Fantasy Football Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft: RotoBaller Staff Picks (12 Teams, Superflex)

Jorden's fantasy football dynasty rookie mock draft analysis for superflex and 2QB leagues. RotoBaller staff mock draft breakdown for NFL rookies and draft targets.

It has been more than 20 Sundays since we watched the Eagles stun the Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX. The NFL's offseason is longer than that of its counterparts in America's "big four" professional sports leagues, and it certainly feels that way at this time of year.

But hang in there, fantasy gamers. Not only are we less than one month away from the start of training camp, but dynasty rookie drafts and startups are in full swing. There are many dynasty fantasy football formats out there, all of which can be plenty of fun in active leagues with passionate managers. But the hottest format in dynasty right now is undoubtedly 2QB or Superflex, which has long been my favorite way to play fantasy.

The staff here at RotoBaller decided to take a stab at a 12-team, PPR, 2QB dynasty rookie mock draft. Of course, real dynasty nerds know there is a difference between 2QB and Superflex, but for this mock draft, let's consider them the same. Although the 2025 NFL Draft class didn't have much to offer at the quarterback position, the ability to start two will always push signal-callers up the board and make for an interesting draft. So, without further ado, let's talk about how it went.

• 2025 fantasy football rankings
• Running back (RB) rankings
• Wide receiver (WR) rankings
• Quarterback (QB) rankings
• Tight end (TE) rankings
• Defense (D/ST) rankings
• Kicker (K) rankings
• FLEX rankings
• Dynasty rankings

Round 1 - 2QB Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft

Chalk at the Top: Regardless of format, Ashton Jeanty is the consensus number-one pick in every rookie draft and is usually followed by Omarion Hampton. Running backs taken in the first round of the NFL Draft almost always hit for fantasy purposes.

In the last 10 NFL Drafts (2015-24), there were 14 running backs selected in the first round. 11 of them have turned in at least one top-12 fantasy finish, and 10 of those 11 have scored as a top-5 back.

Tetairoa McMillan is a fairly common selection at 1.03, even in Superflex leagues. In my opinion, the first big surprise of the draft was seeing TreVeyon Henderson taken ahead of Travis Hunter and Cam Ward (more on him in a moment).

But drafting Henderson over Ward, even in Superflex, is apparently not as controversial as I would have expected. According to KeepTradeCut's crowdsourced dynasty rankings, Henderson is valued slightly ahead of Ward, while both are a bit below Hunter.

QB1 at 1.08?!: Cam Ward is the least-desired QB1 in rookie drafts since Kenny Pickett in 2022. The difference is that Ward was picked first overall in the NFL Draft, while Pickett slipped to pick 20 after over half of the league passed on him.

I won't argue that Ward's supporting cast in Tennessee is a great one, but it's certainly no worse than Drake Maye's last season or Bryce Young's in the year prior. Both Maye and Young had significantly more dynasty hype as rookies.

Whether you believe in Ward's talent or not, drafting him at the 1.08 is a no-brainer. One could make the argument that Ward should be taken at the 1.02 in 12-team Superflex rookie drafts. The Miami product is guaranteed multiple seasons of starting opportunities at the most premium position in such formats.

For what it's worth, Henderson, Hunter, Quinshon Judkins, and RJ Harvey are all solid targets in the middle of the first round, and would look much more appealing if Ward was selected somewhere between picks three and five.

Shooting for Upside: The last four picks of the first round were spent on players with heaps of fantasy upside in questionable situations. Kaleb Johnson could become the leader of Pittsburgh's backfield before the end of his rookie campaign, but this is with Arthur Smith or Aaron Rodgers calling the shots for an offense that ranked 20th in scoring last season.

While the Colts invested a first-round pick in do-it-all tight end Tyler Warren, it's difficult to have any real expectations for a pass-catcher depending on Anthony Richardson Sr. and/or Daniel Jones to get them the rock.

Emeka Egbuka and Matthew Golden were selected in the first round to contribute to high-octane NFL offenses with proven quarterbacks and reliable coaching. The catch? Both of them will face steep target competition in Year 1.

But hey, this is dynasty, and we're not playing for just 2025. Betting on talent is almost always preferable to betting on situations, considering how quickly circumstances can change in the NFL.

Round 2 - 2QB Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft

So, Now QBs Matter: After seven teams passed on Cam Ward in the first round, it wouldn't have been surprising to see all quarterbacks fall below their ADP in this draft. That wasn't quite what happened, however.

