Landing spots, free-agent moves, and even small video clips from minicamps can slightly alter the dynasty rookie draft rankings board heading into your annual opportunity to add some talent to your fantasy football roster.
Here is how our dynasty rookie mock draft shook out after the 2024 NFL Draft. Please keep in mind this mock was conducted in a 1QB format.
1QB Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft
1.01) Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Arizona Cardinals
Hype trains surrounding the top incoming rookie prospects can tend to get a little out of hand during this time of the year. Yet, Marvin Harrison Jr. joining forces with Kyler Murray in Arizona feels like a great starting point for fantasy success in 2024.
Harrison steps into an ideal fantasy situation where his biggest competition for targets is TE Trey McBride, who shouldn’t take significant looks away from him in 2024.
Combine Harrison’s stellar physical profile with his exceptional route-running nuance, great release package, and formation versatility, and you have the chance for something truly special at the position.
Marvin Harrison Jr. has a chance to be SPECIAL at the next level.
If you have the 1.01 selection in a dynasty rookie draft, are you taking him? pic.twitter.com/PiOpg0DjQz
— PFN Fantasy (@PFNFantasy) January 22, 2024
Not to mention, Harrison’s pairing with Murray is also ideal when you consider Murray’s track record of peppering an alpha X-receiver on the outside with targets, if you recall his chemistry with DeAndre Hopkins a few years ago.
One could attempt to make an argument for another player, but Harrison feels like the sure-thing 1.01 selection in 1QB leagues.
1.02) Malik Nabers, WR, New York Giants
Landing spots can often be very subjective when trying to project fantasy expectations early in a player’s career. A bad offense could be viewed as a terrible situation or, conversely, an opportunity for a dynamic prospect to be the featured player early in his career.
I get it. The New York Giants’ passing offense has been mostly atrocious during the Daniel Jones era, with the former No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft never topping 3,300 passing yards in any season of his career.
Could some of it have to do with the lack of talent at WR? After all, no Giants WR has topped 70 receptions or 800 receiving yards since Odell Beckham Jr. back in 2018.
Nabers’ elite separation skills, vertical playmaking prowess, and dynamic run-after-catch (RAC) ability make him the featured weapon in New York’s offense in 2024. He should be heavily involved from the moment he steps on the field. Whether his presence will elevate Jones’ performance under center remains to be seen.
1.03) Rome Odunze, WR, Chicago Bears
On the flip side of the coin, Chicago Bears WR Rome Odunze lands in an ideal long-term situation in the form of his pairing with top rookie QB prospect Caleb Williams for the foreseeable future. Yet, he has not one, but two excellent receivers he’ll be competing for targets with in 2024. Odunze will have DJ Moore and Keenan Allen on the roster, trying to gobble up looks from a first-year quarterback.
Odunze is a contested-catch ace with an incredibly well-rounded skill set and enters the NFL with no glaring weaknesses in his prospect profile. Speed, strength, route running, and formation versatility could make him a top 5 fantasy WR in the future, but fantasy managers will likely have to be patient with frustrating returns early in his career.
However, if dynasty managers can manage those expectations in 2024, Odunze’s fantasy ceiling in this draft class rivals Harrison’s.
1.04) Brock Bowers, TE, Las Vegas Raiders
Remember that bit about landing spots mattering? Well, if there’s one top player who didn’t land in an ideal situation, it was the immensely talented TE prospect Brock Bowers going to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Bowers is the best tight end prospect I’ve ever seen come from the college game. He possesses exceptional RAC ability and has the elite athleticism to be a mismatch against the vast majority of linebackers and safeties trying to check him in man coverage, which gives him a long-term ceiling of TE1 overall in dynasty formats.
Yet, his questionable quarterback play (apologies to the Aidan O’Connell and Gardner Minshew truthers out there), tough target competition with Davante Adams and Jakobi Meyers around, and the presence of quality tight end Michael Mayer means Bowers’ immediate fantasy profile in 2024 isn’t quite as exciting as some of the players ranked below him on this list.
