Rookie drafts are by far one of the best ways to improve your dynasty roster. The worse teams get earlier picks in the draft, assuming they didn’t trade them away. Better teams must wait and collect whatever talent falls to them later on.

It’s the great rebalancing that occurs annually across all dynasty leagues, and we’re right on the cusp of it now. That means it’s time to study and learn as much as you can about the players before we know their landing spots and draft capital. A great way to do that is to complete fast and free dynasty rookie mock drafts using our simulator!

That means it’s time to mock it up!

• 2024 NFL Mock Drafts
• Expert Consensus 2024 NFL Mock Draft
• 2024 NFL Draft Guide
• 2024 NFL Draft Prospect Profiles

Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft: Standard (2024 Fantasy Football)

I’ll use the FantasyPros Mock Draft Wizard and run through my thought processes as I make each pick. For this draft, we’ll assume it’s a 1QB league with no tight end premium. I’ll be picking fourth of 12, and we will draft for four rounds.

Here we go!

1.04: Brock Bowers (TE – Georgia)

Receivers go off the board at picks No. 1, 2 and 3. This isn’t a shock to me. This class of pass-catchers is one of the best we’ve seen in recent memory. On the flip side, the running backs are one of the more mediocre groups we’ve seen. In 1QB drafts, I fully expect these three WRs to be gone at 1.04, but that still leaves plenty of talent to pick from.

With that in mind, I’m selecting Brock Bowers. Even though this isn’t a tight-end premium league, we rarely see talent like Bowers in rookie classes, especially at tight end. He reminds me of Rob Gronkowski, Evan Engram and Kyle Pitts – all “generational talents” who somehow played in the same generation. Taking someone similar at the 1.04 feels like a steal.

Even if Bowers doesn’t entirely pan out, the talent I’m passing on all has question marks. Caleb Williams could be in for a rocky rookie season on the Bears. Other receivers like Brian Thomas Jr. and Troy Franklin could end up being busts in the wrong systems. And as noted, this RB class is a little weak, and I can’t see taking any of them at the fourth pick. For me, it’s Bowers or bust here.

2.04: Jonathon Brooks (RB – Texas)

As predicted, two running backs went at the back of the first round, along with three quarterbacks. Putting team needs aside, as you should be doing in your rookie drafts, I’m much more interested in picking for upside at the 2.04.

Jonathon Brooks just screams upside to me. Sure, he has some risk, and in the wrong hands or a busy backfield, he might not pan out at all, but Brooks is one of the few every-down backs in this class. Even with his injury history, he could be a stud for dynasty managers for years to come.

After I took Brooks, three straight running backs were selected, starting a small run. I don’t have any regrets so far. The second round also sees picks of another tight end and quarterback, rounding out the positions a little more as we head into the third round.

3.04: Roman Wilson (WR – Michigan)

Now we’re getting deep. Many rookie drafts only have three rounds of rookie picks. This is mostly because some leagues are more casual than others. Three rounds is at a level where the smart tend to survive longer than the casual.

That said, it’s all a crapshoot from here on out. The pick for me at 3.04 is Roman Wilson and his 8.57 Relative Athletic Score (RAS) score. Wilson is smaller than your prototypical receiver, but his speed and agility are well above average. In today’s NFL, he has an easier path to fantasy relevance than most, so at 3.04, I’m happy with the value here.

Two more running backs go in the third, including Bucky Irving, who I was also considering instead of Wilson. One more QB and a whopping five more WRs are taken as well, making the WR pick of mine earlier this round look a little better in context.

4.04: Jermaine Burton (WR – Alabama)

If three rounds is deep, four rounds is very deep. The players going in this range are often the first ones cut when someone else blows up in training camp, so don’t give it too much thought. Stressing over these things because they could be the next Puka Nacua or Tank Dell often lead to analysis paralysis.

Thanks to the simulator’s expert help, I’m going with WR Jermaine Burton, with 52% of the experts leaning that way. RB Will Shipley comes up at 33%, and others are even further down. When in doubt, go with your gut, or at the very least, trust others with more knowledge.

After I make my selection, TE Cade Stover is the next off the board and the fourth and final TE taken in the draft. Shipley isn’t taken until 4.09, even though he was the next-highest recommended player at 3.04. That’s what I love about mock drafting with the Mock Draft Wizard:  It’s still very unpredictable, just like real drafts are.

Results

Overall, I ended up with Bowers, Brooks, Wilson and Burton. I got the best TE, arguably one of the top-three RBs and two WRs in the deep talent pool at the position. I’d be very happy with this outcome in my own rookie draft.

Oddly enough, there was one team that selected four quarterbacks and one that selected four receivers. While these results are outliers, anything can happen in a draft. Mock drafting on the sim will help keep you on your toes when you’re on the clock yourself. Better get practicing!

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