Each Saturday afternoon, the contributors here at Belly Up Sports get together for a fantasy football draft and this week’s theme was a fantasy rookie mock draft. I have never been involved in a draft such as this so it was definitely a learning experience. Here are the selections I made in the draft held on 6/27 and the reasoning behind the selections. Keep in mind that this draft was a 10 team draft that lasted for five rounds, of which I had the second pick. And away we go!

Round One: Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

I used the second pick in the draft on Clyde Edwards-Helaire, the rookie running back out of LSU. I would have considered his Tigers teammate QB Joe Burrow, but he was the first player selected. Edwards-Helaire has everything going for him- he is a three down back and lands in the best offense in football. His final season in college says it all- 1,414 yards rushing, a 6.6 YPC, 16 touchdowns, 55 receptions for 453 yards and another TD.

The catches are two more than his chief playing-time rival, veteran Damien Williams, has in the last two years. Additionally, Williams has played in 16 games only once in the last three seasons. He has never rushed for more than last season’s 498 yards. All of that really gives the edge to the former LSU Tiger. The Chiefs will get Edwards-Helaire involved early and often and you have to like that. I felt it was a no brainer to take Edwards-Helaire with the second overall pick. Book it!

Round Two: Ke’Shawn Vaughn, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Round two was where I really had a decision to make. Do I take a WR or the player that I have been harping on seemingly since the draft? In the end, I decided that Ke’Shawn Vaughn, the running back out of Vanderbilt, would be the pick. There seems to be a lot of people that are looking for Bucs RB Ronald Jones to have a big season. I am not one of them. If Tampa themselves were sold on Jones, they wouldn’t have used the 76th pick in the draft on Vaughn. They are similar in size- (Jones 5’11”, 208) (Vaughn (5’10”, 214). Their styles of running and receiving look a lot a like.

The question is who can withstand the punishment that running backs have to take in the NFL? Coming out of the tough SEC for a team that wasn’t elite, it would seem the better bet would be Vaughn. Additionally, I think that the starting job will comes down to who meshes with all-world QB Tom Brady better and I think that player will be Vaughn. His 1,028 yards rushing, 5.2 YPC and 12 TDs indicate big things await in Tampa and I drafted him with that in mind. Vaughn is definitely a legitimate fantasy rookie mock draft candidate.

Round Three: Antonio Gandy-Golden, WR, Washington Redskins

After taking running backs in the first two rounds of the draft, I was looking for a receiver that I thought would get a legitimate chance to get significant playing time this season. The answer was clear to me- Antonio Gandy-Golden, out of Liberty University. The fact that the Redskins drafted him was the key to the selection because of their lack of impact receivers on their roster. True, they have Terry McLaurin, but name another receiver. You can’t huh? Don’t worry, neither can I.

There is no question that Liberty is a small university, but his numbers were still note worthy. Gandy-Golden caught 79 passes for 1,396 yards and 10 touchdowns. The significant number, though, is 17.7. That was his average yards per catch, which is outstanding. He has every chance to be a starter for the Redskins, and that is exactly what you seek as a third round pick. I was extremely pleased he was there for me to snatch him up.

Round Four: Eno Benjamin, RB, Arizona Cardinals

For my fourth pick, I was simply looking for someone that could not only make the team, but make plays on the field. I turned to Eno Benjamin, the former Arizona State Sun Devil running back, as my choice. The landing spot is the key here as the Cardinals have Kenyan Drake and perhaps Chase Edmonds. Edmonds should inspire no one. After Drake became the starter, Edmonds had two touches total in five games.

Benjamin has every chance to take Edmond’s place on the roster. He was surprised that he wasn’t selected until the seventh round in April’s draft and carries a large chip on his shoulder into the preseason. He rushed 254 times for 1,083 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior. Benjamin also caught 42 passes for 347 yards and another two TDs. A fourth-round pick that as a rookie could see plenty of playing time with major growth for the future? All I can say is yes, please.

Round Five: Javon Leake, RB, New York Giants

That leads us to the final pick of the fantasy rookie mock draft. At this point, there may not be a lot to choose from. After some research, I decided on Javon Leake, the running back out of the University of Maryland. I made this pick even though that gave me four running backs selected because the opportunity is there for playing time. That is not something that can be said for every player drafted at this point.

His stat line of 102 rushes for 736 yards and eight TDs wasn’t the significant factor. It was that he averaged 7.2 yards per carry in the tough Big 10 conference. Let’s face it, not much else went well for Maryland after last season’s 3-8 finish. Of course, the Giants have Saquon Barkley, but what else? Leake has a chance to get on the field as a backup running back and to make plays on special teams. There’s nothing else to look for this late in a rookie draft.

Thanks for taking the ride with me into this first round fantasy rookie mock draft. Please feel free to make a comment about the selections and the reasoning for them. I welcome any and all input as this was my first. Let the debate begin! Follow me on twitter @kevin62wilsea, and make sure to turn to Belly Up Sports and Belly Up Fantasy Sports and Picks for all the latest NFL and sports news!