The NFL Draft has wrapped up, which means that dynasty rookie drafts are happening next! This is easily one of my favorite times of the dynasty season, and it’s when managers come back to the table and start looking at their teams for the first time in months. This means more trading, more conversation, and more fun!

Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft: 12-Team, 1QB

For this draft, I’ll be drafting as if this is a 1QB league but with a twist. I’m also going to add premium scoring for tight ends (extra 0.5 PPR), which affects the values in a few places. I also took some of these picks from various drafts that I’m in right now instead of using the Simulator to change it up.

I’ll be drafting from the sixth spot to see how each round unfolds and try to get some values here as well. Let’s get into it!

Round 1

• 1.01 – Breece Hall (RB – NYJ)
• 1.02 – Drake London (WR – ATL)
• 1.03 – Treylon Burks (WR – TEN)
• 1.04 – Garrett Wilson (WR – NYJ)
• 1.05 – Skyy Moore (WR – KC)
• 1.06 – Kenneth Walker III (RB – SEA)
• 1.07 – Jameson Williams (WR – DET)
• 1.08 – Chris Olave (WR – NO)
• 1.09 – George Pickens (WR – PIT)
• 1.10 – Christian Watson (WR – GB)
• 1.11 – Jahan Dotson (WR – WAS)
• 1.12 – James Cook (RB – BUF)

The start of this draft goes exactly how I would expect, with Hall going at the 1.01. London went second, which again makes sense to some, but it gets a little sideways after that. Three more receivers get picked before my turn at 1.06: Burks, Wilson, and Moore. I understand Burks and Wilson, but Moore going at 1.05 is something that confuses me a little. I’ve been in a few drafts and seen others online, and Moore going in the top 6 picks is rare but not unheard of. I think it’s a reach, but this year more than most, rankings are all over the place.

This leaves Walker to me to select at 1.06. He’s my 1.03 overall in 1QB and SF leagues, so this is a no-brainer. The Seahawks should continue to focus on the run, and grabbing a player like Walker that can do it all means he likely won’t need to leave the field much, if at all. This will keep defenses honest and allow whoever their starting QB is to get a slight advantage every down.

After Walker, four more receivers and one running back get selected. The only pick that I want to address is Cook at 1.12. I’m a fan of his talent and the opportunity in front of him, so 1.12 feels acceptable to me, but it falls off a sharp cliff after that as far as running backs go. As we’ll see in the coming rounds, players are getting selected all over the place based on individual manager valuations.

Round 2

• 2.01 – Dameon Pierce (RB – HOU)
• 2.02 – David Bell (WR – CLE)
• 2.03 – Trey McBride (TE – ARI)
• 2.04 – Khalil Shakir (WR – BUF)
• 2.05 – Rachaad White (RB – TB)
• 2.06 – Alec Pierce (WR – IND)
• 2.07 – Kenny Pickett (QB – PIT)
• 2.08 – Isaiah Spiller (RB – LAC)
• 2.09 – Zamir White (RB – LV)
• 2.10 – Desmond Ridder (QB – ATL)
• 2.11 – John Metchie (WR – HOU)
• 2.12 – Jelani Woods (TE – IND)

Two more running backs go in the top half of the second, but both feel like reaches to me, given their talent and the depth at WR. When a position is scarce like RB is this year, we often see managers reaching to fill a need on their roster instead of taking the best player available. Usually, I’d be against that, but here it feels right given the value of the class as a whole.

There aren’t any actual difference makers left for me at 2.06, but I see a lot of potential on the board. I select Pierce, who should have the most upside and quickest chance to perform of the options I see here. He joins a Colts team being helmed by newly signed QB Matt Ryan who could use some weapons to throw to. Pierce joins Michael Pittman and rookie Jelani Woods to usher in a new era of Colts offensive football with the departure of T.Y. Hilton.

After Pierce, we finally see the first two QBs go off the board. In 1QB leagues, you are better off waiting at the position in general, but even more so in rookie drafts. On top of that, this rookie class is very underwhelming, so seeing two QBs in Pickett and Ridder go here feels like two more reach picks. Then again, the WR and RB options are drying up pretty quickly, so who knows.