Yet, in dynasty, we are playing chess, not checkers. I still believe in Bowers’ elite talent from a long-term perspective, but his immediate fantasy outlook drops him below both Nabers and Odunze in this mock.
1.05) Caleb Williams, QB, Chicago Bears
Has there ever been a better situation for the No. 1 overall draft selection to walk into his rookie year? I don’t recall one.
The collection of great receiver prospects landing in ideal landing spots makes it very difficult to select a quarterback with the 1.05 selection in a 1QB format. Nevertheless, Caleb Williams‘ situation and fantasy upside in Chicago’s offense feels impossible to ignore.
Williams enters arguably the best roster situation of any quarterback ever selected at No. 1 overall in the Super Bowl era and could very well produce QB1-type fantasy numbers in Year 1. While he isn’t Lamar Jackson-level dynamic, Williams is still a dual-threat weapon who can excel in off-script scenarios and plays within structure enough to competently run an NFL offense.
If Williams can limit the negative plays that appeared a bit too frequently during his final days at USC, then his fantasy upside certainly warrants this selection, even in a 1QB format.
1.06) Ladd McConkey, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
I have a quick confession to make… I really want to rank Ladd McConkey higher than this.
I truly believe there is a universe that exists where McConkey could lead all rookie receivers in receptions and yards this season. The departures of Allen, Mike Williams, Gerald Everett, and Austin Ekeler vacate an insane amount of production — 320 targets, 229 receptions, and 2,339 yards — from last year’s roster. McConkey also has the best separation skills of the other receivers on the roster — namely Joshua Palmer and Quentin Johnston.
RELATED: Dynasty Fantasy Football Trade Chart
McConkey’s exceptional separation skills, elite RAC ability, and vertical speed should lead to a heavy target share from the moment he steps on the field in 2024, but his pairing with the young and talented Justin Herbert leads to a long-term fantasy outlook that rivals most any player ahead of him on this list.
1.07) Xavier Worthy, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
What is the saying again? The rich get richer? Well, that feels applicable when the best quarterback in the league gets to throw to the fastest receiver to run at the NFL Combine.
It almost doesn’t seem fair that the Kansas City Chiefs managed to give Patrick Mahomes an explosive prospect like Texas WR Xavier Worthy at the end of Day 1, but here we are.
Worthy is a bit polarizing in the dynasty community because of the lengthy history of smaller receivers failing to put up elite fantasy numbers in the NFL. Worthy isn’t just small, though; he’s tiny by NFL standards. His 5’11”, 165-pound frame isn’t exactly the profile of any WR1 overall we’ve seen in the past.
Yet, his dynamic vertical ability, paired with underrated route-running skills and overlooked RAC production, gives Kansas City’s offense a moveable weapon to thrive with Mahomes for years to come.
1.08) Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Jacksonville Jaguars
Through no fault of his own, Brian Thomas Jr. fell down the board in comparison to his pre-draft ranking as WR4 because of McConkey’s and Worthy’s exceptional landing spots. Yet, Thomas being paired with Trevor Lawrence is far from a poor situation.
In fact, it’s the same type of ideal long-term scenario as that of these other receivers if Lawrence can make the leap into the elite territory that many have hoped for over the last two seasons.
Thomas does have some decent competition for targets in this offense, with Christian Kirk, Evan Engram, and Gabe Davis all on the roster. Yet, Thomas’ fantasy ceiling as a vertical threat with exceptional size, length, and movement skills still makes him a great WR prospect in this class.
1.09) Jayden Daniels, QB, Washington Commanders
If you’re selecting a signal-caller in your 1QB dynasty rookie draft, you better be investing in a player who you believe has QB1 overall upside.
Well, Jayden Daniels‘ elite upside as a runner, paired with his development as a passer in college, is the recipe that led the Ravens’ Jackson to QB1 overall heights in 2019.
