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.
- 2024 Dynasty Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- How to Prepare for Your Dynasty Rookie Draft
- 2024 NFL Draft Guide
- 2024 Draft Scouting Reports
2024 Dynasty Rookie Draft Advice
Troy Franklin (Oregon)
Stats:
- 2023 (among all FBS WRs minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 6th
- PFF receiving grade: 15th
- YAC per reception: 58th
- 2022 (among all FBS WRs minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 59th
- PFF receiving grade: 80th
- YAC per reception: 193rd
Scouting Report:
- Franklin is a double-move demon. He has no issues snatching a corner’s soul with a double move and then pressing the accelerator to the metal as he blows past them for a long gain. His easy and immediate ability to hit the gas shows up all over his film in his routes and after the catch. He transitions from receiver to rusher, seamlessly dodging defenders immediately after the ball is in his hands.
- He has a fluid change of direction ability, which shows up on his short area routes as he can cut on a dime on stop routes and comebacks. His special burst allows him to deploy a varied release package. He’ll offer corners a change up at times, with his first step or two being exaggerated before exploding into his route.
- Franklin was utilized in line at times and caught his fair share of screens with some gimmicky usage but don’t let his route-running prowess get lost in that Oregon sauce. He has a route tree with plenty of branches. He has “teach tape” skills when it comes to stacking corners on deep routes. Franklin’s upper body strength and hand fighting serve him well against physical corners.
- Concerns with Franklin’s drop issues are warranted but will likely be overstated in the process. His nine drops in 2023 are nothing to ignore but some of those were on poorly thrown balls by Bo Nix or in highly contested situations. He does have a few costly drops related to ball tracking and technique that can’t be overlooked but he also has some tough grabs made in the end zone and in traffic that lead me to believe this is a correctable issue at the next level.
Player Comp: Robbie Chosen with route running chops
Brian Thomas Jr. (LSU)
Stats:
- 2023 (among all FBS WRs minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 32nd
- PFF receiving grade: 92nd
- YAC per reception: 102nd
- 2022 (among all FBS WRs minimum 40 targets)
- Yards per route run: 301st
- PFF receiving grade: 290th
- YAC per reception: 184th
Scouting Report:
- Thomas is a traits-based prospect with a legit 4.4-lifting speed. He can take the top off a defense and burn by a corner in the blink of an eye. Thomas faced a ton of off-coverage in college, with corners afraid to get beat over the top by him. As a field stretcher, he offers solid ball tracking deep and a “my ball” mentality at the catch point. He has good body control for a receiver his size. He’ll be a good fit in an offense built upon creating explosives and with a strong deep ball rate.
- Thomas was tasked with a limited route tree at LSU. His game logs consisted of a ton of stop routes, go routes and fade routes. He was tasked with running to space against zone. You won’t find many in-breaking routes on his film outside of the occasional crosser.
- Thomas has a decent gear down for his size with the ability to gain separation on comebacks but he saw hefty cushions in coverage. It’ll be interesting to see how he handles corners pressing him or playing tighter in the NFL. He has the upper body strength and hand-fighting to put up a fight against press but it’s more of a projection since we haven’t seen him do it much.
- He’s not much of a threat after the catch with only 5.3 yards after the catch per reception in college. His transition from receiver to rusher is methodical, considering his size. He’s not a twitchy player, as his hips look stiff once he has the ball in his hands and is asked to create after the catch.
Player Comp: Tyrell Williams
Devontez Walker (North Carolina)
Stats:
- 2023 (minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 71st
- PFF receiving grade: 177th
- YAC per reception: 271st
Scouting Report:
- Field stretcher. Walker finished his collegiate career with 16.8 yards per reception and a 17.1 average depth of target (aDOT). He was a limited route tree player, with the majority of his opportunities coming on stop routes and go balls with some screens and posts tossed in. I would have loved to have seen Walker utilized on slants more where he could take advantage of his size and strong hands in traffic.
- Walker must continue to add to his bag of tricks as a receiver. He will round off his routes and routinely leaves corners unstacked on nine routes, which leads to issues at the catch point. Walker’s strong mitts and solid ball placement by Drake Maye helped to mitigate corners at the catch point but this will be an issue for him in the NFL. He does have some good reps, exhibiting good body control and the ability to play above the rim.
- Walker needs to continue to improve his gear down and sink his hips on comebacks and curls. He’s a long strider with build-up speed that plays better with downfield assignments. Walker likely slots in as a situational deep threat in the NFL unless he can continue to improve in these other areas.
Player Comp: Bryan Edwards
Ainias Smith (Texas A&M)
Stats:
- 2023 (minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 72nd
- PFF receiving grade: 39th
- YAC per reception: 47th
- Career
- 70.1% collegiate slot rate
Scouting Report:
- The former running back weaves through traffic like a back. Smith has easy speed and quick twitch after the catch, with the ability to earn yards after the catch.
- Fluid hips and nimble feet allow him to win against corners in the short areas of the field. Smith was a slot option in college and projects for the same work in the NFL.
- Smith operated with a healthy dose of stop routes, manufactured touches, and slants where he was asked to run to daylight versus zone.
Player Comp: Demetric Felton
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