We’ll have you covered as you prepare for your 2025 dynasty rookie drafts. In order to dominate your dynasty rookie draft, check out our expert consensus dynasty rookie draft rankings. And sync your dynasty league to practice with fast and free dynasty rookie mock drafts. Below, we dive into dynasty rookie draft picks our analysts are lower on compared to our expert consensus rankings.
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Dynasty Rookie Draft Advice
There’s an excellent case to be made that Travis Hunter is the best wide receiver in this year’s draft class. He’s a ridiculously fluid athlete with extraordinary ball skills. His route running needs refinement, but it’s scary to think about how good he could become once he develops that part of his game. The big question is Hunter’s role. He played both wide receiver and cornerback in college, and some people believe he’s better as a cornerback. The Jaguars, who traded up to select Hunter second overall in this year’s draft, say they intend to use Hunter primarily as a wide receiver in his rookie year, though Hunter has made it clear he wants to play both ways. Does double duty end up limiting Hunter’s offensive snaps? And what if the Jags eventually decide they want to make Hunter a full-time cornerback who plays, say, 30% of the offensive snaps. That sort of usage could crush his fantasy value. On talent alone, Hunter should be a first-round pick in dynasty rookie drafts, and he’ll probably go in the fourth or fifth round in redraft. But Hunter’s investors may have to live in fear of a role change.
– Pat Fitzmaurice
The Browns selected Judkins in the second round of the NFL Draft to be their new early down volume thumper. With Judkins and Dylan Sampson added to this depth chart, I expect Jerome Ford to become a sparsely utilized change-of-pace option. I wasn’t high on Judkins as a prospect, as he ranked outside the top 65 backs in each of the last two seasons in yards after contact per attempt and elusive rating (per PFF). The draft capital and immediate high-volume role have helped to quell some of my pessimism, but Judkins could be held back by the overall ecosystem of the Browns’ offense and his lack of pass game upside. Cleveland’s starting quarterback situation is murky at best. Judkins finished college with 0.76 yards per route run, which isn’t an awe-inspiring number. He’s an RB2/3 for 2025.
– Derek Brown
The Packers made a forward-thinking move by drafting Matthew Golden in Round 1, adding speed (4.29 40-yard dash) and depth to a wide receiver room full of question marks. With Christian Watson‘s injury history and Romeo Doubs in a contract year following multiple concussions, Golden brings much-needed insurance, but he may not be fantasy-relevant right away. Despite a productive final season at Texas, Golden never topped 1,000 yards or posted a high dominator rating in college, and he enters a crowded WR committee in a scheme that avoids funneling targets to one player. Golden’s likely to have splash plays and spike weeks, but consistent volume may be elusive unless injuries strike.
– Andrew Erickson
Jayden Higgins was the peanut butter to Jaylin Noel‘s jelly at Iowa State, and now the two former Cyclones will remain teammates in the NFL, with both being drafted by the Texans. The 6-4, 217-pound Higgins moves well for a bigger receiver and has sure hands. He had 87-1,183-9 receiving for Iowa State last fall. The issue isa that Houston already has a big physical receiver — established star Nico Collins. The presence of Collins could make it hard for Higgins to assert himself as a rookie.
– Pat Fitzmaurice
Williams gained a lot of traction in the fantasy community in the predraft process, with plenty of people hyping up the former Washington State late breakout. I remain a tad below consensus on Williams, but I agree that he is a viable third-round dart throw in dynasty rookie drafts. Williams didn’t surpass 900 receiving yards or 2.25 yards per route run in any collegiate season until 2024 (per PFF). The hope for the Patriots’ third-round draft pick is that he can avoid faceplanting like Ja’Lynn Polk and Javon Baker did last year. He’ll need to hop Mack Hollins, DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, and Kendrick Bourne to see the field in 2025 as a full-time starter. We’ll see if he can accomplish that task. If not, he could disappear into the ether in 2026 like New England’s receiver draft picks from the last process are seemingly doing this year. With Williams concerning analytical profile, I don’t think the ceiling is extremely high in fantasy
– Derek Brown
The Jets addressed an offseason need at tight end by spending a second-round pick on LSU’s Mason Taylor, the son of former Dolphins sack artist Jason Taylor. The younger Taylor has good size (6-5, 250) and athleticism, and he’ll have a chance to contribute immediately. But considering that Taylor never had more than 546 receiving yards or three TD catches in any of his three college seasons, we should probably keep expectations in check for his rookie year.
– Pat Fitzmaurice
Jaydon Blue immediately becomes an intriguing fantasy option by virtue of landing with the Cowboys, who took him in the fifth round. Dallas has Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders as the top two veterans on their RB depth chart, so Blue has a chance to earn playing time right away. The 5-9, 205-pound Blue is an explosive runner who clocked a 4.38 at the combine. But Blue’s slight build might make him a role player at the NFL level.
– Pat Fitzmaurice
Pat Bryant‘s rookie ADP has surged since being selected in the third round by the Denver Broncos, but fantasy managers should approach with caution. The Illinois product was ranked well outside the top tiers of the class pre-draft, and the history of “mid-round reaches” at wide receiver offers more misses than hits. Bryant profiles as a size/speed possession receiver at 6-foot-3, 204 pounds, but he lacks standout athleticism – he ran a 4.61 40-yard dash and didn’t break out until age 20. He recorded just one career game with double-digit targets and was actually out-targeted this past season by teammate Zakhari Franklin – who went undrafted. While some may latch onto the idea that Sean Payton sees a “Michael Thomas” archetype in Bryant, the underlying data suggests this is a bet on projection, not production.
– Andrew Erickson
Here are our latest Dynasty Rookie Draft Rankings from our consensus of fantasy football experts. You can find the latest Dynasty Rookie Draft Rankings and sync your fantasy football league for specific advice.
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