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It’s never too early for a dynasty Superflex rookie mock draft. It’s mid-February, and the rookie season is just getting started, but I’ve already done countless rookie mocks and spent time watching film and reading up on the incoming class. Truth be told, I’m not in love with this class as I thought I would be. We’ve been hearing about how good this class was going to be, and outside of Robinson and the top two quarterbacks, I’m not over the moon about their fantasy prospects.
Luckily, it’s still really early in the process, and things could change by the time we actually get to our real rookie drafts. But here is my initial 12-team first round for Superflex…
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Expert Consensus 2023 Dynasty Superflex Rookie Draft Rankings: Top-50 
2023 Dynasty Superflex Rookie Mock Draft: 12-Team (Fantasy Football)
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1.01 Bijan Robinson (RB – Texas)
This is the easiest 1.01 since Saquan Barkley came out. He is the full package and should make an immediate impact at the next level. He has size, quickness, speed, and pass-catching ability and is head-and-shoulders better than the next best prospect in this class — at any position. The only missing piece right now is the landing spot, but I see no scenario in which he isn’t the RB1 in Week 1 for whatever team drafts him in April.
1.02 Bryce Young (QB – Alabama)
Young and C.J. Stroud are more of a 1a and 1b in this class of QBs, and if Stroud went here at 1.02, I wouldn’t be upset. In fact, I think Stroud might be the better NFL QB and could be drafted ahead of Young in April. But this is fantasy, and Young has the accuracy, arm strength, and running ability we look for in a top fantasy QB — he should be a Day 1 starter for the team that drafts him. The biggest knock on him is his size, and it’s definitely a concern as he is listed at 6-foot, 185 pounds, but an NFL team is going to draft him with a top-five pick, and that alone makes him a top-three pick in dynasty rookie drafts.
1.03 C.J. Stroud (QB – Ohio State)
Stroud is more of the prototypical NFL QB, listed at 6-foot-3, 218 pounds. Stroud is mobile in the pocket, but I wouldn’t classify him as a running QB, but more of a QB that can move in the pocket while keeping his eyes downfield, always looking to pass first. He has good, but not great, arm strength with excellent touch on the ball. There’s no guarantee that Stroud will be a Day 1 starter, but if he begins the season behind another QB, it won’t be long before he will get on the field and produce. He’s locked in as a top-three pick in Superflex rookie drafts.
1.04 Jordan Addison (WR – USC)
I’ve seen many people have Jaxon Smith-Njigba as the WR1, but at this point in my process, Addison is my top receiver in this class. Both of them profile as slot receivers at the next level — but Addison’s larger body of work, despite missing time in 2022, gives me a better sense of the type of player he is. That’s not to say I don’t like Smith-Njiba, but ultimately it’s splitting hairs at this point of the offseason.
Addison is a bit of a “jack of all trades, master of none.” He’s a good route runner but not great. He’s fast but not a burner. He has good ball skills but is not elite. All-in-all, he is a solid wide receiver and has one of the safer floors in this receiver class. He reminds me a lot of Brandon Lloyd, but I’m still early in my film review of him. That isn’t an official player comp yet.
1.05 Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR – Ohio State)
Smith-Njigba is one of the better route runners I’ve watched so far this offseason, and from the early scouting reports I’ve read, he may be the best in this class. The biggest knock on him is a lack of explosiveness, but we’ve seen plenty of wide receivers overcome that shortcoming with elite route running, which Smith-Njiba is capable of. Unfortunately, an injury-riddled 2022 limited him to only five catches, resulting in only one year of production in his college career. My early player comp is Christian Kirk.
1.06 Jahmyr Gibbs (RB – Alabama)
This draft class has two running backs in a tier of their own. Bijan Robinson is in tier one by himself, Gibbs is in tier two by himself, and then it’s all the other running backs. Gibbs is the prototypical pass-catching running back, but with some elite-level explosiveness and elusiveness. The only knock on Gibbs is his size. Listed at 5-foot-11, 200 pounds, he may not profile as an every-down back, but in today’s NFL, most teams have at least a two-back committee, and Gibbs would thrive in a one-two punch backfield in a pass-heavy offense.
