Dynasty Rookie Draft Outlook: Round 1 Picks (2025 Fantasy Football)

This is what we’ve been waiting for, fantasy football enthusiasts. The NFL Draft is under way, and we finally get to see where the rookie prospects are going to launch their professional careers. And NFL Draft landing spots allow us to start to zero in on fantasy football and dynasty rookie draft advice.

Throughout the draft, we’ll take a closer look at fantasy-relevant prospects, giving you an overview of their strengths and weaknesses, and assessing their fantasy value in both redraft and dynasty formats.

Let’s dig into Round 1 picks and their fantasy football outlook and dynasty rookie draft advice.

Fantasy Football Dynasty Rookie Draft Outlook

Here’s what our fantasy football experts expect for each of the skill position players selected Round 1 of the 2025 NFL Draft.

Titans Draft Cam Ward

In a surprise to no one, Cam Ward is officially a Tennessee Titan. As usual for a team drafting first overall, the Titans don’t have a perfect environment for a young quarterback. Their O-line was one of the worst pass-blocking units in the league last season, and having Calvin Ridley as your only above-average pass-catcher is far from ideal.

On the bright side, Brian Callahan was an exciting head coaching hire a year ago, and I wouldn’t be surprised if the Titans draft a receiver with their 35th-overall pick. More importantly for Ward’s fantasy value, being selected first overall means he will be given a very long leash by the Titans and Dynasty trade markets alike. The 22-year-old also has enough traits that a C.J. Stroud-esque rookie season is certainly not off the table. He belongs in the conversation to be the second overall pick in Superflex Dynasty Rookie drafts.

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Jaguars Draft Travis Hunter

This is a shocking landing spot, as Hunter being selected by the Browns was considered a virtual lock. Unfortunately for fantasy managers, this is a much worse landing spot than Cleveland for the 2024 Heisman winner. The Browns had made it clear they viewed Hunter as primarily a receiver; the Jaguars have made no such declaration. Moreover, Jacksonville already has an elite young receiver in Brian Thomas Jr. and a need at cornerback.

With all that in mind, this outcome makes it much less likely that Hunter will primarily serve as a wide receiver, which is a huge blow to his fantasy value. If we get positive news on that front, he could still rise as high as the 1.02 in Rookie drafts — as a receiver, he is arguably the most talented player in this class. If we don’t, he may fall as far as 1.07, if not further, in risk-averse Dynasty leagues.

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Raiders Draft Ashton Jeanty

Landing spot isn’t as big of a deal for Jeanty as it is for most running back prospects. The 2024 Heisman runner-up would immediately be a workhorse in the vast majority of NFL backfields. But it’s still nice to see him land in a spot with absolutely zero competition, as the Raiders’ running back room consisted of Zamir White, Sincere McCormick, Ameer Abdullah, and 33-year-old Raheem Mostert before this pick.

This is also a good landing spot from a scheme perspective, as Chip Kelly is a running game maestro and we know Pete Carroll loves to pound the rock. The Raiders’ offensive line isn’t great, but having Geno Smith under center should mean their overall offense is more competent than last year. With all that said, none of this really matters. Jeanty is the obvious 1.01 in all Dynasty Rookie drafts regardless of format, and that would have been true in essentially every possible outcome. The question now is how far he will rise in the first round of Redraft formats.

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Panthers Draft Tetairoa McMillan

Jalon Walker to the Panthers seemed etched in stone for quite some time, but instead, they opted for one of the top receivers in the draft, the big-bodied Tetairoa McMillan. He enters a Panthers depth chart devoid of receiver talent and profiles as their WR1. Of course, the biggest question mark is quarterback Bryce Young, the man throwing him the ball. He showed some promise after starting the 2024 season, getting benched, and resuming his starting role, but he still has ways to live up to his former No. 1 overall draft slot. For dynasty drafts, McMillan, for now, should be a top-three pick. He’ll get plenty of volume and should produce immediately.

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Bears Draft Colston Loveland

It was a moderate surprise, but Colston Loveland and Penn State’s Tyler Warren were viewed as the top tight ends in the draft. I believe Loveland has the best hands of any pass-catching option in the draft. Unfortunately, there are only so many balls to go around between D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze, running back D’Andre Swift, and fellow tight end Cole Kmet. The Bears have an out of Kmet’s contract in 2026, which could pave the way for Loveland to be their primary tight end. I’d temper expectations for Year 1, but he’s still worthy of a first-round rookie draft selection, albeit in the latter portion.

