Saturday, May 18, 2024

Fantasy Football

Mock Draft Mania: Nate’s Rookies

Hey everyone, Belly Up Fantasy Sports is hosting weekly mock drafts! This week, we mocked a dynasty rookie draft. Today, I will be analyzing the five picks I made. If you’d like to watch the mock drafts live, head to Belly Up Fantasy Sports’ twitter. If you want to participate in a mock draft, let one of the guys know, and we will be happy to have you! Without further ado, let’s get into my rookie draft analysis.

Latest mock draft livestream:

Round One: Justin Jefferson, 1.10

In this week’s rookie draft, I was granted with the 10th overall pick. The options that I was contemplating. were Jefferson, Pittman, or Aiyuk. Pittman seems to have grabbed the attention of his coaches and should get a good amount of playing time and targets. Aiyuk became interesting with the recent injury to Deebo Samuel. Lastly, Jefferson should get lots of targets in Minnesota with Diggs gone. I ended up drafting Jefferson due to the potential of him being the WR1 in Minnesota. Jefferson had a monster junior season with LSU, as he recorded 1,540 receiving yards and 18 TDs. If you’re in win-now mode, Jefferson is a great late first-rounder to take. He should make an instant impact for the Vikings this season. With the 10th overall pick, I was satisfied with adding Justin Jefferson to the squad.

Round Two: Anthony McFarland Jr., 2.10

When the clock was back on me, I decided to take another rookie who could make an instant impact, Anthony McFarland Jr. With James Conner being banged up, it’s in both Conner’s and Pittsburgh’s best interests to not run Conner into the ground. This should open up opportunities for McFarland and the other Pittsburgh RBs. If the injury bug hits the Steelers backfield again, McFarland could have a decent season. Although McFarland may not see tons of snaps, he can make big plays happen. So even if McFarland sees 5-10 touches a week, he has the ability and talent to make an impact this season. I like the chance of an immediate impact with McFarland, but also the long term upside.

Round Three: Devin Duvernay, 3.10

After adding two rookies who could make an impact this season, I decided to take another guy who should see the field a lot, Devin Duvernay. Duvernay had an amazing senior season with the Longhorns, as he recorded 1,386 receiving yards and 9 TDs. With the Ravens WR core not being too strong, Duvernay could see solid playing time very soon. Duvernay is a quick, shifty WR, who can work from the slot. Opposing defenses will gameplan to stop Lamar Jackson in the run game, which should give Duvernay a great number of opportunities to catch the rock. With the ball in his hands, Duvernay can make defenders look silly. Similar to McFarland, Duvernay can be a very efficient football player.

Round Four: Devin Asiasi, 4.10

Late in round four, I decided to pull the trigger and select Devin Asiasi. With Belichek in charge, Asiasi has the potential to become a superstar in a few seasons. We saw what Belichek did with Gronkowski. If Asiasi can become 30 percent of what Gronk was in New England, a fourth-round pick would be a great value pick. With Cam Newton now in New England, Asiasi will have an experienced QB and coaching staff to learn from. Combining Belicheck with Asiasi’s talent could make for another dangerous TE in New England.

Round Five: Quez Watkins, 5.10

My last pick of this rookie mock draft was Eagles’ WR, Quez Watkins. With an old and injured WR core, Watkins should be involved in Philadelphia’s offense in a few years. Jeffery and Jackson seem to be out at least six games a year. If Watkins is given a chance this season and takes advantage of it, we could be seeing a lot more of Watkins soon. This pick was more of a future flyer pick. In the fifth round of a 12 team, 5 round rookie draft, your options are thin.

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If you liked what you read, make sure to follow me on twitter @NateHerman27. Be sure to stay on the lookout for the other rookie mock draft articles coming out soon! And while you’re at it make sure to head to Belly Up Fantasy Sports and Belly Up Sports for more great reads!