It’s flag plantin’ time, people!
Dynasty rookie drafts will be here quickly. It’s time to figure out who you are going to trade up, trade back, or trade into a rookie draft for. The players that are MUST HAVES when dynasty rookie drafts are rolling. In this article, I outline the players that I’m doing everything I can to select from this year’s class. Now, I’ll say that I didn’t include Ashton Jeanty or Tet McMillan on this list because, in many leagues, you’ll need the 1.01 or the 1.02 pick to get them. In some leagues, those picks will be locked up, and some Dynasty GMs will be unwilling to part with them. If you can trade into those spots to select those players, I absolutely would, but for the purpose of this exercise, I didn’t list them for the reasons previously outlined.
Without further ado, here’s my list of must-have dynasty rookies.
It’s flag plantin’ time, people!
Dynasty rookie drafts will be here quickly. It’s time to figure out who you are going to trade up, trade back, or trade into a rookie draft for. The players that are MUST HAVES when dynasty rookie drafts are rolling. In this article, I outline the players that I’m doing everything I can to select from this year’s class. Now, I’ll say that I didn’t include Ashton Jeanty or Tet McMillan on this list because, in many leagues, you’ll need the 1.01 or the 1.02 pick to get them. In some leagues, those picks will be locked up, and some Dynasty GMs will be unwilling to part with them. If you can trade into those spots to select those players, I absolutely would, but for the purpose of this exercise, I didn’t list them for the reasons previously outlined.
Without further ado, here’s my list of must-have dynasty rookies.
Must-Have Dynasty Rookies to Draft
Jaxson Dart (QB – Ole Miss)
Dart has the arm strength to make every NFL throw. He has a “strong enough arm” but doesn’t have a cannon. He relies upon ball placement with his throws, but he can zip it in the short/intermediate areas of the field. Dart made a living in 2024 by hitting his receivers with bucket shots on the perimeter on go balls and deep outs. Dart moves through progressions fairly well. He accesses the middle of the field plenty and can get to his tertiary options plenty. Dart also has no issues expecting his first read to win 50/50 balls and exhibiting that type of trust that he’ll need in the NFL when his receivers are “NFL open” on plenty of plays. Dart flashes impressive ball placement on a ton of throws. He isn’t perfect, though, as the ball can sail on him when he reaches back for that extra oomph for his fastball. It’s not a consistent issue, though. Dart will also make anticipatory throws instead of waiting for his receivers to uncover. Dart is calm and collected in the pocket. He will boot when he feels pressure, and navigating a muddy pocket isn’t viable. He will also hang in the pocket when needed to deliver an accurate pass. There are plenty of plays where he stands tall in the pocket and gets smacked at the end of the play. Dart will also utilize pump fakes and subtle movements to affect corners in coverage. Dart likely has 4.7 40 speed. I don’t see him as a quarterback who derives a lot of his value from his rushing ability in the NFL. Can he scramble successfully and create with his legs? Yes. Will he be a quarterback for whom an offensive coordinator draws up a handful of quarterback runs weekly? I doubt it, but he can still add value by scrambling and creating with his legs.
Kaleb Johnson (RB – Iowa)
Johnson is a fluid mover. He glides across the field with good bend around the edge. Some have questioned Johnson’s speed, but I have no worries about his raw speed. Johnson hits the gas as soon as he sees a sliver of daylight and can hit dingers. Johnson has a great feel for pressing and flowing through a run in sync with his offensive line. He can stop on a dime in the second level, pivoting and then hitting the gas again as he blows past a defender. He can make people miss in a phone booth. Johnson can stiff-arm a defender into the ground, but he isn’t a dominating physical runner. He excels with vision, footwork, bend, and speed. He isn’t a pile-pushing physical presence as a rusher, but he does keep his legs moving through contact. Johnson is still a work in progress in pass pro, but he has all the tools to become a serviceable option in this realm. His hands are strong like magnets. Once he gets his mitts on a rusher, he isn’t letting go of them. He needs to improve his pass-blocking technique by utilizing his lower half and setting up lower, but the raw intangibles are there. Johnson was utilized as a receiving option in a limited capacity. He was a trustworthy option, though, with only two drops in his collegiate career. He was mostly used as a check-down option running flat or swing routes from the backfield. He did get the occasional angle route or outside alignment with a slant route. His loose hips and short-area agility give hope that he offers more in the NFL as a receiver than he showed in college.
RJ Harvey (RB – UCF)
Harvey is a tough runner. His leg drive allows him to pinball off defenders and pick up tough yards. He sheds arm tackles well, especially in the second level, and is a better short-yardage runner than you’d expect from a player his size. Harvey’s lateral agility and burst improved toward the end of the 2024 season. After watching some of his early-season games, I questioned his long speed, initial burst, and lateral agility. All of those improved as the 2024 season moved along. While he might not be a home run hitter in the NFL (he gets caught from behind plenty), he should have the ability to break off chunk runs. He has a good feel for when to press and flow with outside-zone runs. He can get tentative at the line with some inside zone and interior runs. His vision isn’t horrible by any stretch of the imagination, but when the picture is muddier, his feet can get choppy. At times, he needs to be more willing to bounce runs. Harvey’s grit shows in pass protection. He’s a willing and able blocker who is willing to stick his nose in there and get physical. His strong lower half serves him well here. As a receiving option, he is nothing more than a dump-off option at this juncture. He was tasked with only leaking out the backfield for check-downs in college. He does have moments as a receiver where he has concentration drops when he gets ahead of himself and worries too much about what he is about to do with the ball in his hands before securing the pass.
