Of all the frivolous things I have written in a long and mostly frivolous career, today’s feature is definitely top-three in terms of frivolousness.
The mission here is to deliver a two-round rookie dynasty mock, which would of course be a sensible thing to do in the days immediately following the actual NFL draft. But it is perhaps not the most reasonable exercise when the draft is nearly a full month away.
Obviously we cannot make informed value decisions about individual prospects without knowing team context. No one around here is recommending that any dynasty league hold its rookie draft at this exact moment. Our modest purpose today is to simply begin to prepare a shopping list.
Below, you will find one analyst’s back-of-the-envelope pre-draft evaluation of the fantasy rookie class. We’re only going two rounds here, because, again, this thing is outrageously premature. Assume the usual Yahoo roster and scoring settings.
When festivities have concluded in Green Bay at the end of the month and landing spots are known, we will revisit this project — but, realistically, the top pick isn’t gonna change.
Round 1
1. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise State
This man has no screaming weaknesses and many obvious strengths. Zero questions about his future as a featured runner with every-down ability. He was a bit fumblier than other top backs, but he also handled an absurd 397 touches in his final season. Jeanty is the rare running back who plainly deserves first-half-of-the-first-round draft status. Expect the Raiders, Bears, Cowboys or a trade-up team to give it to him.
2. Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina
Jeanty occupies a tier of his own on my board, yet so does Hampton. The UNC product is a 220-pound hammer of a runner, a yards-after-contact machine who repels tacklers. Stylistically, he is a delight. Let’s get this man to the Broncos and just see what happens.
3. Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Arizona
4. Quinshon Judkins, RB, Ohio State
5. TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Ohio State
Dogs have that Quinshon Judkins in them. He’s more an agent of chaos than various other backs in this draft, but he has size, aggression and slipperiness. Henderson might very well go ahead of him, of course; landing spots will determine the order of the Ohio State backs. If one of these guys gets to Washington, I will rank that player irresponsibly high.
McMillan is an X with benefits, more than simply a contested-catch winner. He also has the Reception Perception stamp of approval. At 6-foot-4, it’s possible he’s the Kirkland Signature version of Drake London.
6. Tyler Warren, TE, Penn State
7. Colston Loveland, TE, Michigan
8. Kaleb Johnson, RB, Iowa
9. Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State
Warren might legitimately instruct at Tight End University immediately, without the usual probationary period. At his ceiling, he can be one of the league’s elite do-it-all tight ends. He’s a fit for any team, but let’s hope he finds his way to an upper-tier passer and creative play-caller. Warren is a multi-tool, an offensive weapon who can align anywhere.
And still, Loveland might very well outproduce Warren in fantasy terms as a rookie if he lands in L.A. with his former collegiate head coach, Jim Harbaugh. Loveland is less of a do-everything tight end than Warren, but he is a shockingly fluid receiver. In fantasy football, that usually pays the bills.
It’s probably a bit much to drop an Arian Foster comp on Kaleb (and it might be a convenient way to move past the slow 40-time), but, as a general assessment of archetype, it actually works well.
Johnson is a large human who can get small when necessary. He’s smooth and unhurried, plus he’s a surprisingly capable receiver considering his Iowa background. Several of his finest moments last season occurred after the catch.
10. Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado
I’m giving Hunter the tier-of-his own treatment, because the range of possibilities is so incredibly wide. If you told me he was going to become the best and most explosive receiver in the 2025 draft class, I would totally buy it. But he might also simply develop into an ultimate nullifier corner with a modest package of offensive responsibilities — a scenario in which he could be unfair in some IDP formats, yet unplayable elsewhere. Dunno. We need to pay close attention to all post-draft comments made by coaches and execs from the team that ultimately selects Hunter.
Round 2
11. Cam Ward, QB, Miami
12. Luther Burden III, WR, Missouri
13. Tre Harris, WR, Mississippi
14. Dylan Sampson, RB, Tennessee
15. Cam Skattebo, RB, Arizona State
Ward would climb into the back end of the first round in a Superflex draft, but it’s not as if he’s headed for a can’t-miss offensive environment. Also, he’s not some cheat-code dual-threat quarterback capable of delivering useful fantasy totals when the passing numbers are modest. He isn’t likely to have much first-year appeal in one-QB leagues of standard size.
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If this feels too low on Sampson and Skattebo … well, yeah, I hear you. It’s really a testament to the quality of this year’s running back class. Skattebo is something like a teacup version of a Balrog. He was a party at the college level. Sampson is a heady runner who was consistently great in 2024, no matter the opponent. If either of these guys lands in one of the prime spots later this month, they might very well vault into the top five in rookie drafts.
16. Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado
17. Jaylin Noel, WR, Iowa State
18. Matthew Golden, WR, Texas
19. Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Virginia Tech
20. Tez Johnson, WR, Oregon
If we could just lock in Sanders to Cleveland as a no-doubt starter in 2025, he’d be right behind Ward for me (though clearly not for everyone). Much of the criticism of Sanders seems to involve hypothetical disaster scenarios and reckless conjecture, but not anything connected to actual football. I cannot believe there’s a better quick-game QB in this draft. It should not be difficult to imagine a successful offense with Sanders at its controls.
Tuten was a productive and efficient collegiate runner, but his combine performance suggests he should perhaps head straight to Professor Xavier’s school for gifted youngsters where he can receive the training necessary to realize his superhero potential. His freakshow athleticism shows up on film, too. Tuten is the sort of rare talent that Mike McDaniel keeps drafting, so we probably can’t rule that out.
Let’s revisit today’s meaningless ranks in a month, when we can offer a fresh set of meaningless ranks with additional flavor and context. It’s tough to imagine changes at the very top of the board, but we can’t rule it out. The incoming rookie class offers no shortage of potential fantasy teases and obvious difference-makers.