With the NFL draft in the books, it is officially time to start
the 2024 Dynasty season! Anyone who plays dynasty knows, one of
the most important things you can do is hit on rookie draft picks.
Hitting, or missing big on rookies can easily give you a big boost
or hold you back in leagues so doing complete research before your
draft is vital.
This year’s draft is a fun one, especially if you are in
any kind of 2QB or Superflex league, where quarterback value is
given a boost. The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft was historic,
with six quarterbacks selected and the first 14 picks all being
on the offensive side of the ball. This kind of action should
translate well for fantasy managers and make rookie drafts as
fun as ever.
One of my longer run dynasty leagues just did our rookie drafts
on May 5th, so I wanted to share the results so you could use
the information as a barometer to see how players are currently
being valued. Our league is 12 team, Superflex with half-ppr and
4-point passing TDs. Hopefully this example of a recent draft
can help get you ahead of your leaguemates and plan accordingly.
This year’s first round is jam-packed full of potential
studs at nearly every position. There is a clear tier drop after
pick 8 and I have seen the first eight picks go in many different
orders in SuperFlex leagues, with the same eight guys going 95%
of the time.
After pick 8, there is another tier of four-to-six guys, depending
on how you value Bo Nix. With the depth of talent this year, there
is a case to be made to both trade up and/or trade down within
the first 13 picks, depending on the value you may get.
Also important to note is some of these guys may fit a rebuilding
team more, while some may help a win-now team. For example, I
think Odunze will eventually be a stud but is unlikely to break
out in a crowded WR room until a year or two down the road. Same
with a guy like Maye who is a bit of a project and has limited
weapons around him. My personal favorites from this first round
include Bowers, Worthy and McConkey.
Round 2 is strong on paper, especially at the wide receiver position,
where some talented guys fell a bit in the NFL Draft but land
in spots where they could make immediate impacts. As mentioned
before, I think Brooks and Nix fall into a higher tier than the
rest of the round, but the next group of guys I could see going
in any order.
If I had a late 1st-round pick I would not hate trading back
and picking up a few picks in this round, as the names are not
quite as sexy but the opportunities are not much different, and
in some cases, better. Mitchell, Corley, Franklin, and Baker all
stand out to me as players that have clear opportunities and decent
enough draft capital to make their shot legitimate.
Other than Brooks, the running backs in this class as mediocre,
but considering the lack of talented RBs in the NFL right now,
taking a stab at Benson or Corum at this stage is worth the pick.
Round 3 is always a dice roll/lotto ticket but I see more talent
here than in year’s past. A very RB-heavy round for sure,
but none of these guys project as starters from day 1 but all
could see extensive action with any sort of injury to the players
ahead of them on the depth chart.
Other than Bowers, this is not a strong TE class but you see
a few selected here as both Sinnott and Sanders have the opportunity
to start in their rookie year.
Tracy is a personal favorite of mine as a converted WR that
looked great in his one year playing RB for Purdue. McCaffrey
will get the attention because of his name but is also in a sneaky
good landing spot (Washington) with a new QB and no proven threats
outside of Terry McLaurin.
Final Thoughts
You never know how good a rookie draft is right away, as last
year’s class looked average at best on paper but then exploded
with a handful of great, and in some cases, historically good
rookie seasons.
This class appears better than last year’s, but we won’t
know for some time. Overall, I’d love to be in position
to have a top 8 pick or trade back if I got an absolute haul in
return. Whether you are competing now or looking down the road,
this draft class has a lot to offer and it is one that I want
to have my hand in, even if it means trading away future picks
to get in.
Bottom line is do your research, and once you have your sights
set on your guys, have a plan to get in the realistic positions
to be able to draft them.
