Now that all 32 NFL teams have either crushed it (see: Eagles) or confused us (read: Lions) with all their rookie selections, we rounded up the whole F6P Fantasy Football gang and had some fun with a 2023 Fantasy Football Rookie Mock Draft: Post-NFL-Draft Update.
The format: twelve teams, Superflex, rookies only, linear draft order, four rounds total. Chatter, as you can imagine, was lively. A few of the folks were doing real rookie drafts as they were participating in this mock, so there were lots of comparisons about who fell to what pick in what round, what picks guys were forced to jump for, etc.
Not unlike the fresh, earthy fragrance that portends the thaw of winter into the blossoming of spring, you could smell it like late-April air: it's that time of year again. All potential, all hope—all glitter and no chicken feed, as they say. Each rookie selection a possible future keystone to our Fantasy championship dreams.
Let's go round-by-round and see which players our best and brightest were most excited about for Fantasy prospects, redraft and otherwise.
And, as always, make sure to check out all the other fantastic content these guys are pumping out for you post-draft, like Jordan Schultz's Day One Draft Grades.
2023 Fantasy Football Rookie Mock Draft: Post-NFL-Draft Update
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2023 Fantasy Football Rookie Mock Draft: Post-NFL Draft Update: Round 1
- Joe Bond (Twitter: @F6P_Joe): Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons
- Dan Johnson (@Drj_Psx): Anthony Richardson, QB, Indianapolis Colts
- Mike LaPlant (@BeLike_Miike): Bryce Young, QB, Carolina Panthers
- Dylan Clemons (@dclemons2222): C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans
- Richard Savill (@RRSSavill): Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions
- Ryan Kirksey (@CableBoxScore): Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR, Seattle Seahawks
- John LaPresto (@TheJohnLaPresto): Jordan Addison, WR, Minnesota Vikings
- Mark Strausberg (@MarkStrausberg): Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore Ravens
- Garrett Ball (@GarrettBFF): Quentin Johnston, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
- Dennis Sosic (@CALL_ME_SOS): Dalton Kincaid, TE, Buffalo Bills
- Mike Bonni (@ike2121): Will Levis, QB, Tennessee Titans
- Blake Gambino (@_BHG_): Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seattle Seahawks
Round 1 Analysis
So, all in all, a pretty chalk first round. I snagged Richardson at second overall, fully realizing the risks there. But I'm all about the inside baseball on the Colts's pursuit of him, as detailed here on ESPN.
After a few years of being conservative with their post-Andrew-Luck quarterback evaluations, it finally sounds like Jim Irsay and Chris Ballard find themselves squarely—to quote Succession's Kendall Roy—in big swing time. Richardson's ceiling is undeniable, and you all know how much I love catching lightning in a bottle.
Kirksey went with Smith-Njigba over Addison, but I think I would have taken Addison as my first receiver off the board. The talent is sure undeniable, but the feast-or-famine nature of both of Seattle's current stud wideouts in their current scheme has me worried about the fit, there.
And, fine—call me crazy, but this degree of confidence in his ability to be a tandem force with Justin Jefferson has got me excited. Even despite the quarterback uncertainty up there in Minnesota.
Jordan Addison said in a recent interview that him and Justin Jefferson will “instantly” be the best WR duo in the NFL.
Vikings HC Kevin O’Connell said in a recent interview that Jefferson and Addison being in the same huddle is going to be a “problem” for the rest of the… pic.twitter.com/lMKWt6XvwU
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) May 2, 2023
John LaPresto, who picked Addison, had this to say:
"I went Addison because I think it's pretty clear he has the most direct path to playing time when it comes to the Flowers, QJ, Addison tier."
Other notes from the staff on their picks:
Mark Strausberg:
"I think I made the first pick that deviated from the default rankings. But I like Flowers more than QJ, especially for dynasty. QJ is a WR that should be a YAC monster, but he's not. Meanwhile, Flowers is a super quick guy who can be a YAC monster. Throw in a far-too-high drop rate for QJ and I'm grabbing Flowers before QJ. His upside is so much higher than QJ's, especially for 2024 and beyond. OBJ is not going to be in Baltimore for more than a year."
Dennis Sosic:
"I was thrilled that TE Dalton Kincaid made it to me at the ten slot. He was my preferred target here and possesses immense upside as a sure-handed big-bodied weapon from the slot and in the red zone. More importantly, Kinkaid joins a Bills explosive offense that could allow him to sneak into the TE1 territory."