Matt opted for Tetairoa McMillan in the first round, foregoing his chance to take Ward. That decision paid off nicely as he still managed to draft a first-round NFL quarterback in Jaxson Dart at 2.03. Dart might begin his rookie season on the bench, but with Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston as the veterans ahead of him on the depth chart, his number could be called sooner rather than later.

I can't fault Ryan for taking Tyler Shough with the very next pick, either. Although you'll encounter many more detractors of Shough than believers, the dude was an early second-round NFL Draft pick and is primed to be the Week 1 starter with Derek Carr now enjoying retirement.

The first quarterback selection that I disagree with is Shedeur Sanders at 2.10. I liked Sanders back in April and still think he could prove a lot of teams wrong if he gets a shot to play. But as a fifth-round pick, the odds are greatly stacked against him.

Only one fifth-round quarterback -- Mark Brunell -- has ever made the Pro Bowl. Of course, it's worth citing Tom Brady (sixth round) and Brock Purdy (seventh round) as late-round success stories, but these outcomes are incredibly unlikely. Additionally, Sanders will be competing for a roster spot and potential playing time with fellow rookie Dillon Gabriel, Joe Flacco, and Kenny Pickett.

Needless to say, I was excited to see Sanders picked ahead of Jalen Milroe, whom I promptly drafted at 2.11. Don't get me wrong, third-round quarterbacks have just as low a floor as fifth-round quarterbacks, but some have panned out, including Super Bowl champions Joe Montana, Russell Wilson, and Nick Foles.

Milroe projects to be the QB2 in Seattle right away and possesses elite athleticism that would render him a fantasy darling should he ever get a chance to start.

Steal of the Second: There are three players I would have considered drafting if I had the 2.01. One of them fell to the 2.07.

Jayden Higgins was the 34th overall pick by a Houston Texans team that desperately needed a playmaker on the outside opposite Nico Collins. Higgins is 6-foot-4, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.47 seconds, and signed the first fully guaranteed second-round rookie contract in NFL history.

Houston lost Stefon Diggs and Robert Woods in free agency and will be without Tank Dell for at least the majority of 2025 due to a serious knee injury. In total, the team will have somewhere around 175 vacated targets.

The Texans added Christian Kirk via trade and also drafted Higgins' Iowa State teammate, Jaylin Noel, later in the third round, but Higgins' size and near first-round NFL Draft capital give him the edge to be a full-time player from the jump. Great pick, Dan.

INCREDIBLE effort by @CycloneFB's Jayden Higgins to rip this TD away from the defender. pic.twitter.com/BNwB4VgFIC

— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) September 7, 2024

Round 3 - 2QB Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft

TE Value: Only two tight ends had been selected through the first two rounds of our rookie draft. Tyler Warren and Colston Loveland are clearly in a tier of their own in this class, but there are still a few more tight ends with intriguing profiles who received encouraging draft capital.

Mason Taylor landed with the Jets at pick 42 and subsequently with Matt at pick 27 in this mock. Taylor has great hands and a clear path to becoming a reliable target for Justin Fields in a shallow New York receiving corps.

Chris snagged Elijah Arroyo at 3.05, and although the Seahawks will be deploying Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp, the only true vertical threat on their roster before the draft was Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who is on a small one-year deal. Arroyo is an athletic freak who should quickly prove more valuable to Seattle's passing game than Noah Fant.

Finally, we have Terrance Ferguson, who was scooped up by Dan at 3.07. Ferguson had the fastest 40-yard dash time and the highest vertical of any tight end at the combine back in February. The Rams have weapons all over the field, but it shouldn't take much for Ferguson to get snaps over an aging Tyler Higbee, who appeared in just three games last season.

Tight ends often take a few years to establish themselves at the professional level, but that won't stop me from labeling these three in particular as tremendous values in the third round of rookie drafts.

Steals and Reaches: There are two players worth highlighting as steals in the third round, as I've commonly seen them drafted in the late second.

The first is Kyle Williams, whom the Patriots drafted early in the third round to pair with their franchise quarterback for years to come. He might not be a Week 1 starter, but he is going to get a chance to shine at some point. New England has to make up for its misses in Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker last season and supply Drake Maye with dependable pass-catchers.