Daniels will enter a Commanders’ offense that can utilize his legs with RPO concepts and boasts a decent amount of pass-catching talent, such as Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson, Luke McCaffrey, and Ben Sinnott.
If he can stay healthy, Daniel’s fantasy upside is well worth a pick at the end of Round 1.
1.10) Trey Benson, RB, Arizona Cardinals
It still doesn’t feel quite right mocking a talented running back prospect like Trey Benson this late in Round 1. But the stacked nature of the QB and WR positions paired with unfavorable landing spots for the top RB prospects has made this a very unique board.
Benson was the best running back on my board heading into the draft process and fell into the Cardinals’ laps in the third round. He could see plenty of touches in his rookie year, but he’s far from guaranteed a feature role in 2024.
Optimistically though, Benson still projects favorably as the RB of the future behind veteran James Conner. Benson is a big play waiting to happen and can contribute on all three downs.
1.11) Ricky Pearsall, WR, San Francisco 49ers
The San Francisco 49ers did nothing to quiet the trade rumors surrounding Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk by selecting Florida WR Ricky Pearsall in the first round of the draft, but ultimately, neither veteran WR was traded during the weekend event.
The immediate fantasy outlook for Pearsall is definitely murky, with Aiyuk, Samuel, George Kittle, and Christian McCaffrey all demanding a healthy amount of volume in the passing game in 2024. Yet, Pearsall’s formation versatility, great hands, and separation skills all project favorably with Brock Purdy in San Francisco’s offense for the next four years.
1.12) Adonai Mitchell, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Adonai Mitchell was my WR5 heading into the pre-draft process and still managed to find a quality landing spot with the Indianapolis Colts in the second round.
Mitchell immediately provides Anthony Richardson with a huge upgrade in the vertical weapon department, but he’ll still have to compete with Michael Pittman Jr., who saw 156 targets last year, and slot dynamo Josh Downs for targets.
Mitchell is a candidate to be a significant upgrade to Alec Pierce, who produced a rough 0.87 yards per route run with one of the best snap shares at the WR position of last season.
If Mahomes or Josh Allen were the quarterback throwing Mitchell these deep shots down the field, I’d feel a bit more comfortable projecting better numbers. Yet, Richardson is still a bit of an unknown as a pure passer, which gives Mitchell a wider range of outcomes over the next two years operating as a second option.
2.01) Ja’Lynn Polk, WR, New England Patriots
The Patriots did a good job of finding quality receiving talent to put around Drake Maye this offseason, with the highlight being their second-round pick, Ja’Lynn Polk.
Polk enters a WR room with just DeMario Douglas currently locked into a starting role. Thus, Polk could become a candidate to return top-25 WR production as a rookie and potentially become Maye’s go-to guy for years to come.
Polk’s exceptional ball skills, sticky hands, and ideal formation versatility make him one of the biggest WR draft winners from a fantasy perspective.
2.02) Jonathon Brooks, RB, Carolina Panthers
For many dynasty managers, Jonathon Brooks becoming the first running back off the board after tearing his ACL last year validates him as the fantasy RB1 of this class. If you’re in that camp, you won’t hear a huge argument from me.
Yet, there’s a real possibility that Brooks won’t be available for the start of his rookie season, with an outside shot that he won’t see the field at all in 2024. Running back data suggests many of the best years of players at the position come early in their careers, which is a little problematic for me regarding Brooks’ profile.
Jonathan Brooks 👀
(Via @TexasFootball) pic.twitter.com/j0MhH55Mb2
— PFN Fantasy (@PFNFantasy) January 31, 2024
He also didn’t land in the best of situations with the Carolina Panthers, who are still very much a work in progress while trying to retool the offensive scheme around Bryce Young.
Sure, with Chuba Hubbard in the final year of his rookie deal in 2024, there is certainly a path to a bell-cow role in 2025. But that’s assuming Brooks’ recovery from surgery goes well and Carolina doesn’t fire its head coach for a third straight year.