D.J. Giddens (RB – Kansas State)
Giddens is an upright runner with surprisingly nimble feet and underrated contact balance, especially considering his running style. Most upright rushers get cut down easily with low hits and can struggle in short-yardage situations, but not Giddens. Giddens has the leg drive and finishing power to push piles and carry defenders for a few extra yards after first contact. Giddens is a second-level yards-creating artist. He has an explosive jump cut and impressive lateral agility. He has a plethora of runs where he sticks his foot in the turf and teleports laterally, evading defenders in the second level. It’s incredibly fun to watch. He loses little speed in the process and can quickly hit his second gear and leave defenders flailing. Giddens wins with footwork, vision, and explosive lateral agility. While you don’t see him stiff-arm defenders into the ground much, he does have a wicked spin move that can make the opposition look silly. Giddens has plenty of raw speed to hit homers in the NFL. His sixth-best breakaway rate last year is no fluke. He still needs to grow at the next level in the pass protection department. Giddens will drop his eyes and lunge at incoming defenders. There are plenty of reps where he’ll land his shoulder shot in the mid-section of a rusher, but there are also snaps where he looks like a bull versus a matador. All it will take is for his quarterback to get smushed once when his bull in a china shop routine misses, and he’ll kick work diligently to rid his game of this approach. Giddens has some untapped potential as a passing game weapon. He lined up in the slot or out wide with 12.4% of his collegiate snaps. Giddens was utilized as a check-down option in the passing game while also excelling with wheel routes, angle routes, and more. His route tree could be expanded in the NFL, but he does have stiff hips at times, but his crisp footwork helps to cover it up. Giddens did pile up five ghastly drops in 2024, but many of these were more of the concentration variety than Giddens having flawed hands.
Tre Harris (WR – Ole Miss)
Harris is a nasty route runner. He has a deep release package with pacing variations and a bevy of in-route nuance. Harris plays 4D chess while corners are still playing checkers. He invites indecision into corners’ heads every snap. He gears down well at the top of his stem and can drop his hips easily. Harris has numerous moments in his film where he will set up corners for a later move. He will threaten deep or burn them on a double move when the play isn’t designed to come his way. That rep made the defender guard against getting burned deep as Harris snapped off a hitch route with razor-sharp precision. Harris isn’t a burner. He likely has 4.5 speed. I worry if he has enough raw speed to stack corners on go routes consistently, but that doesn’t mean he is slow, nor that he can’t get free downfield with his requisite juice and route running. Harris is the “PostMaster General.” He excels at using his big frame, route running, and speed to burn corners on posts deep. Harris offers YAC upside with his blend of speed and play strength. He has the necessary lower and upper body strength to run through tacklers, stiff-arm them, or shed them easily when they aim high. The highlight reel catches from Harris where he skies above a defender or adjusts to a back shoulder ball are glorious. Harris is a ball-winner at the catch point with contested catch rates north of 60% in two of his last four collegiate seasons.
Jaylin Noel (WR – Iowa State)
Noel is an impressive route runner. He adds subtle jab steps, pacing shakeups, and head fakes to his routes. Noel was primarily a slot receiver in college (72.7% slot), but he also has the skills to win from the perimeter. Noel can also win downfield and has solid ball tracking. Noel attacks defenders with a varied release package. He has smooth, easy acceleration with the raw speed to nail big plays downfield. He can pull away from corners in routes and in the open field. Noel plays through contact well. He has the upper body strength and the route skills to beat physical corners and press coverage. Noel flashed an increasingly dependable set of hands in college, with a 4.8% drop rate in his final season and a 52% contested catch rate. His play strength shows up at the catch point as he has more than a few snags with multiple defenders competing with him for the ball. He attacks the ball outside of his frame with aggressive hands.
Jayden Higgins (WR – Iowa State)
Physical X wide receiver. Higgins’ play strength shows up in his routes and against press. He has no issues playing through contact and dealing with physical corners. It shows up consistently at the catch point, as he had a 2.2% drop rate or lower in each of the last three seasons and a 55.6% contested catch rate in college. Higgins excels in the short/intermediate areas of the field with surprisingly nimble footwork for his size. He gets open at will on slants and out routes where his footwork shines, and he can use his size to box out corners. I wouldn’t be surprised if he were to transition to big slot in the NFL. If Sean Payton drafts him don’t be surprised if his turns him into Michael Thomas 2.0. Higgins has a decent second gear, but I question his long speed. I wonder in the NFL if he has the raw speed to stack corners on the perimeter downfield consistently. Higgins has plenty of route nuance in the short and intermediate routes, but he has to continue to add tricks to the bag as a downfield receiver. He struggles to get separation on go routes, but he wasn’t asked to run them much at Iowa State. Higgins also needs to sell the vertical push on comebacks and curls consistently. He’ll get lax here at times, and it leaves corners glued to him after his route break. He has nice body control in the air and some nice back-shoulder grabs, especially in the red zone. His strong hands and ability above the rim should help him on the perimeter and in the red zone in the NFL. Higgins isn’t a dynamic YAC threat. He looks more like an athletic tight end after the catch. He can provide some YAC, though, with his physicality with tackle-breaking.