Round 2
- Joe Bond: Devon Achane, RB, Miami Dolphins
- Dan Johnson: Jonathan Mingo, WR, Carolina Panthers
- Mike LaPlant: Kendre Miller, RB, New Orleans Saints
- Dylan Clemons: Michael Mayer, TE, Oakland Raiders
- Richard Savill: Rashee Rice, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
- Ryan Kirksey: Tyjae Spears, RB, Tennessee Titans
- John LaPresto: Marvin Mims, WR, Denver Broncos
- Mark Strausberg: Hendon Hooker, QB, Detroit Lions
- Garrett Ball: Josh Downs, WR, Indianapolis Colts
- Dennis Sosic: Jalin Hyatt, WR, New York Giants
- Mike Bonni: Roschon Johnson, WR, Chicago Bears
- Blake Gambino: Jayden Reed, WR, Green Bay Packers
Round 2 Analysis
All aboard the Mingo train for me, here. Mingo to the moon, etc. Am I a sucker for the reality that the Panthers essentially created us a QB/WR stack to monitor this season? Sure. But you also just can't ignore the overbearing physicality Mingo brings to the table: 6’2” and 220 pounds. Let us not forget, too, about his 4.46 forty-yard dash at the combine.
.@_bryce_young's newest weapon in Carolina: Jonathan Mingo 🔥@OleMissFB | #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/PwyqhGsyrB
— NFL (@NFL) April 28, 2023
Let us also be wary of the risk, here. His ADP is rising rapidly. Soon enough, the juice might not be worth the squeeze come time for redraft leagues.
Notes from the staff on their picks:
Dennis Sosic:
"I like the opportunities available for Jalin Hyatt in the Giants offense. He should provide a deep-threat option for a Giants offense that desperately needs more weapons for Daniel Jones. However, I think I might regret not taking RB Roschon Johnson, who was taken right after my pick. Johnson should emerge as the pass-catching option in the Bears offside and has sneaky potential."
Garrett Ball:
"I really debated Downs vs Roschon Johnson with this pick. I’m rising on Johnson with his landing spot and situation, but I think Downs slides right in for the Colts as their slot WR. The Colts had him graded much higher and were happy to get him at such a value. Even Reggie Wayne was praising him.
Downs had two great years at UNC with Sam Howell at future projected top pick in Drake Maye, no doubt helping him boost his stock. He’s a small receiver I don’t feel that hinders him. He does have Michael Pittman as the unquestioned WR1, but he could easily beat out Alec Pierce as the number two option in the passing game."
Mike LaPlant on Blake Gambino's 2.12 Reed pick:
"I wouldn’t exactly categorize Reed as “nasty,” but he is a “twitchy” player with some type of speed. And he’s a WR that an NFL team spent 2nd-round draft capital on. So getting a rookie WR that was drafted in the 2nd round of the NFL draft in the 3rd round of a mock seems like pretty good value, given where he's gone in some of my other mocks."
Also perhaps worth noting here that Reed generated the most chatter from the staff during the mock; nearly everyone was excited about how far he was falling (and thus how much value they were getting) in their other respective rookie drafts.
Round 3
- Joe Bond: Sam LaPorta, TE, Detroit Lions
- Dan Johnson: Evan Hull, RB, Indianapolis Colts
- Mike LaPlant: Chase Brown, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
- Dylan Clemons: Tank Bigsby, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars
- Richard Savill: Tyler Scott, WR, Chicago Bears
- Ryan Kirksey: Israel Abanikanda, RB, New York Jets
- John LaPresto: Luke Musgrave, TE, Green Bay Packers
- Mark Strausberg: Sean Tucker, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Garrett Ball: Kayshon Boutte, WR, New England Patriots
- Dennis Sosic: Deuce Vaughn, RB, Dallas Cowboys
- Mike Bonni: Zach Evans, RB, Los Angeles Rams
- Blake Gambino: Darnell Washington, TE, Pittsburgh Steelers
Round 3 Analysis
Who else got burned by Jonathan Taylor and the Colts last year? I sure did. Even the Colts sure did, especially after they traded Nyheim Hines to the Bills.
Enter: Evan Hull. Senior Bowl stud, combine-crusher, and, perhaps most importantly for his fit, a reliable pass-catcher out of the Northwestern backfield. He slots in as Taylor's immediate backup, and could even make enough waves during training camp to claim the Nyheim Hines role outright from Deon Jackson.
Notes from the staff on their picks:
Joe Bond:
"I'll start out by saying I was hoping one of the WR, Josh Downs, Jalin Hyatt or Jayden Reed would fall to me, but alas they did not. Instead, I did not like any of the WR left on the board compared to Sam LaPorta.
