2017 Rookie Mock Draft
Predictions for the 1st Round
Let’s start previewing the 2017 season! What’s the point of having a fake football league if you don’t do fake mock drafts for your fake football league?
Obvious disclaimer: I have no idea who you guys plan on drafting, nor is this my opinion on who you should draft. In fact, I’ll purposefully be making unusual picks here just to make the article more interesting and fun. Fake league=fake articles! Let’s get started.
Pick 1, Kurtis — Leonard Fournette, RB (JAC)
What looked like a strong young RB duo in Jeremy Langford and Thomas Rawls a year ago is now the opposite for Kurtis. In fact, Langford isn’t even owned by anyone in our league after Jordan Howard took his starting spot and his lunch money too. Enter Leonard Fournette. It’d be unfair to expect Ezekiel-like production out of him in his rookie year, but the Jaguars clearly want to take the ball out of Bortles hands and center the offense around Fournette. Garnering Adrian Peterson comparisons throughout college, Fournette has a rare blend of size, speed, and power that should make him an impact player immediately.
Pick 2, Joe — Mike Williams, WR (LAC)
After all the talk about Joe’s bad luck, last season might actually end up being a blessing in disguise à la the Spurs getting Tim Duncan when David Robinson got hurt in 1997. Joe’s win-now core will still be extremely productive in Year 2, and now Joe addresses his biggest need: young talent. Mike Williams should be a great fit for Rivers as he’ll be able to snag those 50–50 jump balls Rivers loves to sling out to his receivers. And just as Williams is injury insurance against Keenen Allen for the Chargers, he’ll play that same role for Joe’s fantasy team as well.
Pick 3, JR —Christian McCaffrey, RB (CAR)
JR’s roster won 2016’s Milk Dud of the Year award with the fewest total fantasy points. But looking at it, it’s actually…not bad on paper. If Russell Wilson (QB15) and DeAndre Hopkins (WR24) get back to their elite ways, JR could turn some heads in 2017. To do so, JR needs a second RB he can trust to pair with Howard. McCaffrey looks to have the safest floor out of any of the rookie RBs with his pass-catching ability but he also has a pretty high ceiling. If Carolina does indeed “evolve” their offense and utilize McCaffrey to his full potential, watch out.
Pick 4, Lando — Joe Mixon, RB (CIN)
Ingram, Yeldon, Richard, Burkhead. What do Lando’s RBs have in common? They’re all part of crowded backfields after their respective NFL teams signed and/or drafted additional RBs this offseason. Lando decides to follow the pattern and draft Mixon, who’ll have to compete with Jeremy Hill and Gio Bernard for carries his rookie year. However, except for maybe Ingram, Mixon has the clearest path to dominating touches for his team. Hill gets worse every year and Gio is coming off an ACL tear. Mixon’s off-field issues make it fair to wonder if he even deserves it, but the Bengals taking him in the 2nd round means they intend to give him every opportunity.
Pick 5, Bunger — Corey Davis, WR (TEN)
Corey Davis went 1.05 in the NFL draft, and goes 1.05 in this mock draft as well. Bunger could use some depth at WR behind Baldwin and Cooks, as Jordan Matthews (WR48) had a disappointing year and it’s unclear if Kenny Britt can repeat his surprising WR28 finish in 2016. Corey Davis gets to pair up with a young talented QB in Mariota, in an ascending offense that needs a number one WR. Even if he’s not being talked about like the next Evans, Odell, Julio, etc, Davis should be a highly productive receiver in the NFL and in fantasy for a long time.
Pick 6, Marlo — O.J. Howard, TE (TB)
Marlo doesn’t have a lot of weak links on his roster and tight end definitely wasn’t one last year with Rudolphs TE3 finish. However, Marlo doesn’t trust Rudolph to repeat his 2016 performance and decides to pick up an insurance policy in O.J. Howard. Just like Marlo’s fantasy team, Howard has very few weaknesses and is considered one of the most complete TE’s to come out of college in a long time, if not ever. Add in Winston’s affinity to throw to his tight end (Brate came out of nowhere as the TE6 last season), and Howard has all the makings of a top-tier TE for a long, long time.
Pick 7, Tani — Evan Engram, TE (NYG)
Tani curses at the heavens when Marlo makes his pick, as Tani entered the draft expecting to add Howard to his roster that currently has zero tight ends. Instead, Tani “settles” for Evan Engram, who could end up being a fantasy contributor sooner than Howard does. Unlike Howard, Engram is a raw tight end prospect, but his strength is that he’s essentially a WR being labeled as a TE. If he’s on the field, he’s there to catch passes, and that should bode well from a fantasy perspective.
