The 2023 NFL Draft is in the books. With the NFL Draft comes dynasty rookie draft season! We have you covered with our dynasty rookie draft coverage, and of course, you can complete fast and FREE dynasty rookie mock drafts using our mock draft simulator. While you take that simulator for a spin to prepare for your dynasty rookie mock drafts, check out our latest dynasty rookie mock and analysis from our analysts.
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Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft
1.06 – Zay Flowers (WR – BAL)
Zay Flowers is absolutely an outside wide receiver in the NFL. He played 65.8% of his collegiate snaps on the perimeter, which should push even higher than that at the next level. Flowers has route running chops for days to get open on the boundary. He sets up corners with nuanced routes, explosive speed, multiple-release packages and an advanced understanding of how to get open. Flowers can win at all three levels. He’s lightning quick off the line to win short and a route tactician with intermediate and deep routes.
Flowers understands how to use leverage and his fluid hips to get open on comebacks and outs. Flowers has no issue stacking corners on deep routes. He has the speed to get past them, and the smarts squeeze every inch of separation out of every route. Flowers is a twitch machine after the catch. His start and stop ability after securing the football is highlight-reel worthy, like Kadarius Toney. He’s a high-motor, tenacious player. Flowers’ zest for the game shows up in his blocking ferocity and yearning to claw tooth and nail for every inch of grass.
Dynasty Outlook: Baltimore added Flowers to what has become a loaded receiving depth chart. Lamar Jackson will now have Odell Beckham Jr., Flowers, Rashod Bateman and Mark Andrews flanking him. Baltimore’s bevy of pass-catcher talent will dim Flowers’ year-one target projection, but Beckham Jr. is only on a one-year deal. If Baltimore doesn’t pick up Bateman’s fifth-year option, he can be an unrestricted free agent after the 2024 season. Flowers could be Jackson’s long-term WR1.
The narrative around this Baltimore passing attack also needs to change when projecting their play volume. Greg Roman is gone. Everything we have seen from this offense with Jackson left with him. Todd Monken will change things, and those changes could be massive. In three of Monken’s last four seasons as an offensive mastermind, he’s ranked inside the top 12 (eighth, 11th and fourth) in neutral script pace. Over that span, he was also top five in passing attempts twice. Flowers is a top-five selection in 1QB formats and a top-10 pick in superflex rookie drafts.
2.06 – Sam LaPorta (TE – DET)
Sam Laporta will make his mark as a receiver in the NFL. Blocking will be a skill he must continue honing in the NFL. If Laporta hits his ceiling in the NFL, it will be because of his pass-game abilities and not his run-blocking chops. Laporta runs routes like a wide receiver. He’s smooth in and out of his breaks with surprising foot quickness. Laporta played 20.2% of his snaps as a boundary receiver in 2022. He proved up to the task by leading all FBS tight ends in man coverage targets. He was also second in PFF receiving grade and third in yards per route run against man coverage (minimum 10 man coverage targets).
He’s also adept at finding the soft spots in zone coverage. He puts in some impressive work after the catch on film. His start/stop ability and change of direction skills are noticeable. He has good acceleration after the catch with jukes, spin moves and stiff arms to make a defensive back’s job of getting him to the ground tough. He ranked second in missed tackles forced and third in YAC among tight ends last year.
Dynasty Outlook: “Sammy Ballgame,” baby! Laporta lands in Detroit and should be immediately installed as the day-one starter for the Lions. With only Brock Wright, Shane Zylstra, James Mitchell and Derrick Deese behind him on the depth chart, he should have no trouble carving out a full-time role. Laporta will earn his NFL paychecks by catching passes and breaking tackles weekly. In each of the last two seasons, he has ranked inside the top 20 in PFF receiving grade and yards per route run among FBS tight ends (minimum 20 targets per PFF). Last season, Laporta played 20.2% of his snaps as a perimeter receiver.
Laporta should be the No. 3 option in the passing game this season, soaking up targets from Jared Goff. He has risen to the ranking of TE2 in this class in my ranks. LaPorta is a borderline first-round pick in superflex. He’ll be gone inside the top-15 picks in any draft I’m in.
