RADIO
With the NFL Draft now come and gone, the rookie draft season for existing dynasty leagues is now in full swing. Will you trade up for your guy or try to trade back to try and gain additional picks? Do you stand pat and play the board or even possibly trade your pick on the clock for proven talent instead?
A situation may even warrant where you would trade out of the pick for a future 2023 selection altogether. All of these situations come into play, as well as the overall strength of your team.
Here at RotoBaller, our aim is to help make you as well-prepared for your upcoming rookie drafts as possible. While it may seem like a crapshoot once you get past the first round, it really isn't. By implementing some simple strategies, you can get the most out of your rookie draft by finding value in every round and stay one step ahead of your competition by grabbing players who can help your roster in the second, third, and even fourth rounds.
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Rookie Draft Considerations
There are always a variety of factors to consider about a prospect when ranking your big board: draft capital, landing spot, breakout age (for WRs), expected Year One contribution, team's offensive outlook for 2022, and the overall talent of the player. The most important thing is to focus on elite talent. If there is a player who has superstar potential, don't fade him just because you aren't crazy about the landing spot.
Back in 2020, there was a league mate who drafted Ke'Shawn Vaughn ahead of Justin Jefferson simply because he needed a running back. There's a reason the Baltimore Ravens crush the draft every year, they sit back and simply take the best player available regardless of need. While your team may be in need of a quarterback, there is only one from the 2022 class who is likely to start in Week 1.
The following are the players to consider with every pick in a Superflex rookie draft. While you may not completely agree with the big board, that's part of the fun of it.
Round 1 - NFL Rookie Mock Draft
| Pick | Player | Pos. | Team |
| 1.01 | Breece Hall | RB | NY Jets |
| 1.02 | Treylon Burks | WR | Tennessee |
| 1.03 | Garrett Wilson | WR | NY Jets |
| 1.04 | Drake London | WR | Atlanta |
| 1.05 | Kenneth Walker III | RB | Seattle |
| 1.06 | Jameson Williams | WR | Detroit |
| 1.07 | Chris Olave | WR | New Orleans |
| 1.08 | Kenny Pickett | QB | Pittsburgh |
| 1.09 | Skyy Moore | WR | Kansas City |
| 1.10 | Christian Watson | WR | Green Bay |
| 1.11 | George Pickens | WR | Pittsburgh |
| 1.12 | Jahan Dotson | WR | Washington |
Two Jets in the first three picks? What kind of parallel universe are we living in here?
Safest Pick in the Draft: Garrett Wilson feels as bust-proof as any rookie in this class. He has all of the traits that you want in a rookie WR that project future NFL success: draft capital, early declarer, career production, film grade, and was a big part of an efficient college offense. He was so good at Ohio State that Jameson Williams had a hard time getting on the field. While some have questioned the landing spot in the Jets, to their credit the front office in New York has done everything possible to help Zach Wilson and the offense succeed.
The Kenneth Walker Conundrum: When Seattle drafted Kenneth Walker with the 41st pick in the draft, it came as a bit of a surprise with plenty of other pressing needs, as well as Rashaad Penny and Chris Carson currently on their roster. The Seahawks no longer have Russell Wilson and Walker doesn't have a strong history as a pass-catcher. Running backs who don't catch the ball in combination with being on a bad team are a death sentence for fantasy production. In Walker's defense, his college teams only completed 37 total passes to running backs in 2020 and 2021. There is a possibility he can be an effective pass catcher, but it is a relative unknown at this time. Penny's fifth-year option was picked up and Carson does have an injury history of his own, so there is a path for Walker to be productive, but the waters are currently muddied. If you're in a clear rebuild situation where your team won't be good for a while, it's likely better to trade out of 1.01 or any spot where Walker is still on the board and move down for more value to draft a receiver instead.
