The much anticipated NFL Draft is now a thing of the past and rookie draft season is in full swing. For most fantasy players, their draft is the best part of the season. If you aren’t prepared though, this enjoyable experience can quickly become overwhelming. There is no truer time than in rookie drafts where many fantasy managers are unfamiliar with a large portion of the rookie pool. A View to a Pick is here to help you by guiding you through a typical 3-round Rookie Draft to see which players they chose, and what some pivot options could be.
So, let’s take a look at A View to a Pick (1.04). Below is the Sleeper Draft Board from our mock draft which will feature Aaron St. Denis, Jeremy Shulman, SC Romero, and Jesse Moeller. The was a superflex, tight-end premium draft.
Rookie Pick 1.04
SC Selects J.J. McCarthy, Quarterback, Michigan.
This pick may be questionable to some. For me, it was an easy decision. There were 2 teams I was looking at for quarterback destinations. I say 2 knowing the Chicago Bears were 99% taking Caleb Williams. The Washington Commanders have a solid team built for a quarterback to find success. On the other hand, the Minnesota Vikings can be argued as having the best quarterback-ready team with their weapons. The team has arguably the best wide receiver in the game in Justin Jefferson. They brought in a solid WR2 in Jordan Addison last season. Plus, they have a great safety blanket in tight end T.J. Hockenson. Not to mention, they brought in a great veteran running back Aaron Jones.
On paper, the starting quarterback right now is Sam Darnold, a former number-one overall pick. However, McCarthy brings a championship mentality plus leadership to the team. People question what he is truly capable of because last year he was not asked to do much outside of just command the offense. We did not see many throws downfield, and his Michigan Wolverines benefited from having an aggressive defense with a stout run game. However, McCarthy threw with precision and expanded plays with his athletic abilities. He joins the Minnesota Vikings with a prime opportunity to take over as the starting quarterback. With the weapons at hand in Minnesota, he may have a QB1 type of season for fantasy this year.
Superflex Trade Targets
QB- Dak Prescott, Cowboys (5,521)
RB- Travis Etienne, Jaguars (5,207)
WR- Michael Pittman, Colts (5,295)
TE- Trey McBride, Cardinals (5,185)
Superflex Rookie Pivots
QB- Drake Maye, Patriots
RB- None
WR- Malik Nabers, Giants
TE- Brock Bowers, Raiders
All player values according to Keep Trade Cut.
Rookie Pick 2.04
SC Selects Trey Benson, Running Back, Florida State.
At 2.04 there is still a plethora of wide receivers on the board. However, for me, it became a no-brainer to take my RB1 of the class. Many might have Jonathan Brooks as the RB1, rightfully so. Brooks looks great before getting hurt late in the season. Benson landed in a prime spot with the Arizona Cardinals. A team that has tried different running backs, but nobody has seemed to take the step of being the RB2 for the team. He lands on a team with touches available from the start.
Now with that, though the bad side of the stick becomes James Conner is still the RB1. Conner is coming off his best rushing season with the team in terms of yardage and opportunity. Last season he ran for 1,040 yards averaging 5 yards per carry. I feel for the past few seasons the community always fades Conner, yet he continues to have some relevance. He is good, but could that also be because the Cardinals just have nobody else? Insert Trey Benson. Benson will add some explosiveness to the team with his one-cut ability. I fully expect Conner to lead the way in week one, but it would not surprise me if Trey Benson is the starter by the end of the season.
Superflex Trade Targets
QB- Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers (3,797)
RB- Rachaad White, Buccaneers (4,049)
WR- Davante Adams, Raiders (3,944)
TE- George Kittle, 49ers (3,441)
Superflex Rookie Pivots
QB- Bo Nix, Broncos
RB- Blake Corum, Rams
WR- Ricky Pearsall, 49ers
TE- Ben Sinnott, Commanders
Rookie Pick 3.04
SC Selects Jalen McMillan, Wide Receiver, Washington.
At the beginning of the 2023 season, McMillan was highly favored to be one of the top wide receivers coming out. At the very least a possible top 10 wide receiver. In the first 3 games, he had 16 receptions for 311 yards and 3 touchdowns. The injury happened. McMillan would miss multiple weeks not returning until late November. During that span of his absence, his teammate wide receiver Ja’Lynn Polk took control of the WR2 position for Washington. It does pay to notice that when McMillan was on the field with Polk McMillan outproduced him. However, here we are seeing Polk get drafted in the second round of the NFL Draft with McMillan sliding to the third round.
Jalen McMillan brings great size to the next level at 6’1 192 pounds. The Buccaneers are looking for young talent to eventually replace Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. Both those receivers have been foundational pieces to the Buccaneer’s success throughout their careers. But as time goes they get older. They are both still talented wide receivers that should sit atop their depth chart, however, the depth behind them has not been great. Last year we saw little emergence from rookie wide receiver Trey Palmer. Palmer will likely be locked in for the WR3 role in the slot. But McMillan should see some opportunity to give Evans of Godwin a breather here and there. If McMillan gets the opportunity to start I believe he will take that role and not give it back with ease. In the third round, we are throwing darts hoping for a bullseye. I believe McMillan gets you close to that red dot in the center of the dart board.
Superflex Trade Targets
QB- Aidan O’Connell, Raiders (2,008)
RB- Tyler Allgeier, Falcons (2,105)
WR- Tyler Lockett, Seahawks (2,177)
TE- Tucker Kraft, Packers (2,199)
Superflex Rookie Pivots
QB- Spencer Rattler, Saints
RB- Bucky Irving, Buccaneers
WR- Luke McCaffrey, Bengals
TE- Cade Stover, Texans
If you enjoyed A View to a Pick, check out our full Rookie Consensus Rankings, check out of Rankings Page.
