, things get dicey quickly in the Big Easy. It’s still possible that we never see a healthy version of Michael Thomas ever again. Rashid Shaheed played well in a small sample last year, but he is also a free agent after this season. Keith Kirkwood, Tre’Quan Smith and Bryan Edwards are his only remaining competition for snaps if Thomas can’t go. Perry could be a Week 1 starter, if not crack the starting lineup at some point in 2023. Depending on how the rookie draft is unfolding, I will start considering him in the late third round with the knowledge that he likely drops into the fourth round. Stash him on your taxi squads. He could be the Saints’ latest late-round find that bursts onto the NFL scene seemingly out of nowhere.
Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft Results & Board
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