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Colts Draft Tyler Warren

The Colts and a tight end seemed like one of the more obvious pairings after they tried to trade up for Brock Bowers last year and failed. Believe it or not, the Colts haven’t had a tight end go for 800 yards since Dallas Clark in 2009. Yeah, it’s been a long time. Warren is an intriguing prospect as a former quarterback. He’s an excellent blocker and pass-catcher. His versatility and yards after the catch ability are things that the Colts will massively benefit from.

As for fantasy value, I’m hoping quarterback Anthony Richardson utilizes him early and often for easy completions to make the game a bit easier on him. Richardson’s future as the Colts’ starting quarterback hangs in the balance, but Warren should help things as he could be the No. 2 option behind Michael Pittman but ahead of Alec Pierce and Josh Downs. I prefer him next season over Loveland with the Bears, but the long-term status hangs in the balance a bit with the uncertainty surrounding Richardson. He’s easily worth a top-eight pick on talent alone in dynasty rookie drafts.

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Buccaneers Draft Emeka Egbuka

Wow. This one is a bit of a stunner. The Buccaneers brought Chris Godwin back, so they’re clearly not worried about the injury he suffered at the end of last season. And, of course, they have Mike Evans. Egbuka will see the field immediately, but I wonder where he’ll be in the pecking order, assuming Evans and Godwin are both in the starting lineup and healthy. That said, given Godwin’s health track record and Evans getting older, Egbuka will contribute on Day 1. He has an extremely high floor, and I’d easily take him in the top five in dynasty rookie drafts. It may be as thrilling as his rookie season, but in the long term, he’ll be a mainstay on this roster that’s had some exciting offensive coordinators lately, including incumbent Josh Grizzard.

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Chargers Draft Omarion Hampton

The Chargers don’t have the most empty backfield in the league, as they did sign Najee Harris to a decent contract this offseason. But, with first-round draft capital on his side, Omarion Hampton should eventually establish himself as the clear lead back in Greg Roman and Jim Harbaugh’s offense. One key positive of this landing spot for Hampton is that the Chargers don’t have a pass-catching specialist on their roster. The UNC product is a capable receiver, but he might not have been able to outcompete an established veteran receiving back for targets … there isn’t one of those in LA. While Najee might put up resistance, we should see Hampton serving as the Chargers’ every-down back by the end of the season. That makes him a viable RB2 for Redraft leagues and an option for the hotly contested 1.02 spot in Rookie drafts.

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Packers Draft Matthew Golden

This is an interesting landing spot for Golden. On the one hand, the Packers already have multiple talented young pass-catchers in Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, Tucker Kraft, and Christian Watson (who may miss the majority of the 2025 season with an injury). On the other hand, this offseason has seen consistent rumblings of Green Bay that the team was looking for a true WR1. With first-round draft capital, Golden should get a chance to be that guy.

From a Dynasty perspective, Golden should be a late first-round pick, just outside of the large second tier behind Ashton Jeanty. His prospect profile isn’t as impressive as fellow receivers Travis Hunter and Tetairoa McMillan, and I would also put Cam Ward and Omarion Hampton firmly ahead of him. However, after those six names are off the board, Golden is very much in play as early as the 1.06 — draft capital is king, after all.

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Giants Draft Jaxson Dart

With Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston on the roster, Dart won’t see the field in Year 1. Shoot, I’d be OK if he sat a couple of years. There’s a lot to like about Dart. He’s probably the best quarterback in the draft when it comes to pocket presence. He’s also a willing runner, albeit sometimes a bit reckless. He doesn’t have a cannon for an arm by any means, but he can make some excellent throws. However, coming into the NFL from a Lane Kiffin offense, he has almost no experience under center. Also, his snap count? A single clap. He has a lot of excellent tools, but he must sit. This isn’t something to mess with. Let him sit and learn. In superflex dynasty drafts, he’s my QB2 behind Cam Ward. He shouldn’t see action for a bit but give him time. It’ll pay off if the Giants play this right.

Check out his full dynasty rookie draft profile