The upside is there for Brooks, but his profile carries some red flags.
2.03) Keon Coleman, WR, Buffalo Bills
The most polarizing fantasy prospect in this class is Keon Coleman. He has the size, strength, and ball skills to be a dominant contested-catch option in the NFL. His pairing with Allen rightfully has fantasy managers excited about his upside.
It’s also important to consider that the Bills moved on from both Stefon Diggs and Davis this offseason, which leaves 241 targets completely up for grabs between Coleman, Dalton Kincaid, Khalil Shakir, and Curtis Samuel. This feels like a great fantasy situation for Coleman.
Yet, Coleman’s upside does come paired with some separation concerns — namely, his ability to beat press coverage and a lack of vertical speed. Yet, his contested-catch ability certainly makes him a red-zone threat on Day 1, with the potential to develop into a true WR1 if the rest of his game blossoms over the next few years.
2.04) Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots
Remember when I said upside matters when trying to determine taking a quarterback in a 1QB format?
Drake Maye has all the physical tools to become a fantasy star if he can improve his throwing mechanics and accuracy issues. Some may argue his situation with the New England Patriots is awful.
However, I would argue the organization did a good job finding quality receiver talent in the 2024 NFL Draft — Polk and Javon Baker — to surround Maye and help him grow into an elite difference-maker under center beyond 2024.
2.05) Malachi Corley, WR, New York Jets
From a route-running refinement perspective, Malachi Corley is far from a finished product. Yet, he possesses one of the most valuable skill sets a fantasy receiver can have… exceptional RAC ability.
Once Corley has the ball in his hands, he essentially becomes a running back with exceptional contact balance, great short-area burst, and creative instincts. Can we trust Nathaniel Hackett to scheme up Corley to best utilize his elite skill set? That remains to be seen.
If you were asking Corley to be your alpha receiver, then he would be a bit lower on this list. Yet, his skill set fits perfectly alongside Garrett Wilson and gives Aaron Rodgers a great checkdown weapon in 2024.
2.06) J.J. McCarthy, QB, Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings managed to get their quarterback of the future without having to give up a king’s ransom to select J.J. McCarthy at No. 10 overall. McCarthy is in a great situation with Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, and T.J. Hockenson to throw the ball to and Kevin O’Connell orchestrating the offensive game plan.
McCarthy’s athleticism as a runner feels a bit underrated. He flashed plenty of processing ability and arm talent at Michigan. Yet, some questions about McCarthy’s game make projecting him for immediate fantasy success a bit murky.
If you are investing in McCarthy in a 1QB format like this, he is more of a long-term play than someone you want to have big expectations for in 2024.
2.07) Xavier Legette, WR, Carolina Panthers
Speaking of Panthers with red flags on their profile, Carolina made South Carolina WR Xavier Legette the last pick of the first round in order to help give Young a vertical weapon who can dominate smaller DBs at the catch point.
It’s definitely a bit concerning that Legette had just one year’s worth of noteworthy production during his five years in college. Nevertheless, he steps into a WR room with plenty of opportunity to earn a hefty target share alongside Diontae Johnson in 2024 and beyond.
Legette has the speed (4.39 40-time at the NFL Combine), size (6’1, 221 pounds), and ball skills to be a big-time difference maker as an outside X-receiver in the NFL. Yet, his fate may very well be tied to how well Young performs in new Panthers head coach Dave Canales’ offensive scheme.
2.08) Roman Wilson, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
Speaking of Johnson, the Pittsburgh Steelers may have found his replacement by selecting Michigan WR Roman Wilson in the third round.
Wilson has all of the explosive athletic tools to be a great vertical complement to George Pickens in this offense, but he’ll have to beat out players like Quez Watkins and Van Jefferson early in his career to get on the field.
Sure, the No. 2 option in an Arthur Smith offensive scheme hasn’t traditionally been very fantasy-friendly, but the opportunity to compete for a healthy target share in what could be an improved offense makes for a nice value in the middle of the second round.
