Welcome to The Fantasy Football Universe Rookie Mock Draft 6.0. This mock draft was 1QB and tight-end premium. It was a 12-team draft and went three rounds for 36 rookie picks.
The draft featured Jeremy Shulman drafting 6th, Jesse Moeller drafting 9th, and Aaron St. Denis drafting 12th.
Draftboard via Sleeper.com
Round 1
1.01- Marvin Harrison Jr, WR (Ohio State)
1.02- Troy Franklin, WR (Oregon)
1.03- Malik Nabers, WR (LSU)
1.04- Brock Bowers, TE (Georgia)
1.05- Caleb Williams, QB (USC)
1.06- Rome Odunze, WR (Washington)
1.07- Xavier Worthy, WR (Texas)
1.08- Drake Maye, QB (UNC)
1.09- Jayden Daniels, QB (LSU)
1.10- Brian Thomas Jr, WR (LSU)
1.11- Ladd McConkey, WR (Georgia)
1.12- Adonai Mitchell, WR (Texas)
Round 1 Recap
We see the same players in a slightly different order. Troy Franklin is the obvious mover in the first round. It’s peculiar to see him this high as the WR2 off the board. Franklin should be selected behind both Rome Odunze and Malik Nabers in nearly all cases and it’s unclear why this drafter chose to reach for the consensus WR4 at a WR2 price.
Brock Bowers went into his usual area smack dab in the middle of the first round. It’s also no surprise to see Caleb Williams selected in the middle of the round as he is unlikely to fall outside the top-6 picks, even in 1QB leagues. Back-to-back quarterbacks are selected towards the end of the round which feels like good value, although I vastly prefer Daniels to Maye even though Maye was selected higher in both of our mock drafts this weekend.
Round 1 Winners & Losers
The best pick of Round 1 was Rome Odunze. Odunze falling to the sixth overall pick in a 1QB league is a bonus, due in large part to a manager reaching for Franklin. He is far safer with easily more upside. This is a steal at the 1.06.
The worst pick of Round 1 was Troy Franklin. As I stated above, Franklin should be the WR4 off the board at best, not the WR2. I would have preferred three receivers, two quarterbacks, and one tight end to Franklin, and think this is a massive reach.
Round 2
2.01- Trey Benson, RB (Florida State)
2.02- Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE (Texas)
2.03- Jonathon Brooks, RB (Texas)
2.04- Devontez Walker, WR (UNC)
2.05- Xavier Legette, WR (South Carolina)
2.06- Keon Coleman, WR (Florida State)
2.07- Bucky Irving, RB (Oregon)
2.08- Blake Corum, RB (Michigan)
2.09- Marshawn Lloyd, RB (USC)
2.10- Cade Stover, TE (Ohio State)
2.11- Michael Penix Jr, QB (Washington)
2.12- Roman Wilson, WR (Michigan)
Round 2 Recap
There are some interesting picks in the second round mixed in with the usual run on tier-one running backs. Perhaps the most shocking pick in the round was tight end Cade Stover at the 2.10. This is confusing and is easily the biggest reach of the entire draft. Devontez Walker and Xavier Legette plummeted after disastrous Senior Bowl showings and yet somehow have rebounded to the beginning of the second round. I like Stover, but to reach this high is insanity. I’m not particularly fond of Legette or Walker and think they should be selected after the run of running backs.
Truthfully, I would have preferred Roman Wilson to all three of the above picks.
Round 2 Winners & Losers
The best pick of Round 2 was Roman Wilson. Selecting Wilson as the last pick in the second round of a 1QB draft is of immense value. Except for Trey Benson and Jonathon Brooks, I think he is better than any of these options. The other running backs in the round could also be valuable but not safe picks.
The worst pick of Round 2 was Xavier Legette. This pick was terrible. Legette manages to pinball between going undrafted in our mock drafts to being an early second-round pick. The variance in his ADP is insane. It just goes to show that Legette may be the most polarizing player in the draft, it’s either love him or hate him.
Round 3
3.01- Bo Nix, QB (Oregon)
3.02- Braelon Allen, RB (Wisconsin)
3.03- Audric Estime, RB (Notre Dame)
3.04- Ray Davis, RB (Kentucky)
3.05- Dallin Holker, TE (Colorado State)
3.06- Ben Sinnott, TE (Kansas State)
3.07- Ricky Pearsall, WR (Florida)
3.08- Johnny Wilson, WR (Florida State)
3.09- Jalen McMillan, WR (Washington)
3.10- JJ McCarthy, QB (Michigan)
3.11- Theo Johnson, TE (Penn State)
3.12- Malachi Corley, WR (Western Kentucky)
Round 3 Recap
Round 3 is where things get truly slim in 1QB drafts and this draft is no different. We start with a solid mix of running backs as well as the odd quarterback and tight end flyer. Ben Sinnott and Bo Nix are potential steals at this point in the draft although both will require some time and patience to develop.
Braelon Allen, Audric Estime, and Ray Davis are all great values as the last of the running backs with potential, followed by a run of wide receivers who are being undervalued. Ricky Pearsall, Johnny Wilson, and Jalen McMillan are all falling in drafts, with McMillan being the obvious value.
Round 3 Winners & Losers
The best pick of Round 3 was Ben Sinnott. I’m a big fan of Sinnott and love the value of getting him in the third round as opposed to Sanders in the second round or Bowers in the first round. Sinnott likely won’t overtake Bowers as the TE1 in this class, but he could easily be the TE2 when all is said and done. This is of massive value for a potential beast.
The worst pick of Round 3 was Theo Johnson. I have no interest in Theo Johnson despite him being from the same city and high school as myself. I know the manager who drafted him in the third round is a big fan, but I do not share his enthusiasm with a limited production profile, extremely limited.
This draft was held on Saturday, February 24/2024 at 2:00 PM EST. If you would like to watch the entire draft live, check it out on The Fantasy Football Universe YouTube channel. Don’t forget to Like & Subscribe!