Scarcity at QB: With only one quarterback receiving round one capital, scarcity at the position is a real thing this year. While there have been concerns about Pickett's relative upside, he lands in a great situation with a stable organization and a young supporting cast of skill players around him. Malik Willis has some tremendous rushing upside, but there is no guarantee that he gets past Ryan Tannehill at any point this year. Desmond Ridder has some rushing upside of his own and a chance to beat out Marcus Mariota for the starting job in camp. Matt Corral also landed in a good spot with only Sam Darnold ahead of him. While Sam Howell lasted until the fifth round, he is likely going to be second on the depth chart in Washington with an oft-injured quarterback ahead of him in Carson Wentz. There is a path for all five of those quarterbacks to have fantasy relevance in 2022, but there are hurdles to overcome. Regime changes are looming in Carolina and Washington with the current coaching staff beginning the season on the hot seat. One of the rookie quarterbacks likely has to develop enough to contribute in Year One and then be good enough that their team doesn't finish bad enough to get a top-10 pick where they will likely draft a quarterback in a seemingly loaded 2023 class to replace them. Think Jimmy Clausen in Carolina before Cam Newton was drafted type of a situation here for Corral and Howell.
Tier-Break: There is a big dropoff in talent after the 1.09. There isn't much difference really between 1.09 - 2.03 in this draft. If you can move back or trade the pick out altogether for a proven player, that is never a bad move. If you find a taker, there is always the option to try and trade 1.09 - 1.12 out for a future 2023 first instead. It likely won't be easy but it is possible.
Round 2 - NFL Rookie Mock Draft
| Pick | Player | Pos. | Team |
| 2.01 | James Cook | RB | Buffalo |
| 2.02 | Rachaad White | HB | Tampa Bay |
| 2.03 | Desmond Ridder | QB | Atlanta |
| 2.04 | Malik Willis | QB | Tennessee |
| 2.05 | Wan'Dale Robinson | WR | NY Giants |
| 2.06 | Trey McBride | TE | Arizona |
| 2.07 | David Bell | WR | Cleveland |
| 2.08 | Dameon Pierce | RB | Houston |
| 2.09 | Alec Pierce | WR | Indianapolis |
| 2.10 | Matt Corral | QB | Carolina |
| 2.11 | Isaiah Spiller | RB | LA Chargers |
| 2.12 | Jalen Tolbert | WR | Dallas |
Second Run on Backs: There are still some solid contributors in the second round. James Cook and Rachaad White step into elite offenses with the ability to provide you with some receiving upside. Should Fournette or Singletary suffer an injury, they will likely become RB1 candidates each week they are playing. Isaiah Spiller went in the fourth round to the Chargers, but he is someone who could step in right away for them to take some of the load off Austin Ekeler. Dameon Pierce is an intriguing option because he has the chance to step in and take over the Texans backfield immediately with the only other significant back on the roster currently being Marlon Mack.
Chasing Upside: While Wan'Dale Robinson's landing spot was not ideal, he is one of the first picks of Joe Schoen and the new Giants regime. Their wide receiver room is rather crowded at the moment with Kenny Golladay, Kadarius Toney, Sterling Shepard, and Darius Slayton, but the Giants' offense should be improved with the new head coach Brian Daboll running the show. Wan'Dale is an elite playmaker and a converted running back who produced monster receiving numbers last year at Kentucky. While he does have a smaller frame, his game-breaking upside is too good to pass up at the 2.05.
Players Attached to Elite Offenses: Jalen Tolbert is a little bit older than some of the other wide receivers in this class, but he could contribute significantly to the Dallas offense in 2022. With Michael Gallup still rehabbing from his torn ACL, Tolbert could see immediate playing time. Trey McBride is going to take some time to develop, but he has a great mentor in Zach Ertz and is tied to Kyler Murray. If you have an older tight end like Travis Kelce or Darren Waller on your roster, McBride is the perfect tight end to grab in the second round and have to wait in the wings.