Next, we have Jaydon Blue. He faces an uphill battle as a fifth-round running back, but you simply couldn't ask for a better landing spot. The Cowboys had the sixth-worst rushing attack in the league in 2024 and are looking to repair it with Javonte Williams, Miles Sanders, and the aforementioned Blue.

Only four backs with at least 100 attempts were less efficient than Williams last year, and Sanders hasn't shown much of anything since leaving Philadelphia and its dominant offensive line in 2023. In other words, Dallas is going to need the juice Blue has -- the 21-year-old clocked an impressive sub-4.3 40 time at his pro day.

Criticizing a pick in the third round of a rookie draft is almost always going to sound nitpicky. At this point, most of the players whom both the NFL and we, as fantasy managers, have strong convictions in are off the board. That said, I felt Brashard Smith going as the RB10 was a slight reach.

Smith was a seventh-round NFL Draft pick by the Kansas City Chiefs. Kansas City could use a speedy, pass-catching back a la Jerick McKinnon to complement the thunder-thunder duo of Isiah Pacheco and Kareem Hunt.

Admittedly, Smith fits the bill as a former wide receiver who ran a 4.39 at the combine. But we'll need to see him make the roster before assuming he has a role in the offense. He'll be competing with Carson Steele, Elijah Mitchell, and Elijah Young to fill, at most, two roster spots.

There's a good chance Smith makes the cut. I would just prefer to take running backs who received more significant draft capital or have a better shot at earning playing time, such as Dylan Sampson, Devin Neal, and DJ Giddens.

Round 4 - 2QB Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft

The One That Got Away: When I drafted Devin Neal at the end of the third, I knew there was a player I was forgetting about. Matt reminded me shortly after that it was Dont'e Thornton Jr.

With Elic Ayomanor already off the board, fourth-round receivers were certainly in play, but Thornton is buried in Sleeper's 2QB rookie ADP. Thornton stands out to me amongst the other wide receivers in this range because of his blazing speed and obvious opportunity.

The former Tennessee Volunteer ran an official 4.30-second 40-yard dash, which is incredible at his 6-foot-5 stature. And despite the hype surrounding second-round pick Jack Bech, it is Thornton who is currently listed alongside Jakobi Meyers and Tre Tucker as a starter on the Raiders' depth chart and reportedly ran with the first-team offense this spring.

Thornton is a screaming value in Round 4 of any rookie draft.

TENNESSEE TAKE THE LEAD AGAINST BAMA 👀

DONT'E THORNTON JR. WITH A BIG CATCH TO SET UP THE TOUCHDOWN 🔥 pic.twitter.com/yQgmLXtMpI

— ESPN (@espn) October 19, 2024

Shoot Your Shot: While I wouldn't judge anyone for utilizing this strategy throughout an entire rookie draft, Round 4 and beyond is typically where I find it acceptable to just draft "your guy." Whether it's a player you watched in college, someone your NFL squad drafted, or a talent you simply believe will win out against the odds, throw ADP and team need out the window and go get your guy.

I don't know if anyone got their guy in this mock, but two players I've drafted numerous times in the fourth round are Kyle Monangai and Tahj Brooks. Each of them has a chance to earn a role early on.

If the Bears enter the regular season with only D'Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson ahead of Monangai on the depth chart, I'll be thrilled as a dynasty manager of Monangai. And while Brooks isn't likely to supplant Chase Brown, he could beat out Zack Moss and Samaje Perine to become the RB2 in Cincinnati.

Round 5 - 2QB Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft

Discount QBs: Will Howard, a sixth-round pick, is unlikely to ever be a starter in the NFL, but he is being mentored by Aaron Rodgers, who has stated his intentions to retire after the 2025 campaign. Dillon Gabriel, on the other hand, has just as good a shot as anyone on the Browns roster at taking snaps under center come Week 1. Gabriel was a third-round NFL Draft pick, so if he performs well in camp, he could get the nod ahead of Shedeur Sanders and Cleveland's veterans.

WR Run: Six receivers were drafted in this round, and at this point, the hope is that they see the field. Tai Felton and Savion Williams were third-rounders, which sounds enticing this late in a rookie draft, but both players find themselves in crowded receiver rooms.

I like swinging for the fences with guys like Jaylin Lane, Arian Smith, and Chimere Dike, who could all feasibly be the WR3 on their teams come September. And keep an eye out for Efton Chism III, an undrafted free agent who generated some buzz with a few viral clips from OTAs on social media. We'll probably never hear his name again after training camp, but he's worth a stash nonetheless.

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