Dynasty Rookie Draft Advice: Caleb Williams, Joe Milton, Michael Penix Jr. (2024 Fantasy Football)

The fantasy football season has come to an end, but that doesn’t mean the NFL stops. It’s time to start getting excited for the 2024 NFL Draft. Dynasty fantasy football managers and redraft players alike can dive into the upcoming class of fantasy football rookies to prepare for the 2024 NFL season. We’ll take a look at players to know from the 2024 NFL Draft class.

Dynasty Rookie Draft Prospects

Joe Milton (QB – Tennessee)

Milton has a cannon. He has easy velocity all day. When he’s on, he can put some wow throws on tape. His unwavering belief in his arm can get him into trouble sometimes, though. He has plenty of throws on film where he will force throws and attempt to put the ball in spots he shouldn’t, whether it’s a player in tight coverage or with a defender bearing down on him. The Tennessee offense is like many others in college, with plenty of quick passing to a first read. Milton, like many other passers, tends to lock onto that first read, staring them down lovingly. Milton misses plenty of receivers running wide open that might be the second or third read in a progression. When his first read is taken away, many times, his only outs are to force the ball to that player, take the check-down, or take off running. Milton won’t be a rushing threat in the NFL. He’s a linear runner with below-average speed and limited tackle-breaking ability. Milton throws with anticipation with some reps, but largely, he’s a see-it-throw-it quarterback. His trigger needs to be improved, as it can be a tick behind at times.

Michael Penix Jr. (QB – Washington)

Penix has good zip on the ball. He’s a max effort thrower and tosses the pigskin like a shot put. In a clean pocket, he can put some nice second-level and layered throws on tape. He has pretty good ball placement, but it can be inconsistent. He limits YAC opportunities for his wide receivers on some reps as he delivers a catchable ball, but it’s not in stride with his receivers as they are left waiting on the ball. Penix feels a tick behind on plenty of plays. There are too many instances of him holding the ball on film and missing a receiver running open only to deliver the ball after a corner is closing in. He’s very much a see-it, throw-it quarterback at this juncture, as there aren’t enough instances of him throwing with anticipation. His receivers will be at the top of their stem, and the ball should come out, but he’ll hold it until they have cleared a corner. Too often, Penix locks on his first read. While there are a ton of plays where he gets the ball out quickly, those plays, in many instances, are scripted plays or wide receiver screens. When his first read is covered, Penix tends to force the ball to his receiver anyway. There’s plenty to be said for tossing it up and expecting his receivers to win 50/50 balls, but this is more than that. He gets hyper-focused on his first reads and stares them down from the moment the ball is snapped. Penix too often leaves yards on the field. He shies away from using the middle of the field and, many times, won’t see a receiver streaking wide open on a slant or crosser until they cross his face. Penix has a decent pocket presence. He’ll roll out to avoid pressure, but rarely will you see him hang in and climb the pocket. He has no issues hanging in versus pressure, though, and taking a big hit to deliver the ball to his receiver. Overall, he feels a tick slow to feel pressure or the pass rush.

Caleb Williams (QB – USC)

Williams has the gunslinger mentality cranked up to 11 at all times. While I won’t fault him for that because I would rather the aggression than more passiveness when playing, it can get him into trouble at times. Williams will force throws into strapped coverage where he should have taken what the defense gave him with an easy underneath route or check down. This could come back to bite him in the pros if he doesn’t reel it in at times. His highwire act played up better in 2022 than in 2023, when his supporting cast wasn’t as adept at getting open. At times, when you watch his 2023 tape, it’s evident that every receiving option is covered up quickly, and Williams was forced into a backyard scramble ball. In 2023, on some reps, he looked frantic as he was pressing to play hero ball, whereas in 2022, on similar reps, he was a seasoned explorer sprinting in the dark with a playmaking compass pointing him toward home. He needs to play with more controlled aggression, like in 2022, and less, like in 2023. Williams has easy velocity at all levels of the field, which allows him to fit in strikes into some precariously tight windows. His flick of the wrist plus velo helps him out when he’s on the run, as it’s nothing for him to toss it 40 yards downfield while on the move and make it look easy. Williams has a quick release and can alter arm angles at the drop of a hat. He’s a strong processor on the field, but he can rush through progressions at times. He’ll flip from his 1st to his second read or his second to his third without allowing the play to flesh itself out. Williams developed some bad habits in 2023 as he would bail some clean/workable pockets at the first sign of pressure instead of stepping up in a workable pocket to avoid the rush. He needs to get back to the 2022 version of himself, where he balanced his Superman tendencies with a tad more Clark Kent. Williams will offer some rushing upside in the NFL; although he’s probably unlikely to be a consistent 500-yard rusher like in college, he could kick in 300-400 in some seasons. Williams has a decent change of direction ability, but his start/stop isn’t lightning fast, as he’s equipped with more build-up speed. He will probably run a 4.5 40-yard dash, so I don’t want to shade his wheels too much. His escapability in the pocket would lead many to believe that, as a rusher, he would be twitchier. He can chew up yards when it’s called for but don’t look for him to be a heavy-designed rush attempt quarterback in the NFL.

2024 Dynasty Rookie Draft Profiles

Quarterbacks

Running Backs

Wide Receivers

Tight Ends

Check out all of our 2024 NFL Draft Scouting Reports

2024 NFL Draft Guide

It’s never too early to dive into the upcoming NFL Draft class! We’ll have you covered as we all prepare to welcome the newest rookies into the league. Below you’ll find early mock drafts, prospect rankings and profiles, and more as we help you prepare for the 2024 NFL Draft!

Check out our 2024 NFL Draft Guide

Dynasty Trade Value Chart

Whether it’s a dynasty startup draft or your rookie draft, we have you covered. Our team of fantasy football analysts includes Derek Brown, Pat Fitzmaurice, and Andrew Erickson. And Fitz and Scott Bogman will have you covered every week through the offseason with our Dynasty Football Podcast. They’ve all collaborated to provide our dynasty trade value chart. This is a dynamic chart created using a consensus of the analysts’ dynasty rankings.

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