It’s that time again. Dynasty rookie fever SZN is here! The NFL Draft will come and go before we know it and rookie drafts will start flying daily. Before you dive head first into our Draft Simulator and run 3,000 rookie drafts in preparation, please read up on this talented prospect class as I roll through my quarterback, running back, wide receiver and tight end positional primers. Motrin and Tylenol can’t quell this fever. The only medicine is more dynasty rookie mock drafts. Let’s dive into a few notable dynasty rookie draft picks to consider.
- DBro’s Dynasty Rookie Draft Primers: QB | WR
- 2024 Dynasty Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- 2024 NFL Draft Guide
- 2024 Draft Scouting Reports
2024 Dynasty Rookie Draft Advice
Jayden Daniels (LSU)
Stats:
- 2023 (among FBS QBs, minimum 150 dropbacks)
- PFF passing grade: 2nd
- Adjusted completion rate: 6th
- Yards per attempt: 1st
- Big-time throw rate: 3rd
- Deep passing (minimum 20 deep passing attempts)
- Adjusted completion rate: 1st
- Deep throw rate: 62nd
- Deep passing yards: 4th
- Pressured passing (minimum 50 pressured dropbacks)
- Adjusted completion rate: 39th
- Pressured rate: 17th-lowest
Scouting Report:
- Daniels’ quarterback play is refreshing. With a sizable contingent of quarterbacks in this year’s class operating in quick passing and screen-heavy offenses, watching Daniels go through progressions is a treat. He has quiet feet in the pocket. He’s a quick processor who has no issues getting to even his third read on some plays. He managed to get to his “next read” on 14.8% of his dropbacks in 2023. You won’t find Daniels with tunnel vision for his first option.
- Daniels has easy flick of the wrist velocity and while he doesn’t have a cannon, he can chuck it an easy 50 yards with plenty of mustard to push it farther. His deep ball is exquisite, with him hitting receivers in stride on plenty of boundary throws, but he can shorten some deep balls at times, which I attribute to his random hiccups in the short and intermediate areas of the field. His base can be inconsistent at times and while it might only happen a handful of times in a game, it’s still an area of improvement for this stellar prospect.
- Daniels is a fantastic anticipatory passer. He’ll cut loose passes before the receiver has reached the top of his stem and hit them on the money on a comeback. He has no issues pushing the ball into tight windows but he is also quite happy to take layup completions if they are available to him. Daniels has no problems putting up a 50/50 ball and asking his guy to go win. He plays with tempered aggression. Daniels had the fourth-lowest turnover-worthy play rate while also ranking third in big-time throw rate.
- His ball placement continuously offers yards after the catch (YAC) opportunities as he hits his receivers in stride. That is important, especially in today’s NFL, where zone and two high are all the rage.
- Daniels has no problems playing from the pocket. He doesn’t look to take off and anytime he’s moved off his mark, he keeps his eyes downfield the entire time, looking for an open receiver. That’s not to say Daniels isn’t a dynamic game-changing rusher. Daniels has hit 21 miles per hour (MPH) at LSU’s practices, so I have no worries about his 40 time (probably 4.4/4.5). Daniels changes direction with no issues in the open field and has the acceleration to gain the edge. His biggest issue is that he needs to slide more. He’ll duck out of bounds easily on the perimeter, but in the interior, he has taken some huge shots.