LaPorta, in my opinion, is the second-best pass-catching TE in this draft, behind Dalton Kincaid. He is both big (6'3", 245) and fast (4.59, 40 yd dash) which makes him an immediate threat in the passing game. We saw this in college as he was able to break a ton of tackles and become a YAC monster. His one downfall is he is not a physical player yet, struggling in contested catches and blocking, so that might keep him off the field.
Going to Detroit is not ideal, as they have a ton of weapons on offense, but he will now be the immediate replacement for T.J. Hockenson whom they traded last year."
Mark Strausberg:
"I definitely like Tucker. He definitely has skills but the medical report apparently scared too many teams off him. I just keep waffling how early/late to grab him. First round is way too early in my opinion. And I doubt I can wait till the 48th pick (but at that point he's a slam dunk in my opinion)."
Garrett Ball (also on Mark's Sean Tucker pick):
"I really like Tucker, medical concerns aside. He was my RB4 predraft if that means anything to you. Very productive at Syracuse, and has a receiving profile. Had the medicals not been an issue he likely would have gone early day 3, maybe late day 2, from what I could tell. Tampa is a great situation because in front of him there isn't much competition. White wasn’t special last year, and if Tucker's healthy, he could beat White out for the starting job."
For what it's worth, Tucker seems as hyped about his potential as Mark and Garrett:
So you thought I fell off...
I'm Sean Tucker All-American running back from Syracuse CLEARED for takeoff!! #PL34SED pic.twitter.com/sdHpSclO6P— Sean Tucker (@seantucker2020) April 17, 2023
Round 4
- Joe Bond: Cedric Tillman, WR, Cleveland Browns
- Dan Johnson: Michael Wilson, WR, Arizona Cardinals
- Mike LaPlant: Luke Schoonmaker, TE, Dallas Cowboys
- Dylan Clemons: Eric Gray, RB, New York Giants
- Richard Savill: Xavier Hutchinson, WR, Houston Texans
- Ryan Kirksey: Tucker Kraft, TE, Green Bay Packers
- John LaPresto: Tank Dell, WR, Houston Texans
- Mark Strausberg: DeWayne McBride, RB, Minnesota Vikings
- Garrett Ball: Stetson Bennett, QB, Los Angeles Rams
- Dennis Sosic: Dorian Thompson-Robinson, QB, Cleveland Browns
- Mike Bonni: Cameron Latu, TE, San Francisco 49ers
- Blake Gambino: A.T. Perry, WR, New Orleans Saints
Round 4 Analysis
New duo in Houston 👀
C.J. Stroud came through for Tank Dell 🤝 pic.twitter.com/2xpVaDc5Ap
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) May 2, 2023
The F6P staff really sunk their teeth into the narrative of C.J. Stroud playing matchmaker with Tank Dell and himself on the Texans. This is despite the fact that Xavier Hutchinson went two picks before him.
John LaPresto:
"Tank Dell steps into a situation where there is essentially no solidified depth chart at WR. Nico Collins has the potential to break out but after that, there's what's left of Robert Woods and the possibility Metchie returns. Either way, Dell's skillset is unique on Houston's roster, giving him a shot at immediate playing time. And, not for nothing, Stroud specifically requested him."
Garrett Ball:
"At this point in the draft, it’s throwing darts. Honestly, it has been since round 3. I was hoping one of Tucker Craft, Tank Dell, or DeWayne McBride fell to me, but they went in the three picks before me. Though I’ve gone WR every round, Dell was interesting because CJ Stroud has mentioned he wanted him in Houston.
But, all of those names were off the board and being a Superflex format, I went with Stetson Bennett. Matthew Stafford is the unquestioned starter, but if he were to deal with injuries again, Bennett could step in. Let’s not forget there were Stafford retirement rumors this off-season as well, so there’s potential Bennett has long-term upside."
I will say: I liked Michael Wilson as a Stanford Cardinal more than I'm sure I'll like him as an Arizona Cardinal. That was purely a stash pick. I'm all in on the narrative that Caleb Williams and Marvin Harrison, Jr. are headed to Arizona next year. Just crossing my fingers and placing some small units on the potential that Michael Wilson (Mr. 23-reps on the bench press, okay, we see you big man!) will be a part of that.
Also, who else is stoked that Cameron Latu will get his tight end tutelage under George Kittle? That's a master/apprentice relationship I'm going to closely monitor for seasons to come.
Check out our 2023 NFL Draft Player Profiles, and keep an eye out in the coming days for more post-draft content from the folks who participated in this mock!
