Five-Round Fantasy Football Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft: Superflex, Tight End Premium

May 22, 2025

Chris Gregory's dynasty fantasy football rookie mock draft for superflex tight end-premium leagues. His five-round rookie mock draft for the 2025 NFL rookies.

In the ever-growing field of dynasty fantasy football, there are endless tweaks, settings, and formats available to make things more interesting or balanced. Those tweaks include adding defender positions (IDP) or a Superflex (QB/RB/WR/TE) spot, awarding bonus points for long runs or receptions, and/or utilizing Tight End Premium scoring.

This year, we are doing one-man rookie mocks for the TE Premium aficionados, because it is one of the two fastest-growing formats in dynasty. In fact, it is the most common request when setting up or making changes to the dynasty leagues that I run. The format helps elevate the position's importance, better aligning its value with that of QBs, RBs, and WRs.

This mock will specifically address the TE Premium format in Superflex leagues. Scoring for this mock will be TE Premium’s most common: one-point full PPR with a 0.5-point bonus for TE receptions. Also, remember that this mock is meant to reflect what you can expect in your drafts, with my rankings playing tiebreaker and my analysis offered after each round.

Round 1 - Fantasy Football Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft

Where Have All the QBs Gone?: Quarterback is typically one of the most sought-after positions in a Superflex rookie draft. Even in 2022, when the passer class was barren, you saw the likes of Kenny Pickett and Malik Willis going in the first round.

As you can tell from this mock and typical ADP, this rookie quarterback class is the weakest since that abysmal 2022 crop. While Ward and Dart are better prospects than Pickett and Willis were, neither is a "can't miss prospect" that everyone will take in the first five picks. Here you see the highest that Ward and Dart should go in this format.

Prepare for the Unpredictable: For several reasons, the mock above does not reflect the current ADP. First, simply plugging ADP into these charts wouldn’t really be a mock draft, would it? Second, the ADP on these prospects is so incredibly close that almost every pick after Ashton Jeanty is a “personal preference” scenario.

Ashton Jeanty is reportedly already thought of as a “Top-5 RB” in the NFL by several NFL scouts without even playing a snap yet.

One NFL executive reportedly believes Jeanty is talented enough to LEAD the NFL in rushing yards and TD’s as a rookie.

“He’s that good. Don’t forget… pic.twitter.com/IPNDVJpMnJ

— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) May 15, 2025

One of the standout inconsistencies in current rookie drafts is the landing spot for RJ Harvey. The new Bronco has become a fantasy darling overnight, after spending most of the pre-draft process mocked in the late second or early third round. Now, Harvey is being taken anywhere from 1.07 to 1.12, as Sean Payton's love for the UCF alum is pushing him past better prospects.

Round 2 - Fantasy Football Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft

An Early Second Round Pick Has Never Looked So Good: One benefit of playing in a Superflex league with TE Premium scoring is that the value of QBs and TEs increases, forcing quality RBs and WRs down the board. Despite a weak QB class, this year is no exception to that rule.

Kaleb Johnson and Matthew Golden are two of the best values in this mock. While it may seem unlikely that they will fall this far, it happens with regularity in TE Premium Superflex leagues. With Dart, Loveland, and Warren all virtual locks for the first round in this format, managers picking at 2.01 and 2.02 are guaranteed a first-round caliber talent with their second pick.

Waiting on WR: Wide receiver has been the preferred foundation of dynasty teams for nearly a decade. It is almost a compulsion at this point to target young receivers who can help your team thrive for a decade. This is especially true of teams drafting early, as they are usually rebuilding squads who won’t contend until halfway through a running back's career cycle.

With that said, the strength of this running back class will force most rebuilders to go against their instincts and take Jeanty, Hampton, or Henderson early. Fortunately for those folks, five receivers in this class (Golden, Bech, Harris, Higgins, Burden) offer terrific value in the second round.

The TE Debate: The fantasy value of players like Mason Taylor and Elijah Arroyo should be soaring in TE Premium drafts. Just as Jalen Milroe’s value escalates in Superflex leagues, talented tight ends like Arroyo and Taylor should see a similar boost in TE Premium. Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case due to two factors.

Elijah Arroyo ran the length of the field to tackle a Virginia Tech player after a pick last year that literally saved the game. One of the best effort plays I have ever seen. I love this for the Seahawks. pic.twitter.com/5PFW6PLdcY

— Kevin Clark (@bykevinclark) April 26, 2025

One major reason that Arroyo is falling into the third round of TE Premium rookie drafts, while Taylor goes in the late second, is “tight end fatigue." Dynasty managers have “wasted” premium picks on "can't miss prospects" like Kyle Pitts and Dalton Kincaid in recent years. Hence, the dynasty community has developed a healthy skepticism about talented but unproven tight ends.

The second reason Taylor and Arroyo are falling is that Loveland and Warren are both elite prospects. When most leagues only start one TE, the demand can be muted. This is especially true when contenders go all-in with Travis Kelce, while the tight end-needy teams grab Warren/Loveland in the first. Thus, the demand for TEs goes down quickly.