Player Comp: Randall Cunningham
Drake Maye (North Carolina)
Stats:
- 2023 (among FBS QBs, minimum 150 dropbacks)
- PFF passing grade: 8th
- Adjusted completion rate: 30th
- Yards per attempt: 29th
- Big-time throw rate: 8th
- Deep passing (minimum 20 deep passing attempts)
- Adjusted completion rate: 8th
- Deep throw rate: 25th
- Pressured passing (minimum 50 pressured dropbacks)
- Adjusted completion rate: 23rd
- Pressured rate: 51st
- 2022 (among FBS QBs, minimum 150 dropbacks)
- PFF passing grade: 3rd
- Adjusted completion rate: 30th
- Yards per attempt: 31st
- Big-time throw rate: 4th
- Deep passing (minimum 20 deep passing attempts)
- Adjusted completion rate: 11th
- Deep throw rate: 59th
- Pressured passing (minimum 50 pressured dropbacks)
- Adjusted completion rate: 52nd
- Pressured rate: 30th-most
Scouting Report:
- Maye is a deep-ball sniper. His arm strength consistently shows up in his film. His downfield prowess is one of his shining attributes, as he has ranked in the top 12 in deep ball-adjusted completion rate in each of the last two seasons. The deep ball velocity is palpable and easy as the ball jumps out of his hand. Maye also displays good touch and the ability to toss a precise change up in the short and intermediate when it’s called for.
- Maye has a pretty good pocket presence. He moves through progressions well overall but he does seem a tick-late on some reps. It’s not a constant problem as he gets through reads one and two with regularity. It’s rare to see him progress to his third option or a check-down unless they are earlier in the progression.
- He will stand tall against pressure to deliver strikes. Maye offers some off-script play-making ability but he can get out over his skis in this realm at times. It’s not a consistent theme but he will bail the occasional clean pocket. He does offer the ability to be utilized on bootlegs and on the move, whether scripted or if he’s working through a broken play. Once in scramble mode, he tends to lock onto one option while maneuvering through the noise. He needs to improve at keeping his eyes downfield in improv mode and continue to utilize the entire field as his canvas.
- Maye can get the ball out quickly for quick hitters but his delivery can get long at times. He’ll need to clean that up more in the faster NFL.
Player Comp: Matthew Stafford
Bo Nix (Oregon)
Stats:
- 2023 (among FBS QBs, minimum 150 dropbacks)
- PFF passing grade: 1st
- Adjusted completion rate: 1st
- Yards per attempt: 5th
- Big-time throw rate: 78th
- Deep passing (minimum 20 deep passing attempts)
- Adjusted completion rate: 4th
- Deep throw rate: 12th-lowest
- Pressured passing (minimum 50 pressured dropbacks)
- Adjusted completion rate: 1st
- Pressured rate: the lowest in FBS (15.9%)
- 2022 (among FBS QBs, minimum 150 dropbacks)
- PFF passing grade: 35th
- Adjusted completion rate: 2nd
- Yards per attempt: 12th
- Big-time throw rate: 89th
- Deep passing (minimum 20 deep passing attempts)
- Adjusted completion rate: 4th
- Deep throw rate: 21st-lowest
- Pressured passing (minimum 50 pressured dropbacks)
- Adjusted completion rate: 4th
- Pressured rate: 4th-lowest
Scouting Report:
- The Oregon offense was tailored to get the ball out of Nix’s hands quickly. The backbone of the offense is based on screens and quick passing. Last year, Nix had the fourth-lowest aDOT (average depth of target), the ninth-lowest time to throw and the ninth-highest screen rate while leading the Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) in screen passing yards. This makes evaluating him for the NFL somewhat challenging. Some of these elements have bled into the NFL game but Oregon had them ramped up to 11.
- Nix displays good mobility and accuracy while throwing on the run. He has good zip on short and intermediate passes, even when throwing off platform. He wasn’t asked to go deep often, with only 10.9% of his attempts 20+ yards downfield. Last year, 66.7% of his passing attempts were aimed within nine yards of the line of scrimmage, with also 27.0% of his attempts behind the line of scrimmage. He has the arm strength to make all of the throws. While his ball placement on deep tosses is ok, it’s not mind-melting.
- Nix stares down his first reads religiously. If his first read is covered, it becomes an adventure. In many instances, he will immediately go to his check-down option or scramble. Nix will drift and roll out from clean pockets at times. His processing and ability to navigate pressure in the NFL are big questions.
Player Comp: Jake Plummer
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