It’s that time again. Dynasty rookie fever SZN is here. The 2025 NFL Draft is in the rearview, and rookie drafts will start flying daily. Before you dive head-first into our fantasy football mock draft simulator and run 3,000 rookie drafts in preparation, please read up on this talented prospect class as I roll through my positional primers. You can find each of them in our 2025 Dynasty Draft Kit. Below you can check out my dynasty rookie draft sleepers.
It’s that time again. Dynasty rookie fever SZN is here. The 2025 NFL Draft is in the rearview, and rookie drafts will start flying daily. Before you dive head-first into our fantasy football mock draft simulator and run 3,000 rookie drafts in preparation, please read up on this talented prospect class as I roll through my positional primers. You can find each of them in our 2025 Dynasty Draft Kit. Below you can check out my dynasty rookie draft sleepers.
Dynasty Rookie Draft Sleepers
Let’s dive into my dynasty rookie draft sleepers to help you prepare for your drafts! These players are generally outside the top 36 in superflex dynasty rookie draft rankings.
Pat Bryant (WR – DEN)
The Denver Broncos surprised everyone by selecting Pat Bryant in the third round of the NFL Draft. In the post-draft presser, Sean Payton compared Bryant’s game loosely to his former standout receiver, Michael Thomas. While I wasn’t head over heels in love with Bryant during the pre-draft process, this comparison and his surprising draft capital do raise the antenna. Bryant quietly checks the analytical boxes that we look for, ranking 18th in yards per route run and seventh in receiving grade in his final collegiate season (per PFF). He’s worth tossing a dart at, beginning somewhere in the third round of rookie drafts.
Jarquez Hunter (RB – LAR)
Hunter is arbitrage Bhayshul Tuten in rookie drafts. Hunter, much like Tuten, is headed to the NFL (Rams) via the fourth round of the NFL draft. Also, like Tuten, Hunter finds himself possibly buried for 2025 behind two veterans, but he also possesses the talent and pathway to surpass one or maybe both of them in the running back pecking order. Kyren Williams is a free agent after this season. The Rams thought so much of Blake Corum‘s rookie season that they addressed running back again this year. Hunter isn’t the same caliber of athlete as Tuten (7.1 RAS), but he did run a 4.44 40-yard dash and finished his collegiate career with an impressive tackle-breaking resume. Hunter has ranked inside the top 24 in yards after contact per attempt in each of the last three seasons while also sitting in the top 22 in breakaway percentage in two of three years (per PFF). Hunter offers the Rams an explosive element that neither Williams nor Corum has. Last year, among 46 qualifying backs, Williams ranked 44th in explosive run rate, 37th in missed tackles forced per attempt, and 40th in yards after contact per attempt (per FantasyPointsData). Hunter is the best running back value on the board in dynasty rookie drafts. He’s consistently available in the third round of dynasty rookie drafts and will occasionally fall into the fourth round. At the end of the second round, I’m looking at the board and figuring out where which pick I need to acquire to secure his services safely.
Brashard Smith (RB – KC)
Smith was another talented victim of this deep running back class. He dropped all the way to the seventh round of the NFL Draft, which was surprising. The Chiefs added him to their already overstocked backfield. The Chiefs are no strangers to allowing a seventh-round running back a legit shot at starting (hi, Isiah Pacheco), so we can’t say that Smith has zero shot. I was enamored with Smith’s receiving ability as a converted wide receiver, his lightning quickness, and his possible upside as a rusher for a player who is still getting acclimated to the position. Last year, Smith ranked 34th in breakaway percentage, second in receiving grade, and 22nd in yards per route run (per PFF). Smith is a player that I will prioritize at the top of the fourth round in rookie drafts. He could climb this depth chart quickly. After 2025, Smith and Carson Steele are the only running backs that will be under contract as Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, Elijah Mitchell, and Keaontay Ingram are all unrestricted free agents.
Tahj Brooks (RB – CIN)
Brooks lands in Cincy via the sixth round of the NFL Draft. With the depth of his running back class, it isn’t surprising to see him having slipped that far down the board, but it still sucks. Brooks has the talent that should have justified an earlier pick and would have had he come out last year. Brooks will need to hop Zack Moss (assuming health) and Samaje Perine on the depth chart to even be proclaimed as the direct handcuff to Chase Brown. I think he has the talent to do so, but it remains to be seen if he can achieve it. Texas Tech’s run blocking was abysmal last year, and it hurt Brooks’ tackle-breaking numbers. In 2023, he ranked 60th in yards after contact per attempt and 37th in elusive rating (per PFF). Brooks is a nice fourth-round pick and taxi squad candidate for dynasty squads.
Jacory Croskey-Merritt (RB – WAS)
Croskey-Merritt was a predraft love lister for me. Sadley, he dropped all the way to the seventh round of the NFL Draft before the Commanders picked up the phone. If Croskey-Merritt hadn’t had his 2024 season cut off by an eligibility issue, he would have gone much higher than this. His 2023 season was excellent. He ranked 19th in yards after contact per attempt and 12th in elusive rating (per PFF). He’s a no-nonsense runner who makes one cut and gets downhill. He’ll have his work cut out for him to climb up a crowded running back depth chart, but he has the talent to do so. Pick him up with your final rookie pick (late fourth round or fifth round) or as a priority waiver/taxi squad add.
Oronde Gadsden II (TE – LAC)
Gadsden was one of many “big slot” and receiving ability first and foremost tight ends of this draft class. He finds a home with the Bolts after being selected in the fifth round of the draft. He had his 2023 season cut short by a foot injury. Per PFF, in 2022 and 2024, he ranked inside the top 18 in yards per route run (18th, fifth) and receiving grade (10th, seventh). Gadsden could get a redshirt season in 2025 with Will Dissly and Tyler Conklin ahead of him on the depth chart, but it could be wheels up for 2026. Dissly can be cut after 2025 with only a 1.5 million dollar dead cap hit. Conklin is a free agent after this upcoming season. Gadsden is a fine fourth-round rookie pick or waiver pick/taxi squad addition.
Thomas Fidone (TE – NYG)
Fidone is one of my favorite taxi squad stash candidates. He’ll go undrafted in plenty of leagues. His film was quite intriguing, but his counting stats and analytical profile aren’t nearly as impressive. If you’re taking shots on highly athletic tight ends (as you should be), Fidone should be on your list. He had a 9.49 RAS score while posting 81st percentile or higher marks in the 40-yard dash, vertical jump, broad jump, short shuttle, and 3-cone. The Giants selected him in the seventh round of the NFL Draft. Fidone is currently the TE5 on the depth chart, but don’t be surprised if he can work his way into the TE2/3 conversation on the Giants roster by the end of the season. The Giants have taken plenty of stabs at this type of profile over the last few years (Theo Johnson, Daniel Bellinger) without any of them having massive breakouts. Fidone could finally be the hit at the tight-end position that they have been looking for.
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