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.
- Dynasty Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- Dynasty Rookie Draft Simulator
- Dynasty Rookie Draft Rankings
- DBro’s Top 100 Rankings & Notes: 1QB | Superflex
Dynasty Rookie Draft Advice
Let’s dive into my dynasty rookie draft content to help you prepare for your drafts!
Dynasty Rookie Draft Quarterbacks
Cameron Ward (TEN)
Well, there was no surprise at the top of the draft. No, last-minute shifting of the pick or drama. Tennessee zeroed in on Cam Ward, and he’s now the face of the franchise moving forward. Ward walks the highwire from down to down. There are plenty of high-end moments and special plays, but Ward also has plenty of misfires and can run through cold stretches in games. If he hits his ceiling, he could be a franchise-changing player who becomes a yearly QB1. This cements him as a top-six pick in Superflex dynasty rookie drafts and as a mid-second-round pick in 1QB formats at the latest. The big worries for Ward entering year one are the lack of proven or high-end receiving talent outside of Calvin Ridley and this new-look offensive line. Without rushing upside to pad his fantasy stats weekly, can Ward produce enough with his arm, with Ridley leading the way to be a steady fantasy quarterback in his rookie season? We’ll see, but I’m skeptical. Selecting Ward in rookie drafts comes with immediate production from Week 1 and a floor of QB2 production. He’s an upside swing that might not consistently flash that upside until 2026.
Tyler Shough (NO)
With Derek Carr retiring, the pick of Tyler Shough inside the top 50 in the NFL Draft makes more sense. He will compete in camp to be the Saints’ Week 1 starter, and I’d even call him the favorite to land the job, considering what we have seen (or have not seen) from the other players in that room. If we assume that he’s the Saints’ starter for 2025, he has immediate QB2 appeal for Superflex squads. If Shough can play well enough this upcoming season, it’s not insane to think that he could be the team’s long-term starter, although I’m highly skeptical, and I think it’s best to view his starting window as maybe only one year. Last year, he was sixth in passing grade, but he ranked outside the top 20 quarterbacks in adjusted completion rate (30th), yards per attempt (24th), big-time throw rate (35th), and deep ball adjusted completion rate (72nd, per PFF). Shough is in play in the second round/early-third round of dynasty rookie drafts.
Check out my complete Dynasty Rookie Draft Quarterback Primer 
Dynasty Rookie Draft Quarterback Rankings
Dynasty Rookie Draft Running Backs
Kaleb Johnson (PIT)
The Steelers jettisoned Najee Harris and drafted his replacement as their lead back in the third round of the NFL Draft. Last year, Harris operated in an offense that was fourth in rushing attempts as Harris soaked up 299 touches (10th-most). Even if we lower those year-one expectations for Johnson, even 250 touches would have ranked 21st in the NFL. Johnson brings a big play ability that has been lacking over the last 2-3 years. Last year, not only did he rank fifth in breakaway percentage, but he was also eighth in yards after contact per attempt and 14th in elusive rating (per PFF). My love for Jaylen Warren hasn’t dissipated, but we have to listen to the Steelers with their move to acquire Johnson’s services. Warren will likely operate in his usual role while Johnson does the heavy lifting for Arthur Smith’s run-centric offense. Johnson is an RB2/3 who could be an RB1 down the stretch in 2025 if he can distance himself further from Warren better than Harris ever could.
Bhayshul Tuten (JAC)
Tugboat Tuten found a port in the NFL with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Liam Coen and company hope that Tuten can pull their offense up the scoring ranks in 2025. Ok, that’s enough tugboat references. Tuten will compete from the jump for touches with holdovers Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby. Etienne looked like a shell of his former self last season, so Bigsby might be the most formidable adversary to a Tuten takeover. That doesn’t mean that Tuten and Bigsby couldn’t form a solid committee. Tuten has the juice to make the most of his touches. During his final collegiate season, he ranked tenth in yards after contact per attempt and breakaway percentage and eighth in elusive rating (per PFF). Tuten is an upside flier who could pay off handsomely in 2025, much like Bucky Iriving did last year.
Check out my complete Dynasty Rookie Draft Running Backs Primer
Dynasty Rookie Draft Running Backs Rankings
Dynasty Rookie Draft Wide Receivers
Jalen Royals (KC)
Royals’ draft capital outlook was unclear entering the NFL Draft. Coming from the small school of Utah State, having injuries impact his final season and his predraft process, and the common theme of people discussing this as a “down” wide receiver class were all factors that could push him down the board. I was hoping a team would fall in love with him and select him somewhere on Day 2, but it didn’t happen. Royals did hear his name called in the fourth round of the draft by the Kansas City Chiefs. Royals will now have to sift through the muddled mess that is the Chiefs’ wide receiver room. He’s likely (at best) the team’s WR4 this season if Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice, and Hollywood Brown all stay healthy. He could easily find his way into the starting lineup if he can hop Juju Smith-Schuster on the depth chart and Rice misses any time recovering from injury (or suspension), or Brown is unable to stay healthy. Last year, Royals ranked 30th in yards per route run, and he averaged 166.5 receiving yards across his final four collegiate games (per PFF). He’s a wonderful dart throw in dynasty rookie drafts in the third round.
Pat Bryant (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.
Check out my complete Dynasty Rookie Draft Wide Receivers Primer
Dynasty Rookie Draft Wide Receivers Rankings
Dynasty Rookie Draft Tight Ends
Tyler Warren (IND)
Warren got the ballyhooed first-round draft capital that we all figured he would. The landing spot is rough, though. Indy has a ton of talented pass-catching options that will push Warren weekly for target volume. Michael Pittman and Josh Downs presumably will be above him in the target pecking order. I still love Warren as a player, but I’m worried that after year one, he won’t just become the sexy buy-low for 2026. The passing volume, quarterback play, and receiving depth chart are all big-time concerns for his 2025 outlook. Last year, Indy had the third-lowest passing rate inside the red zone and in neutral game environments. I’m not fading Warren in dynasty rookie drafts, but I’m just saying temper your expectations for his rookie season. Warren is a top-ten selection in dynasty rookie drafts. Bet on talent, as situations can change quickly.
Mason Taylor (NYJ)
Taylor is headed to the Jets after they selected him in the second round of the NFL Draft. Taylor could become the number two target in the passing attack quickly, with only Josh Reynolds and Allen Lazard as his closest competition for targets. I wasn’t nearly as enamored as many with Taylor as a prospect. His athleticism was solid, with a 4.68 40-yard dash and an 83rd percentile 3-cone. Taylor should develop into a solid starting NFL tight end, but I have a hard time seeing a pathway to elite status for Taylor. Across his three seasons at LSU, he never ranked higher than 63rd in yards per route run (per PFF). Taylor finished his collegiate career with only 5.4 yards after the catch per reception and 14 missed tackles forced (129 receptions). Taylor is a late second/early third-round dynasty rookie pick that could soak up a ton of volume in year one.
Check out my complete Dynasty Rookie Draft Tight Ends Primer
Dynasty Rookie Draft Tight Ends Rankings
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