Round 3 - NFL Rookie Mock Draft
| Pick | Player | Pos. | Team |
| 3.01 | Tyler Allgeier | RB | Atlanta |
| 3.02 | John Metchie III | WR | Houston |
| 3.03 | Brian Robinson | RB | Washington |
| 3.04 | Jelani Woods | TE | Indianapolis |
| 3.05 | Velus Jones Jr. | WR | Chicago |
| 3.06 | Sam Howell | QB | Washington |
| 3.07 | Tyrion Davis-Price | RB | San Francisco |
| 3.08 | Tyquan Thornton | WR | New England |
| 3.09 | Zamir White | RB | Las Vegas |
| 3.10 | Pierre Strong Jr. | RB | New England |
| 3.11 | Greg Dulcich | TE | Denver |
| 3.12 | Keaontay Ingram | RB | Arizona |
The new guy in Atlanta? With only Cordarrelle Patterson serving as the running back on the Falcons, Tyler Allgeier may see significant playing time if he has a solid camp. He didn't run particularly fast at the combine, but he is a player who plays faster in-game and has a punishing running style.
Athletic TE Profile: Jelani Woods posted a perfect RAS score of 10 at the combine and goes to a situation in Indianapolis without an experienced tight end on the roster. In leagues with taxi spots, he is a great stash to put away while he develops. In fantasy, it's easier to get production out of your tight ends when they are elite separators on the field. Woods still has room to grow as a pass catcher, but he is a very intriguing option with some big upside.
Writing on the wall in Vegas? The Raiders declined incumbent running back Josh Jacobs' fifth-year option, making him a free agent after 2022. Kenyan Drake is also a free agent after the season. Las Vegas drafted Zamir White in the fourth round of the draft. He could see a significant role right away. While he didn't have the eye-popping college production, he was featured in an offense at Georgia that used five running backs for the 2021 season, one of them being James Cook.
Round 4 - NFL Rookie Mock Draft
| Pick | Player | Pos. | Team |
| 4.01 | Hassan Haskins | RB | Tennessee |
| 4.02 | Snoop Conner | RB | Jacksonville |
| 4.03 | Danny Gray | WR | San Francisco |
| 4.04 | Khalil Shakir | WR | Buffalo |
| 4.05 | Romeo Doubs | WR | Green Bay |
| 4.06 | Jeremy Ruckert | TE | NY Jets |
| 4.07 | Calvin Austin II | WR | Pittsburgh |
| 4.08 | Daniel Bellinger | TE | NY Giants |
| 4.09 | Jashaun Corbin | RB | NY Giants |
| 4.10 | Kyren Williams | RB | LA Rams |
| 4.11 | Justyn Ross | WR | Kansas City |
| 4.12 | Isaih Pacheco | RB | Kansas City |
Potential Homeruns in KC: Justyn Ross was a surefire first-round pick after his 2019 freshman season at Clemson. However, injuries took a toll and many teams were afraid of his medicals. Ross went undrafted but signed with the Kansas City Chiefs after the draft. Isaiah Pacheco is a speedy back who was taken by the Chiefs as well. With their backfield currently muddied, he is a late-round lottery pick who finds himself in a fabulous situation should he get to play.
Late Run on Backs: At this point in the draft with the skill positions drying up, the wiser move is to grab as many potential backup running backs as possible who are only one injury away from seeing the field. Hassan Haskins, Snoop Conner, and Jashaun Corbin are three players who could see such roles in 2022. Kyren Williams fell on draft day after posting a poor performance at the combine, but he lands in a good situation with the Rams. Cam Akers is still trying to come back from his torn Achilles and Darrell Henderson is a free agent after the season.
Honorable Mention: TE Cade Otton - Tampa Bay, WR Erik Ezukanma - Miami, RB Jerome Ford - Cleveland, WR Kyle Phillips - Tennessee, RB Ty Chandler - Minnesota.
While not as star-studded of a class as 2021 was, there are plenty of promising players with upside to choose from. Is there anyone on here who was missed? Feel free to get at me on Twitter
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