3.06 – Chase Brown (RB – CIN)
Chase Brown has good vision on zone runs and finding cut-back lanes. Brown does hesitate at the line when he should explode through the hole. He ran with more conviction as the 2022 season progressed. Brown is a runway back. He doesn’t display the ability to make the first tackler miss in the hole, but once he’s into the second level, he displays a good second gear and the ability to set up his blocks. Brown isn’t blessed with overwhelming lateral agility. He gets himself in trouble when he hesitates at the line or tries to bounce some runs outside. Brown doesn’t have the raw athleticism to get away with this. Brown displays soft hands in the passing game. He was mostly utilized as a check-down option or on the occasional rail route.
Dynasty Outlook: Brown’s draft capital (fifth round) isn’t much to sniff at, but the landing spot is interesting. Brown should be considered the favorite to grab the RB2 spot on the Bengals’ depth chart behind Joe Mixon. The team also added UDFAs Calvin Tyler and Jacob Saylors to the running back room, which gives us a small inclination that they haven’t been wowed by the performance of Trayveon Williams and Chris Evans in previous seasons. While Brown’s game doesn’t blow me away, and he shows little upside in the passing game, he’s still worth sprinkling into your rookie draft exposures across your leagues. The Bengals have shown no issue giving one running back all the work in any games Mixon has missed over the last few seasons. Brown is a good mid-round dynasty rookie pick that could pop off with some RB2 weeks in-season should Mixon miss any time. If that scenario played out, he would also be a good player to trade away in-season for a small equity gain for your dynasty squad. While the Bengals didn’t invest substantial capital into the running back position in this NFL Draft cycle, I would be shocked if they didn’t address the position with a high pick in 2023.
4.06: Evan Hull (RB – IND)
Evan Hull is a tough runner with a compact build. He’s more quick than fast, but Hull also displays good burst as soon as the ball is in his hands. He has excellent lateral agility and can jump cut on a dime. Hull has a strong leg drive to finish runs with impressive contact balance. He’s rarely dropped by the first defender he encounters. Watching Hull weave through traffic with jump cuts and impressive vision is a treat. Hull is also a plus-pass catcher. Hull is fluid in the passing game and has soft hands. He’s not a nuanced route runner, as he was utilized on dump-offs and simple stop routes. This part of his game could grow further in the NFL with a creative play-caller.
Dynasty Outlook: I’m an Evan Hull fanboy, and I don’t care who knows it. Hull has a three-down workhorse build and skillset. Zack Moss and Deon Jackson are scrubs to which new head coach Shane Steichen has no previous ties. The fifth-round pick could quickly ascend to RB2 on the Colts’ depth chart and factor in on passing downs. Jonathan Taylor is an unrestricted free agent after this season. I’m not saying that Hull is the heir apparent because the team could easily sign Taylor to an extension at any moment, but I also won’t rule out that Hull could take over for Taylor if the team moves on. Hull will slip to the fourth or maybe fifth round in many rookie dynasty drafts. I have no issues with anyone drafting him as early as the late-third round. This class becomes a grab bag of “get your guys” after round two.
5.06 – Trey Palmer (WR – TB)
Trey Palmer is a former five-star recruit who clocked at 10.42 in the 100m in high school. Nebraska utilized him deep and on short crossers to take advantage of his blazing wheels. Palmer enjoyed zone coverage in college, with most of his usage coming from the slot. I didn’t find many instances on film where he was pressed at the line, so an NFL team could be in for an adventure if they instantly convert him to an outside Z role. This isn’t to say he can’t win in this role, but it’s a projection at best. Palmer’s route tree wasn’t immensely diverse in college, so an NFL team would ask him to learn new skills on the fly if a full route tree player is expected from the jump. For most of his snaps, Palmer was used on deep posts, flies, shallow crossers and screens.
Dynasty Outlook: The former five-star recruit will join the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after they picked him up in the sixth round. Palmer isn’t likely to crack the starting lineup with Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Russell Gage ahead of him. He was likely brought in to serve as the team’s new part-time field stretcher, a role that Scotty Miller had until he moved on in free agency. Palmer is a taxi squad candidate.
Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft Results & Board
More Dynasty Rookie Mock Drafts
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- Superflex, 5 Rounds
- Superflex, 12-Team
- Superflex, 10-Team
- 12-Team, PPR, 3 Rounds
- 12-Team, PPR, 2 Rounds
- Superflex, 5 Rounds (Early Pick | Middle | Late)
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