Justin Boone's Fantasy Football Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft 1.0: Picks, takeaways for all four rounds

With the 2026 NFL Draft a month away, let's take a look at how things are shaping up in dynasty rookie drafts at the moment.

Draft capital and landing spots will have a major impact on player outlooks and their ADPs, especially for prospects in the late first round and beyond. But here are the results of a recent rookie draft, including my takeaways after every round.

The scoring format for this superflex rookie mock is full PPR and non-TE premium. I had the 10th pick in each round.

You can view my Top-90 rookie rankings here.

Round 1

Pick	Player	Position
1.01	Jeremiyah Love	RB1
1.02	Makai Lemon	WR1
1.03	Carnell Tate	WR2
1.04	Jordyn Tyson	WR3
1.05	Fernando Mendoza	QB1
1.06	Kenyon Sadiq	TE1
1.07	K.C. Concepcion	WR4
1.08	Denzel Boston	WR5
1.09	Jonah Coleman	RB2
1.10	Omar Cooper Jr.	WR6
1.11	Eli Stowers	TE2
1.12	Jadarian Price	RB3

This is a fairly chalky first round, with Love as the unquestioned 1.01, followed by the trio of top receivers and the first player who will hear his name called in April's draft - Mendoza. You can debate the order of the wideouts, but they went off the board here in the same order I have them ranked. I'd even listen to a case for Mendoza to be taken ahead of them if you are a firm believer in his pro potential attached to Klint Kubiak in Las Vegas, though I don't view him as an elite prospect. I prefer taking chances on the high-end running back and receiver talent with those early picks.

In the back half of Round 1, we'll likely see the top-two tight ends selected in Sadiq and Stowers, especially after their incredible combine performances. This is also the range where the next tier of receivers in Concepcion, Boston and Cooper represent intriguing values, with all three possibly earning coveted first-round draft capital.

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While Coleman is my RB2 in this class and deserves to be considered in this area, I'll be hesitant to draft any other running backs before the second round due to it being a weaker crop of ball carriers than past years. Outside of Love and Coleman, it'll take a great landing spot for another back to entice me in the first 12 picks.

My pick: Cooper immediately jumped off the tape when I started my prospect research and it seems like most analysts felt the same way. The 22-year-old is a versatile receiver who has great contact balance and a big catch radius for his size. You have to admire the way he fights for every yard after his receptions, pushing off and evading defenders along the way. While it's a lofty high-end comparison, his playing style has shades of Deebo Samuel Sr. meets Odell Beckham Jr., so I will happily take that kind of upside with the 10th pick.

Round 2

Pick	Player	Position
2.01	Elijah Sarratt	WR7
2.02	Chris Brazzell	WR8
2.03	Emmett Johnson	RB4
2.04	Mike Washington Jr.	RB5
2.05	Nicolas Singleton	RB6
2.06	Ty Simpson	QB2
2.07	Chris Bell	WR9
2.08	Malachi Fields	WR10
2.09	Kaytron Allen	RB7
2.10	Zachariah Branch	WR11
2.11	Ja'Kobi Lane	WR12
2.12	Max Klare	TE3

This is where landing spots and draft capital will really shake up the board post-draft. For now, I prefer prospects like Bell, Fields and Branch over some of the receivers taken above them in this mock. I also think the right landing spots could help Washington and Singleton make a push to be late first-round selections in dynasty rookie drafts.

With so much uncertainty around this year's class after the first 10 or 11 prospects, I'm more willing to invest in the receiver position in the second round than ever before. The WR prospects are a much deeper group than the running backs and quarterbacks in 2026. Meanwhile, tight end has a clear top two with a big tier break before we get to some interesting prospects at that position.

We'll see where Ty Simpson gets drafted, but if he falls to Day 2, I likely won't be rostering him anywhere. Though we always remember the quarterbacks who were drafted outside of the first round like Tom Brady or Brock Purdy, the odds of finding a meaningful fantasy QB without first-round capital are slim.

My pick: Drafting a 5-foot-9, 177-pound receiver is always risky, since you have to hope they can find ways to win in the NFL despite their size. Branch is from the same mold as 5-foot-9, 182-pound Zay Flowers, who's had plenty of success with the Ravens. Whether Branch finds a team willing to feature him as a No. 1 pass-catcher like Flowers remains to be seen, but he is a dynamic athlete with high-end speed, soft hands and obvious playmaking ability. He's the kind of receiver who can change direction without losing a step and is incredibly dangerous after the catch, capable of taking any pass to the house. If I can't trade away my late second-rounder this year for a veteran who can crack my starting lineup, then I'll take shots on players like Branch.

Round 3

Pick	Player	Position
3.01	Antonio Williams	WR13
3.02	Bryce Lance	WR14
3.03	Garrett Nussmeier	QB3
3.04	Skyler Bell	WR15
3.05	Drew Allar	QB4
3.06	Demond Claiborne	RB8
3.07	Germie Bernard	WR16
3.08	Justin Joly	TE4
3.09	Le'Veon Moss	RB9
3.10	Ted Hurst	WR17
3.11	J'Mari Taylor	RB10
3.12	Carson Beck	QB5

With this class being a less exciting group than recent years, the value of third-round picks takes a hit. There are still some receivers (Bernard, Williams, Hurst, Bell) I'm targeting in this range, but you have to keep your expectations in check. Finding a startable fantasy wideout in the third round of your rookie draft isn't easy.

I was surprised to only see one tight end chosen in this round. Sadiq and Stowers going in the first and Klare sneaking into the second makes sense, but there should be a run on the next wave of tight ends starting in Round 3 with guys like Joly, Joe Royer, Jack Endries, Michael Trigg and Oscar Delp. Most years I advise loading up on running backs in the third round and later, but this year receivers and tight ends are the deeper positions.

My pick: Hurst might be a bit of a project with his tall and thin frame coming out of Georgia State, but his stock has been on the rise after a strong combine. The 21-year-old displays excellent ball skills and boxes out defenders very well, which is one of the reasons why he stands out in the red zone. If he can get acclimated to the NFL quickly, Hurst has the tools to be a real fantasy asset. We just can't get too attached to any deeper prospects, especially given the weaker class overall.

Round 4

Pick	Player	Position
4.01	Seth McGowan	RB11
4.02	Tanner Koziol	TE5
4.03	Cade Klubnik	QB6
4.04	Cole Payton	QB7
4.05	Oscar Delp	TE6
4.06	Roman Hemby	RB12
4.07	Michael Trigg	TE7
4.08	Adam Randall	RB13
4.09	Deion Burks	WR18
4.10	Joe Royer	TE8
4.11	Eric McAlister	WR19
4.12	Taylen Green	QB8

Fourth-round picks in dynasty rookie drafts should be all about chasing ceiling outcomes. If you're taking a prospect in this range, they need to give you some indication of being a future playmaker at the next level. Otherwise, they're likely going to become a roster clogger for the next couple seasons, while you hold out hope that you can still look smart for drafting them late.

The players that fit my upside criteria who were taken in this round are the four tight ends - Koziol, Delp, Trigg, Royer (though not in that order) and a couple of the quarterbacks in Payton and Green.

My pick: Fortunately, I was able to get one of my upside picks here in Royer, who's a versatile tight end with a ceiling that wasn't unlocked in college. His agility and feistiness are evident when he gets the ball in his hands, normally leading to extra yards after the catch. The movement and competitiveness spark my interest, making Royer one of my favorite late-round dart throws in 2026.