The Fantasy Footballers Rookie Mock Draft for 2022
On Thursday’s Fantasy Footballers podcast, Andy, Mike, and Jason ventured into a two-round rookie mock draft to give their thoughts on this upcoming rookie class.
In the Dynasty Pass, it’s packed full of Rookie Rankings, Rookie Mock Drafts, Production Profiles, Rookie Risers & Fallers, and so much more. The guys referenced these lists and rankings while working through their mock and you can too to get yourself prepped and ready.
On top of everything in the Dynasty Pass, I want to highlight some free resources on the site.
- 40 Full Rookie Profiles written by our amazing writing staff
- Landing Spot articles for all offensive players drafted
- A couple of other articles to help you navigate your rookie drafts
Let’s walk through the Footballers’ picks highlighting the biggest values, debates, and questions moving forward.
Round 1
1.01- Breece Hall: RB, New York Jets (Mike)
1.02- Garrett Wilson: WR, New York Jets (Andy)
1.03- Drake London: WR, Atlanta Falcons (Jason)
1.04- Kenneth Walker III: RB, Seattle Seahawks (Mike)
1.05- Jameson Williams: WR, Detroit Lions (Andy)
1.06- Treylon Burks: WR, Tennessee Titans (Jason)
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- Biggest Value: Treylon Burks could easily have been taken at the 1.02. There’s a healthy discussion if he has the best path among the rookie WRs to immediate opportunity. Jason was pumped to be able to snag Burks at this spot in the draft as he has him ranked 4th overall among rookies.
- Biggest Debate: Kenneth Walker III at 1.04 was a pick that Mike went back and forth on. This is a spot where team need comes most into play. Walker’s route to becoming a top-15 RB might be blocked in 2022 by Rashaad Penny. But Penny is on a one-year deal and he’s notoriously someone who gets injured with his violent running style. While there might be WRs on the board with more flash, if you are a team
- Biggest Question: Is Jameson Williams ready to contribute in 2022? How long will his injury recovery road be? Who is his long-term QB in Detroit?
1.07- Chris Olave: WR, New Orleans Saints (Mike)
1.08- Christian Watson: WR, Green Bay Packers (Andy)
1.09- Skyy Moore: WR, Kansas City Chiefs (Jason)
1.10- Jahan Dotson: WR, Washington Commanders (Mike)
1.11- Trey McBride: TE, Arizona Cardinals (Andy)
1.12- James Cook: RB, Buffalo Bills (Jason)
- Biggest Value: Jahan Dotson is a first-round WR that seems to be disrespected by dynasty managers despite going 16th overall. His size isn’t ideal but he could easily be the WR1 on the Commanders by 2023 especially if Terry McLaurin moves on after this year.
- Biggest Debate: TE Trey McBride often falls into the middle of the 2nd round in rookie drafts as no one wants to touch the position. RBs with a window of opportunity and taking a shot on WRs usually is the preferred strategy. However, much like Pat Freiermuth last year, finding the right TE can give you 5+ years of meaningful production. McBride has the sure hands to be an impact TE especially when Zach Ertz finally moves on.
- Biggest Question: While the draft capital (34th overall) states Christian Watson is ready to roll, there is a giant question mark of how efficient the Green Bay Packers offense will be post-Davante Adams? His athletic profile is incredible for someone with his size but he never truly dominated at the Div-II level. His range of outcomes is all over the map but being paired with Aaron Rodgers certainly helps.
2nd Round
2.01- George Pickens: WR, Pittsburgh Steelers (Mike)
2.02- John Metchie III: WR, Houston Texans (Andy)
2.03- Kenny Pickett: QB, Pittsburgh Steelers (Jason)
2.04- David Bell: WR, Cleveland Browns (Mike)
Matthew Holst/Getty Images
2.05- Rachaad White: RB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Andy)
2.06- Alec Pierce: WR, Indianapolis Colts (Jason)
- Biggest Value: Based on the Ballers Consensus Rookie Rankings, George Pickens slipping to the 2nd round was a definite value. The Steelers have a history of hitting on WRs in the draft and with Diontae Johnson in a contract year, Pickens to Pickett could be a thing in the near future.
- Biggest Debate: John Metchie III and Kenny Pickett was a spot in the draft that felt like a tough situation. Metchie might be one of the better route runners in this class and the landing spot is prime for him to be an NFL contributor right away. However, he’s coming off an ACL injury and the Texans are … well… the Texans. Pulling the trigger on Pickett is more of a question of team need for dynasty. In 1QB dynasty leagues, it is quite normal to see QBs slide in drafts. As Jason mentioned, reap the benefits for 5+ years from QBs as the body count doubles and triples of fringe WRs everyone else thought had a sliver of a chance.
- Biggest Question: What do we do with the Buccaneers backfield? Leonard Fournette clearly was the lead dog in 2021 and was re-signed with significant money to establish that truth again. However, Rachaad White has the pass-catching profile and size to eventually unseat him. How soon does that happen? Or is this another Ke’Shawn Vaughn situation? RIP my friend.
2.07- Wan’Dale Robinson: WR, New York Giants (Mike)
2.08- Isaiah Spiller: RB, Los Angeles Chargers (Andy)
2.09- Tyrion Davis-Price: RB, San Francisco 49ers (Jason)
2.10- Tyquan Thornton: WR, New England Patriots (Mike)
2.11- Jalen Tolbert: WR, Dallas Cowboys (Andy)
2.12- Brian Robinson Jr.: RB, Washington Commanders (Jason)
- Biggest Value: It’s not the sexiest of picks but Brian Robinson Jr. is ranked 20th in the Ballers Consensus Rankings. The landing spot isn’t ideal as he more than likely hurts Antonio Gibson‘s fantasy outlook than actually helps himself.
- Biggest Debate: It’s so hard to gauge what to do with Isaiah Spiller. Andy has him ranked the highest (14th) while Mike has him buried (27th) in their rookie rankings. Spiller’s all-around game fits well but going 123rd overall in the draft is not encouraging at all. Yes, he’s firmly behind Austin Ekeler but he should be able to beat out the dubious duo of Joshua Kelley & Larry Rountree III. He has the all-around skill set to be a contributor on a great offense.
- Biggest Question: Do the Giants know what they are doing? They took Wan’Dale Robinson ahead of some of the other high-profile 2nd-round WRs (Skyy Moore, George Pickens) a year after they curiously took Kadarius Toney in the 1st. At some point, Robinson’s draft capital and college production matter. The bigger question is… does size matter?