The much anticipated NFL Draft is now a thing of the past, and the 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, 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 look at A View to a Pick (1.09). Below is the Sleeper Draft Board from our mock draft featuring Aaron St. Denis, Jeremy Shulman, SC Romero, and Jesse Moeller. The was a superflex, tight-end premium draft.
Rookie Pick 1.09
Jeremy Selects Brock Bowers, Tight End, Georgia
Brock Bowers is a generational TE talent, and the NFL showed us as much with the Las Vegas Raiders selecting him 13th overall. Bowers has a chance to be great, although he currently faces plenty of target competition in fellow TE Michael Mayer and WRs Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers. But his landing spot shouldn’t deter fantasy managers from taking him with a high-end rookie pick. Here, he fell too far and I had to snap him up.
Bowers could easily overshadow teammate Ladd McConkey in 2023 as the Bulldog’s leading target earner. That bodes well for his potential to become the third or second target in his NFL offense in short order. And, even if Bowers ends up mostly unhelpful for the 2024 campaign, he should receive a new QB in the next season or two. And with Adams on his way to retirement, before Bowers’ rookie contract expires, his value is insulated for many years to come.
Superflex Trade Targets
QB- Brock Purdy, 49ers (5,841)
RB- Jonathon Taylor, Colts (5,676)
WR- Brandon Aiyuk, 49ers (5,734)
TE- Trey McBride, Cardinals (5,817)
Superflex Rookie Pivots
QB- J.J. McCarthy, Vikings
RB- Jonathon Brooks, Panthers
WR- Rome Odunze, Bears
TE- None
All player values according to Keep Trade Cut.
Rookie Pick 2.09
Jeremy Selects Roman Wilson, Wide Receiver, Michigan
Michigan’s leading receiver in 2023, Roman Wilson is an absolute dog. Though he lacks the elite athleticism we like to see at the position, he possesses great speed and quickness. In short, he does everything very well. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see his talents on full display for the NCAA Champions because Jim Harbaugh and the company elected to focus on a ground-and-pound approach. Blake Corum‘s 27 touchdown runs can attest to that.
But Pittsburgh offers a unique landing spot for Wilson. With new QB Russell Wilson now in town and a new offensive philosophy captained by new OC Arthur Smith, Wilson could thrive. The 84th overall selection should be the immediate slot option for an offense that will be more efficient than last year’s Steelers team. We also know that Russell can throw to all levels. So, if George Pickens stretches the D and develops into the receiver we all expect he will become, that should leave plenty of secondary looks for Roman over the middle of the field and opposite Pickens. As the #2 target in a much-improved offense, I’m happy to grab Roman Wilson at the end of the second round of rookie drafts.
Superflex Trade Targets
QB- Matthew Stafford, Rams (3,227)
RB- Brian Robinson, Commanders (3,082)
WR- Khalil Shakir, Bills (2,845)
TE- Isaiah Likely, Ravens (2,970)
Superflex Rookie Pivots
QB- Michael Penix Jr, Falcons
RB- Blake Corum, Rams
WR- Xavier Legette, Panthers
TE- Ben Sinnott, Commanders
Rookie Pick 3.09
Jeremy Selects Devontez “Tez” Walker, Wide Receiver, North Carolina
Tez Walker is a polarising prospect. Early in the process, he was looked at as a fringe first-round rookie draft pick. Now, he’s fallen completely off the map. While I admit, I was not overly impressed by his tape, there is still a ton of upside in his profile and his highlight reel to hang your hat on in the third round. He also landed in a mostly barren target wasteland in Baltimore, where we know second-year OC Todd Monken continues to want to throw the football. Now with Derrick Henry paired with Lamar Jackson in the backfield, play action never looked so good.
While Walker’s routes will take time to develop, I love how he complements the needs of this offense. For one, there hasn’t been a consistent deep threat or a big-bodied boundary guy in Baltimore for a while. Tez now fills that role. Also, we haven’t seen anyone outside of an aging Mark Andrews and a diminutive Zay Flowers command targets. While it’s no guarantee, Walker could wow the Ravens and earn targets as the #3 option right away. If that happens, his ability to develop into a complete receiver and banish some of the poor tapes he had at North Carolina to distant memory would only vault his fantasy value. I’m buying low on a gifted athlete with potential here in the third.
Superflex Trade Targets
QB- Gardner Minshew, Raiders (2,396)
RB- Jaleel McLaughlin, Broncos (1,980)
WR- Wan’Dale Robinson, Giants (2,054)
TE- Greg Dulcich, Broncos (2,336)
Superflex Rookie Pivots
QB- Spencer Rattler, Saints
RB- Kimani Vidal, Chargers
WR- Jalen McMillan, Buccaneers
TE- Theo Johnson, Giants
If you enjoyed A View to a Pick, check out our full Rookie Consensus Rankings, check out of Rankings Page.
