Dynasty Rookie Draft Advice: Cody Schrader, Kimani Vidal, Dylan Laube (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

Cody Schrader (RB – Missouri)

Schrader’s vision allows him to be scheme versatile. He quickly diagnoses lanes with inside zone runs and is adept at operating on stretch zone plays. Schrader’s lateral agility is underrated, which also plays into his prowess for outside zone. His burst is only adequate at best, though, which could limit his ability in the pros. To operate in the outside zone in the NFL, he’ll need a very good offensive line, but he could have success with inside zone thanks to his vision and his tendency to get downhill immediately on those plays. Schrader compensates for lacking special burst by maximizing each run, thanks to his vision. He has average burst and speed at the collegiate level, but Schrader will have issues in the NFL. Schrader has a mild second gear, but he lacks “shot out of a cannon” or “run away from you speed” which leads to plenty of runs where he’s caught from behind. This will only be more exacerbated against NFL talent. He’s very dependent upon his offensive line. He’ll get what’s blocked but not a ton after that, and he cannot create a ton of yards for himself. While not an imposing tackle breaker, Schrader can shed arm tackles or defenders that come at him high. He does so with adequate to good leg drive. Schrader will flash the occasional spin move when a defender hits him high or a stiff arm, but neither are go-to weapons in his tackle-breaking arsenal. There are plenty of reps where defenders square him up, though, and blow him out of his cleats. Schrader has soft hands and displays some skills as a receiver. This is the untapped area of his game that could be expanded upon in the NFL. He wasn’t utilized creatively in college, with only check-downs and the occasional wheel route, but he has the foot skills to believe that he could possibly develop into a receiving weapon in the NFL. His pass protection abilities or struggles in this area could limit his usage on passing downs, though. Schrader has plenty of reps on tape where he squares up defenders and gets blown back. He is also not a max-effort guy with some reps where he merely attempts to chip a defender, which does nothing to impede the rusher’s path to the quarterback. Schrader should find a home on an NFL roster/practice squad as a dependable player who will get every blade of grass that’s blocked for him. His vision and solid overall game make him a dependable guy that coaches will love.

Kimani Vidal (RB – Troy)

Downhill pinball. Vidal will ricochet off incoming defenders and produce hard-fought yards with a nasty stiff arm and solid footwork. Give him a runway, and he’ll chew up chunk yardage. Vidal has enough juice to bounce a run outside when needed, but he’s at his best when he builds up some steam and penetrates the second level of the defense. Vidal isn’t a home run hitter, though. His 35.2% breakaway percentage in college tells the tale. Vidal is built to churn out 5-15 yard runs with frequency. He has only an average burst and lacks a second gear to run away from defenders in the open field. Vidal is caught behind religiously. He’s a volume rusher who’s proven he can hold up to the workload, with at least 231 carries in each of the last two seasons and at least 23 carries in 57% of his games in his final collegiate season.

Dylan Laube (RB – New Hampshire)

Laube has average burst. He’s more quick than fast, but he gets up to top speed in a hurry. His quick feet and short-area agility are his strong suits as he is a one-speed runner. Solid jump cut and change of direction in the open field without losing much steam, but he gets caught from behind far too often. His pass game usage will be his calling card in the NFL. In two of the last three seasons, he has had 14.1% and 16.8% snap rates in the slot/out wide. He ran a variety of routes in college to the occasional wheel to check downs and lined up outside and was even asked to run go routes. Laube is a solid pass protector and should be able to carve out the passing-down role in a committee. He squares up defenders nicely and anchors well in pass pro. His leg strength shows up more here than it does when he is utilized as a rusher.

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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