Round 3

• 3.01 – Justyn Ross (WR – KC)
• 3.02 – Brian Robinson (RB – WAS)
• 3.03 – Jalen Tolbert (WR – DAL)
• 3.04 – Tyler Allegeir (RB – ATL)
• 3.05 – Calvin Austin (WR – PIT)
• 3.06 – Wan’Dale Robinson (WR – NYG)
• 3.07 – Tyquan Thornton (WR – NE)
• 3.08 – Jerome Ford (RB – CLE)
• 3.09 – Romeo Doubs (WR – GB)
• 3.10 – Velus Jones (WR – CHI)
• 3.11 – Isaiah Likely (TE – BAL)
• 3.12 – Malik Willis (QB – TEN)

We enter the third round, and this is where things start to get wild. UDFA receiver Justyn Ross goes at 3.01, which means we’re officially in lottery ticket territory. I don’t hate Ross’ talent, but going undrafted means many NFL teams felt like they had better options. As I approach the podium for my own 3.06 pick, more upside players are selected.

He may be small, but the Giants saw something in Wan’Dale Robinson out of Kentucky when they took him in the 2nd round. Amazingly, he fell this far in this draft, even going after an undrafted player like Ross, but I’ve also seen stranger things happen before. I’m not a huge Robinson fan, but any player is worth a shot at this price, even if he’s only 5’11” on a tall day. If the Giants move, Toney Robinson could be in for a lot of work as a rookie, so why not.

We close out the third with some more interesting players, including Jones, who Chicago drafted, and Willis, who Tennessee drafted. Willis was considered the best QB in the draft and a potential top 5 pick just a month ago. After going in the third, his NFL value and his fantasy value have taken a hit. I love the idea of taking a flier on him at 3.12 in 1QB leagues just in case he hits, but much earlier feels like a bad plan. By comparison, in SuperFlex or 2QB leagues, I don’t mind him going in the first due to his upside and how rare QBs are as a whole.

Round 4

• 4.01 – Matt Corral (QB – CAR)
• 4.02 – Tyler Badie (RB – BAL)
• 4.03 – Greg Dulcich (TE – NYJ)
• 4.04 – Tyrion Davis-Price (RB – SF)
• 4.05 – Jeremy Ruckert (TE – NYJ)
• 4.06 – Hassan Haskins (RB – TEN)
• 4.07 – Sam Howell (QB – WAS)
• 4.08 – Cade Otton (TE – TB)
• 4.09 – Kyren Williams (RB – LAR)
• 4.10 – Pierre Strong Jr.(RB – NE)
• 4.11 – Keontay Ingram (RB – ARI)
• 4.12 – Danny Gray (WR – SF)

The last round is here, and it’s full of dart throws. It starts with Corral, who could easily be the starter in Carolina, and includes a San Francisco running back in Davis-Price. The 49ers love their running backs, so taking Davis-Price was definitely on my radar in this range. Unfortunately, he goes two picks before me, and I’m left tilting on who to take instead.

So far, I’ve drafted a stud running back in Walker and two great potential stud WRs in Pierce and Robinson. I decided to balance out my draft here and select Haskins as a depth option for my bench. King Derrick Henry can’t play forever, and we saw injuries derail his season last year. If Haskins makes the roster, he could easily be the next man up given the current Titans depth chart, and that potential is easily worth the pick here.

A few RBs are drafted after I took Haskins, solidifying that I made the right call. There just isn’t much left at WR for me to get excited about. Williams, Strong, and Ingram are all solid bench pieces, though, and similar to Haskins, they could all see playing time if the cards go the right way. There are no bad picks in the fourth round, just lots of hope, so go with your gut, and you’ll never be unhappy.

Conclusion

1.06 – RB Kenneth Walker
2.06 – WR Alec Pierce
3.06 – WR Wan’Dale Robinson
4.06 – RB Hassan Haskins

Overall I like the balance between studs and depth I was able to grab and really liked letting the value come to me in each round. Snagging Walker at 1.06 isn’t common, but it’s definitely possible given all the hype around this WR class. I was still able to get two solid rookie WRs who should produce in year one and a great bench stash in case of injury. I can also use the potential value here as a trade chip if needed too. This is why drafting for value is always better than drafting for need, so keep that in mind as you head into your own rookie drafts in the coming weeks ahead.

• Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft: Four-Round, 10-Team
• Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft: Three-Round, Superflex
• Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft: Superflex, Tight End Premium
• Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft: 12-Team, 1QB
• Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft: 1QB, 10-Team
• Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft: 12-Team 2QB/Superflex
• Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft: 10-Team 2QB/Superflex
• Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft: Five Round, 12-Team, PPR

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Andrew Hall is a featured writer for FantasyPros. For more from Andrew, check out his profile and follow him @AndrewHallFF.