1.07 Quentin Johnston (WR – TCU)
The first thing that jumps out to me when I watch Johnston is his size. He’s listed at 6-foot-4 and plays every bit of 6-foot-4 in contested catches and downfield throws. However, his short area quickness is surprisingly good for a kid that tall. Unfortunately, his route running is a bit unrefined and is something he will need to work on at the next level. My early player comp is Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who is also 6-foot-4 and ran a 4.37 40 time at the combine. I don’t know if Johnston will be as fast as MVS, but Johnston has some issues with concentration drops and a limited route tree similar to MVS. Johnston will be used in the vertical passing game probably exclusively early in his career, but if he can develop his route running, he has the makings of an elite-level WR1.
1.08 Will Levis (WB – Kentucky)
Levis is your yearly “he has all the tools” quarterback. That usually means he may not be ready yet for a full-time starting role in the NFL, but he has the size and arm strength to make coaches and GMs drool enough, and that might get him picked top 10 in the NFL Draft. Levis is here at the 1.08, assuming he has a landing spot that will allow him to learn and grow behind a bridge quarterback before getting a full-time role. If you’re drafting Levis in your rookie drafts, be ready to wait a year before he pays dividends.
1.09 Josh Downs (WR – North Carolina)
The first thing that jumped out at me when I put on the tape of Downs was his contested catch ability. It seemed every catch I watched, he was jumping to high point the ball with a defender draped all over him. This became even more impressive when I saw he was listed as a mere 5-foot-10, 175 pounds. Downs is not your traditional receiver, but he is today’s receiver. Smaller receivers have a place in the NFL and can be the No. 1 option in an offense if they have great speed, quickness, and route-running ability. Downs checks all those boxes. The scouting report on TheDraftNetowrk comp’ed him to Tyler Lockett, and now I can’t get that comp out of my head. He needs to land in the right situation to succeed in the NFL, but Downs could be the steal of this mock draft falling to 1.09.
1.10 Anthony Richardson (QB – Florida)
Richardson, similar to Will Levis, is a “he has all the tools” quarterback prospect. He has a big arm and can easily throw the ball 50-to-60 yards down the field. Richardson also profiles as a dual-threat quarterback, but more in the mold of a Cam Newton or Josh Allen type, as he is listed at 6-foot-4, 232 pounds. He can break off chunk gains on designed runs but can run through arm tackles and fight for the extra yard when needed. His biggest detractor coming into the pros is his decision-making and accuracy — especially on off-schedule plays when he improvises. He likely isn’t a day-one starter, but he is definitely worth a top-12 pick in dynasty rookie drafts.
1.11 Zach Evans (RB – Ole Miss)
Zach Evans is a prospect that, if he showed any receiving ability at all, he’d likely be in the conversation with the first two running backs taken in this draft. Unfortunately, he was rarely used in the passing game, having only 30 total receptions in his three seasons in college. I don’t know if that was a product of the offense or if the coaches just knew he couldn’t catch and/or run routes. With that aside, Evans is an exciting runner capable of junk plays with his speed and explosiveness, but also the ability, and willingness, to put his head down to take on would-be tacklers.
1.12 Michael Mayer (TE – Notre Dame)
Truth be told, if this were a real Superflex mock draft, Mayer likely falls to the second round, but I wanted to get the top tight end from this class in this mock, so I’ll put him at the 1.12. Mayer is a traditional in-line tight end but with excellent ball skills and size who will be used in the passing game. However, he is not the athletic freak who is going to run away from safeties and linebackers. Still, his blocking ability will be something that will keep him on the field more, especially early in his career, while he is still learning the position. As with all tight ends, he will take time to develop, but if you’re playing dynasty, you already know to be patient with tight ends.
Expert Consensus 2023 Dynasty Superflex Rookie Draft Rankings: Top-50
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