The NFL Draft is complete. Dynasty rookie draft season begins, and it’s time for another dynasty rookie mock draft. But the excitement has faded quickly. The NFL confirmed pre-draft fears: This is a weak rookie class.
At least on the surface. But weak does not mean worthless. There is still value beyond Jeremiyah Love, Jordyn Tyson, Carnell Tate and Makai Lemon. There always is.
Every rookie class, no matter how weak it is perceived to be, produces players of fantasy football significance. Players who outperform their average draft position (ADP). Players who help dynasty managers win championships. The skill is finding them before consensus catches up.
And let’s be honest, most of you are still going to have rookie picks to make. You probably haven’t traded away every 2026 selection, even if the temptation is still there. So now we draft the class in front of us.
This is a four-round, 1-QB dynasty rookie mock draft using PPR scoring. I’ll be using the FantasyPros mock draft simulator, which lets you customise your mock draft to match your league settings. Grab a drink and let’s start drafting.
Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft
In my pre-draft mock on April 23rd, I drew the 1.04 pick. For this post-draft version, I’ve landed the 1.08 pick. Gross.
1.08: Eli Stowers (TE – PHI)
This feels like a genuine on-the-clock dilemma for many managers, with three realistic options: Eli Stowers, Omar Cooper Jr. or trading back/entirely out of the first round and passing the decision to someone else.
Forced to pick, I’m looking for players who can gain value next season or players whose talent I genuinely believe in. That approach worked well for me last year when I regularly took Emeka Egbuka at the 1.08 despite an unclear immediate path.
Both Stowers and Cooper enter difficult rookie situations. There is significant target competition, and neither quarterback situation screams elite fantasy upside. That may sound harsh regarding Jalen Hurts, but he threw for just 3,224 yards in 2025, almost 1,500 fewer yards than Matthew Stafford, after failing to hit 3,000 passing yards the previous season.
In TE-Premium leagues, I would comfortably take Stowers here.
Even in PPR formats, I still lean toward Stowers. Hurts is at least a known quantity who has previously supported both A.J. Brown and DeVonta Smith for fantasy. Dallas Goedert is entering the final year of his deal, which could give Stowers a much cleaner path moving forward. Makai Lemon is now also in the mix, but after the disaster that was Philadelphia’s 2025 season, offensive changes feel inevitable.
I am betting on talent, as well as uncertainty around what comes next in Philadelphia. The path might not be perfect today, but dynasty value changes quickly when talent forces the issue.
Nicholas Singleton was also my selection in my pre-draft mock. Honestly, not much has changed for me post-draft.
What has changed is perception.
Before the NFL Draft, dynasty managers loved the idea of Jeremiyah Love landing in Tennessee and the prospect of him immediately taking over the lead role.
Singleton lands in effectively the same situation, yet the excitement is nowhere near the same.
Love was viewed as a significantly stronger prospect and carried far superior draft capital expectations. Singleton eventually slid to the fifth round, which absolutely matters for fantasy football. Day 3 running backs are replaceable. We have seen teams move on from them quickly before.
At the same time, success from that range is not impossible. Kyren Williams and Chase Brown are both recent reminders of that.
The market has clearly cooled on Singleton because of the injury concerns and his fifth-round draft capital. That is understandable.
Singleton was a five-star recruit. He rushed for over 1,000 yards at the age of 18, and produced 1,000 scrimmage-yard seasons every year except 2025. And, most importantly, for fantasy football, he still offers receiving ability.
The NFL may not have valued Singleton as highly as expected, but dynasty managers should be careful not to overcorrect in the opposite direction either.
3.08: Demond Claiborne (RB – MIN)
Demond Claiborne is the type of third-round rookie draft pick that probably says more about the state of this class than anything else.
And honestly, I don’t hate it.
The Minnesota Vikings’ backfield feels far less secure long-term than people want to admit. Aaron Jones is 31 years old, coming off a noticeable decline in production during 2025, and recently agreed to a revised deal on reduced money. Jordan Mason is solid, but I’m also not convinced Minnesota views him as a long-term answer.
That creates uncertainty. And uncertainty at running back is often where dynasty value appears quickly.
Claiborne absolutely comes with concerns. Sixth-round running backs are historically replaceable, and NFL teams rarely force opportunities for them.
Still, Claiborne landed in one of the more interesting situations possible for his profile. There is at least a realistic path where this backfield looks very different 12 months from now.
The speed is legitimate, and the production was good enough. More importantly, at this stage of rookie drafts, Claiborne does not need to become a star to return value.
Sometimes, dynasty value is simply about identifying ambiguous situations before everyone else starts talking about them.
4.08: Deion Burks (WR – IND)
Deion Burks falling to pick No. 254 was one of the more surprising outcomes of the entire NFL Draft.
Not because he was viewed as elite, but because most projections had him much closer to Day 2 than being the final wide receiver selected. I actually think he landed in a near-perfect situation.
Every offseason, fantasy managers convince themselves that this is finally the year for Alec Pierce or Josh Downs. Yet, Pierce has never delivered a top-24 fantasy wide receiver season in four years and has averaged just 8.63 fantasy points per game (PPG) across his career. Downs, through three seasons, has averaged 10.15 fantasy PPG without a top-24 finish.
At some point, dynasty managers have to stop projecting and accept what both players have been for fantasy football purposes. Watch this finally be the year they both produce now that I’ve said that.
In real life, both are fine NFL receivers. But fantasy football does not reward “fine.” It rewards difference-makers.
Burks walks into a wide receiver room where Michael Pittman Jr. is gone, Pierce remains inconsistent for fantasy football purposes and Downs still has not developed into the player many hoped he would become.
The concerns are obvious. Burks’ size profile was criticised throughout the pre-draft process, and there are questions about whether his production will translate to the NFL.
At the same time, Burks tested brilliantly at the combine, finishing near the top of the wide receiver group across multiple drills. The athleticism is real.
Most importantly, the Colts only drafted one wide receiver.
Pierce and Downs have both had multiple opportunities to establish themselves as fantasy difference-makers.
Why can’t Burks be the Colts receiver who emerges? At 4.08, I’m willing to take that gamble.
Final Thoughts
This rookie class may lack certainty, but certainty has never been where dynasty value is created.
Every year, players outperform expectations. Every year, managers overcorrect to draft capital, landing spots and consensus narratives.
Somewhere in this class, fantasy difference-makers exist. The challenge is finding them before everyone else does.
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