Round 3 - Fantasy Football Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft

Shough it Off: With the surprising retirement of Derek Carr, Saints and fantasy fans could see Tyler Shough starting an NFL game far earlier than most expected… and some hoped. This opportunity could push the Louisville product into the second round of some dynasty rookie drafts, though there are plenty of reasons for skepticism.

Let’s start with the optimistic side of this well-traveled rookie. Shough has plenty of size, a strong arm, surprising mobility, and high character. If you put those traits under Kellen Moore and behind an offensive line with two young first-round tackles, there is reason to hope Shough might become a quality QB2 in Superflex formats.

Some Tyler Shough footage from Saints camp...
pic.twitter.com/TePXCOOJWK

— Adam Carter (@impactfbdata) May 10, 2025

Of course, there are negatives with Shough. While age for quarterbacks is less of a concern than it used to be, this guy turns 26 in September and attempted just 951 passes in college. For context, Dart is four years younger and threw 1307 passes in college.

In other words, Shough is likely at his physical ceiling with real questions about his readiness and experience.

Pass or Play in Round 3: One fascinating target who could go in the third or fourth round of this format is Pat Bryant. The Illinois product made several of my pre-draft articles, and he remains underrated. Now he is on a Broncos team looking for a long-term replacement for Courtland Sutton, and he’s earning Michael Thomas comps from his coach.

While Bryant was higher on my board than he was for most, Elic Ayomanor was lower. The Stanford alum has the physical tools to become a quality possession receiver and is a quality blocker who lands on a Titans offense needing a good long-term answer. However, he also needs to drastically improve his ball skills.

Tory Horton feels like a better bet in this range.

Round 4 - Fantasy Football Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft

Titan at the Helm: Gunnar Helm is one of the better values in TE Premium dynasty rookie drafts. While the Texas alum has nothing close to the upside of a Loveland, Warren, or even Arroyo, he is a tall receiver who can make defenders miss. Joining a Titans offense low on weapons for Cam Ward, Helm could be a fourth-round pick you flip for a third next year.

Gunnar Helm led all Texas players with 60 receptions in 2024 🧤

Now, he heads to Tennessee in the 4th round with a chance to become a starter.

Are you targeting Helm in Dynasty? pic.twitter.com/Zrl3vpOXYn

— PlayerProfiler (@rotounderworld) May 2, 2025

Surprising Depth: The talent at the top of this rookie class has always been in doubt, but the depth is not. The fourth round of this year's rookie drafts is proof of that depth, as we see multiple talented players with intriguing landing spots fall into this range.

First in this tier is DJ Giddens, a supremely gifted athlete and talented runner with an underrated landing spot behind Jonathan Taylor. As I stated in my non-Superflex mock, Taylor has a history of injuries, and his run style could open early opportunities for Giddens. The Kansas State alum could steal an early role with injury and supplant an aging Taylor in 2027.

Other rising stars, according to ADP, are Jaylin Lane, Tory Horton, and Tahj Brooks. Lane is particularly intriguing, as a young deep threat drafted to play with one of the league's more accurate deep ball throwers. There is a world where Lane eventually replaces Terry McLaurin and takes on the same role in Washington.

Round 5 - Fantasy Football Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft

Quarterback Flyers: None of the quarterbacks in this range are guaranteed to make their team's final roster. However, the need for quarterbacks in Superflex will always push passers higher than their talent or opportunity merits. Thus, you should expect teams to take multiple dart throws on the backup caliber quarterbacks in this range.

Dillon Gabriel is interesting in this area, as he can add value with his legs. The Browns drafted him over Shedeur Sanders… even if that was more about making a statement.

Meanwhile, Will Howard profiles as a replica of the backup the Steelers have had in Mason Rudolph, while Quinn Ewers has an outside shot of being relevant if Tua Tagovailoa goes down again. Both are deep bench stashes who have a very small chance of becoming more, but that chance is worth something in Superflex.

Overrating Ollie: Dynasty managers are consistently higher on Ollie Gordon II than NFL Draft analysts are. In fact, in March, some prominent (full-time and famous) dynasty rankers projected the OSU product in the second round of rookie drafts. Those analysts even labeled Gordon as “the last back worth taking” when guys like Giddens and Jordan James were available.

The main takeaway I have after watching the Ollie Gordon tape is how impressive his footwork is…

He doesn’t have great speed, but he moves well for his size. pic.twitter.com/fQg7FtIPra

— Jake (@FinsCentral) May 2, 2025

This Gordon love is understandable, as he was a high-profile prospect going into the 2024 season. However, he fell down draft boards for a reason. The former Cowboy is powerful. He is also slow, not particularly elusive, and isn’t a strong receiver.

People are drafting Gordon in hopes that he will be the primary backup for the Dolphins. It is unclear why that is, considering Miami used a higher draft pick on a better running back prospect (Jaylen Wright) just last year. It’s far more likely that Wright will be the first man up behind De’Von Achane, not Gordon.

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