2.09) Troy Franklin, WR, Denver Broncos
The pre-draft process was nothing short of brutal for Oregon WR Troy Franklin, who swiftly went from a potential late first-round pick to a fourth-round selection after coming in smaller and slower than expected at the NFL Combine.
While that definitely won’t do him any favors with regard to his dynasty value, he did happen to land with the Denver Broncos, who spent the No. 12 overall pick on his college quarterback with the Ducks, Bo Nix.
If Franklin can replicate the chemistry and production he enjoyed with Nix over the last two seasons, then he could be a great value at this point in the rookie draft.
2.10) Jaylen Wright, RB, Miami Dolphins
One player who potentially saw his dynasty value take a big hit was Miami Dolphins RB De’Von Achane. This after the team selected Tennessee RB Jaylen Wright.
Wright ran into an obnoxious number of light boxes in the unique Vols offensive scheme, which could actually play out similarly in Miami, with both Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle consistently threatening opposing defenses vertically to create soft seven-man fronts.
Sure, Wright may not be guaranteed a huge volume of work in 2024 working in tandem with Achane. Yet, just as Achane proved last year, it doesn’t take many touches from an explosive runner to make a big fantasy impact in Miami’s wide-open offense.
2.11) Tyrone Tracy Jr., RB, New York Giants
One of the most intriguing prospects in this class is Purdue’s Tyrone Tracy Jr., who successfully transitioned from wide receiver to running back toward the end of his collegiate career.
The move proved to be an excellent decision. The vision was a bit inconsistent, but the burst, lateral agility, contact balance, and creativity all flashed as a running back.
Tracy also provides an ideal pass-catching skill set due to his experience as a receiver and even put some nice pass-protection reps on tape. He enters a New York backfield with just Devin Singletary firmly ahead of him, making him a nice late-second or early-third-round option in rookie drafts.
2.12) Jermaine Burton, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
The loss of productive veteran wideout Tyler Boyd and the uncertainty surrounding the future of Tee Higgins with the franchise makes the talented Jermaine Burton an intriguing second-round pick.
Burton’s vertical speed, ball-tracking skills, and crafty route running could make him an excellent second option alongside Ja’Marr Chase, catching passes from MVP-caliber QB Joe Burrow for years to come.
Burton’s NFL Draft stock dropped due to rumored locker room concerns, but the talent and situation certainly present more than enough upside to warrant spending a pick on Burton at the end of the second round.
Rookie Mock Draft | Rounds 3-4
3.01) Bo Nix, QB, Denver Broncos
3.02)Jalen McMillan, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3.03) Javon Baker, WR, New England Patriots
3.04) Blake Corum, RB, Los Angeles Rams
3.05) Ray Davis, RB, Buffalo Bills
3.06) MarShawn Lloyd, RB, Green Bay Packers
3.07) Malik Washington, WR, Miami Dolphins
3.08) Devontez Walker, WR, Baltimore Ravens
3.09) Ben Sinnott, TE, Washington Commanders
3.10) Kimani Vidal, RB, Los Angeles Chargers
3.11) Michael Penix Jr., QB, Atlanta Falcons
3.12) Luke McCaffrey, WR, Washington Commanders
4.01) Rasheen Ali, RB, Baltimore Ravens
4.02) Isaac Guerendo, RB, San Francisco 49ers
4.03) Dylan Laube, RB, Las Vegas Raiders
4.04) Jalen Coker, WR, Carolina Panthers
4.05) Audric Estimé, RB, Denver Broncos
4.06) Johnny Wilson, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
4.07) Bucky Irving, RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
4.08) Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, Carolina Panthers
4.09) Jaheim Bell, TE, New England Patriots
4.10) Blake Watson, RB, Denver Broncos
4.11) Will Shipley, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
4.12) Tahj Washington, WR, Miami Dolphins