Pick 8, Kevin — John Ross, WR (CIN)
Trading Demaryius Thomas got Kevin a good haul, but now he badly needs to add some WR talent as Allen Robinson (WR26) is his only receiver to finish inside the top 40. John Ross is literally the fastest player in the NFL after his record setting 4.22 second 40 yard dash, but he’s not just a speedster. He has good hands, great footwork, and is already a polished route runner. Ross’ biggest concern is his injury history/risk, but if the Bengals felt comfortable taking him 9th overall in the NFL draft, Kevin will trust their medical staff and take Ross here at pick 8.
Pick 9, JR — JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR (PIT)
After picking up a running back with Pick 3, JR goes WR here at Pick 9. Schuster was an odd pick by the Steelers since Martavis Bryant was just reinstated, but it’s possible they don’t have much faith in Bryant and/or just want some depth considering Coates and Rogers showed very little in 2016. JuJu has gotten Anquan Boldin comparisons pre-draft: a big receiver who wins with strong hands and physicality. Will JuJu break the “USC wide receiver curse”? At only 20 years old, there’ll be plenty of time to find out.
Pick 10, Jeff — Dalvin Cook, RB (MIN)
I’ll be honest, I was real close to just making Cook drop to me at Pick 12. It’s a fake draft anyways! And you could make a case for all of the picks above to play out the way they did. Instead, I’ll have Jeff end Dalvin Cook’s slide here at Pick 10. Jeff has three solid running backs in Latavius Murray, Doug Martin, and Eddie Lacy, but they all face competition behind them and in Martin’s case, an early season suspension. Dalvin Cook will be said competition for snaps behind Latavius, and while Cook’s combine was disappointing, 3 years of college tape show an explosive, agile running back. As a Vikings fan, I can’t wait to see him on the field.
Pick 11, Josh — DeShaun Watson, QB (HOU)
Most dynasty rookie mocks would never have a QB in the first round but considering Josh’s circumstances, Watson at Pick 11 isn’t out of the question. Josh’s roster is strong at every position, but his only QB is the ageless Tom Brady and even he can’t cheat Father Time forever. Furthermore, after Round 1, Josh doesn’t have another draft pick until Round 4. And so Josh takes what should be his QB of the future. Watson has flaws just like any other rookie QB, but his college production and resume is impeccable. Houston is as good of a landing spot as they come, with a good defense, strong running game, and a top-tier receiver in Hopkins to make Watson’s NFL transition as smooth as possible.
Pick 12, Anton — Alvin Kamara, RB (NO)
The Saints picking Kamara after signing Peterson to a contract days before the draft was a head-scratcher at first, but if you look at Kamara’s skill set, you can’t find a better fit than the Saints offense. Kamara should immediately fill the shifty, speedy, pass-catching back role that the Saints historically love to utilize in their Brees-powered offense (see: Reggie Bush, Darren Sproles). That gives Kamara a nice fantasy floor, and he should have room to grow from there with Peterson essentially on a one year deal and Ingram oddly never being fully embraced by Sean Payton and the coaching staff. Kamara should be a safe pick here at 1.12, and one I can’t complain with should it come to pass in our real draft.
Pick 13, Kevin — Curtis Samuel, WR (CAR)
Kevin continues to restock his WR position and takes Curtis Samuel at Pick 13. Curtis Samuel brings a lot of the same things to the Panthers that Christian McCaffrey does, albeit more from the receiver position, and speaks volumes about how dedicated they are to giving Cam Newton more offensive weapons. Just like my McCaffrey blurb above, if the Panthers fully utilize Samuel’s versatility and athleticism, watch out.
Pick 14, Joe — Kareem Hunt, RB (KC)
Almost went Njoku here, but in this alternate reality Joe decides to bet on Austin Hooper taking a step forward in year 2 and/or Gary Barnidge signing with a team he can immediately start on. Joe then takes Hunt here at Pick 14 to add some depth at RB. Hunt is kind of a good-at-everything, elite-at-nothing type of back, but those types of players tend to have long NFL careers. Considering Spencer Ware slowed down as last year went on, Hunt should immediately have a consistent backup role, and if Ware continues to disappoint, Hunt could push for the starting role quickly.
Pick 15, Marlo — Samaje Perine, RB (WAS)
Finding quality RBs is a bit like panning for gold when it comes to fantasy football, so Marlo uses his Pick 15 prize on one of the better bets to win a starting role. Samaje Perine won’t wow anyone with his athleticism, but he runs with power and has good balance. He’s also a willing blocker, which always helps a running back stay on the field. The real key however, is that Matt Jones has completely fallen out of favor in Washington, and the only other competition Perine will face is 2016 UDFA Rob Kelley. It would surprise no one if Perine is the lead back as early as Week 1.
