In dynasty leagues, the NFL Draft always brings us a tremendous amount of excitement. With the NFL combine in the books, it’s time to update our rookie rankings for fantasy football and take a look at what an early 2023 rookie draft could look like in a dynasty league. This particular draft class looks very strong, with some premier running backs, franchise quarterbacks, potentially elite receivers, and even a very intriguing TE. Since it’s never too early to start talking about the 2023 fantasy football season, here’s our 1QB mock draft 1.0. We’ll be back with a 2023 fantasy football rookie superflex dynasty version as well.
Mims is the latest in a long line of explosive pro football wide receiver prospects from Oklahoma. He posted 1,083 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 2022 on just 54 catches, good for a ridiculous 20.1 yards per catch. Mims is going to need to work on his route running to make his mark at the NFL level, but he has the look of a late first-round or early second round pick on upcoming rookie draft boards and a solid pick at that.
A solid early-down runner, Tucker regressed a bit from his 2021 season at Syracuse and that hurt his draft stock. Still, he posted over 1,000 yards on a healthy 5.1 yards per carry. The challenge with Tucker is seemingly his lack of explosiveness. While he may never be a truly elite level talent in the NFL, he’s solid and should be one of the better rookie running backs for your dynasty team this upcoming NFL season.
Built in the mold of Mike Wallace, Will Fuller, DeSean Jackson and other “one-trick ponies” we’ve seen in the NFL, Hyatt has wicked top-end speed and big play potential that obviously served him well in college football. The challenge with him is a limited route tree and slender frame. He’s going to be a player who likely has a ton of boom or bust potential both in his career and from a game-to-game basis. A team is going to need to be creative as the integrate him into an NFL offense. Still, he’s in consideration for a top ten rookie pick.
Achane could very well be the biggest wild card in both the NFL and rookie drafts this Spring. He’s blessed with amazing speed and rushed for over 1,100 yards in the SEC last year for Texas A&M. However, he’s just 5’8 and 188 pounds, leaving many to wonder just how he’ll hold up physically in the NFL. If he’s reportedly seen as more than just a third down back, his ranking and draft position will rise here and also in our upcoming 2023 dynasty superflex rookie mock draft.
If college production is the metric you use most when determining which rookie you select each season, Downs could be your guy. After a quiet Freshman season, he recorded a ridiculous 195 catches the past two years at North Carolina, scoring 19 touchdowns in the process. While far from a physically dominant player and a likely liability in the run blocking department, Downs looks like one of the best all-purpose players in this draft and could even bring some special teams value with him to the NFL.
After finding playing time very difficult to come by at Michigan, Charbonnet thrived at UCLA the past two years, posting nearly 2,500 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns. He also posted over 60 catches, proving he wasn’t simply one-dimensional. He isn’t the quickest running back in the draft and far from an elite level talent, but his value could be very high and is going to be predicated on the team that takes the plunge on him.
An elite-level athlete, Flowers projects as a serious slot dynamo in the NFL. The former Boston College Eagle improved every season, highlighted by a 78/1,077/12 Senior campaign. While he lacks the size likely needed to be a true outside threat, he has the ability to slip through press coverage, explode through routes and simply has an ability to find soft spots and get open – perfect for a dynasty ppr asset.
Addison posted a monster 2021 with Pittsburgh as he teamed up with Kenny Pickett to post 100 catches for 1,593 yards and a whopping 17 touchdowns. After transferring to USC last year, his numbers took a dip as he posted just a 59/875/8 line. Still, we’ve seen the talent and while he needs to develop more strength, the skill set is there for Addison to be very valuable asset in dynasty leagues. Could he be reunited with Pickett on the Steelers?
Johnston improved in each of his three years at TCU, culminating in a 60/1,069/6 season last year, leading the Horned Frogs all the way to the National Title game. Scouts love his height, weight and speed combination as Johnston may check all the boxes better than any other receiver in this class. However, his hands could be a bit of a concern and while he could excel with a more accurate quarterback, he does need to improve his physicality as well.
Dynasty managers tend to have short memories and those who have forgotten how good Smith-Ngiba was two years ago simply need to be reminded. Last year was a lost season with Smith-Ngiba battling through injuries and posting just five catches for 43 scoreless yards. However, this is the same player who recorded 95 catches for 1,606 receiving yards and nine scores in 2021. Remember, that was also the same year he set the Rose Bowl record with a 15/347/3 day, leading Ohio State over Utah. Smith-Njibga truly is the one receiver in this class who has bona fide WR1 upside.
For those who miss out on Bijan Robinson this year, Gibbs is a nice consolation prize. The former Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket transferred to Alabama last year and it proved to be a solid choice. He posted 926 rushing yards on just 151 attempts (6.1 yards per carry), caught 44 passes for another 444 yards and scored a total of ten touchdowns. Fast, explosive, and dynamic, Gibbs looks to be a top three pick in upcoming rookie drafts, even being considered in the top five of 2023 superflex versions.
There are very few years where a non-quarterback would sit on top of both the 1QB and Superflex rookie rankings as the top fantasy rookie, and even fewer where that spot would be held by a running back. Still, that’s where we are with Bijan Robinson, who is the undisputed 1.01 going into the 2023 NFL Draft, even in superflex formats. Robinson improved every year at Texas and finished the 2022 season with 1,580 rushing yards (6.1 yards per carry), 19 catches, 314 receiving yards, and 20 total touchdowns. While you’d like to see more receiving prowess, he has an undeniable skill set and is simply the best running back prospect we’ve seen since Saquon Barkley. He has the potential to have an ADP of #1 overall as early as next season. The 1.01 is going to be coveted in dynasty rookie drafts this Spring and Robinson is poised to be the #1 pick in the draft, again, even in superflex drafts.
Since this was an early 2023 dynasty 1QB rookie mock draft, we didn’t mention Bryce Young or CJ Stroud, who are likely to go at 1-2 in a superflex rookie draft this Spring and in Round 2 of 1qb formats – they’re clearly at the top of our 2QB fantasy football rookie rankings, but not necessarily first round prospects in 2023 1QB drafts for fantasy managers. This rookie class has a number of other players who just missed out in this 1qb mock draft version, and they include Michael Mayer, Anthony Richardson, Kendre Miller, Zach Evans, and Rashee Rice, just to name a few. As you look ahead to the 2023 draft class, keep in mind the average draft position of many of these players will change once we have some landing spots established and our rookie rankings for 2023 NFL players will surely be updated.
It’s important to understand the relative shelf life of different positions when it comes to evaluating players. In rookie drafts, it’s not nearly as important as you should be able to get at least six or seven seasons from virtually any player you draft, regardless of position. Still, running backs are always going to be the riskiest picks as they tend to have shorter careers. In a start-up draft, you don’t want to spend first or second-round draft capital on an aging running back, despite how productive they may be. In short, you need to balance youth and talent and build a team in a strategic fashion, knowing wide receivers are likely going to have longer careers, but carry more volatility from week-to-week.
For a complete list of all the Dynasty Rankings by position, check out our sister site Dynasty League Football’s extensive resources;
In dynasty leagues, you keep your entire roster, year-over-year. Rather than having a conventional fantasy football draft, you have one for rookies and free agents only to replenish your roster.
A regular mock draft assumes you can only start one quarterback in your league. A superflex or 2QB mock draft assumes you can start two. As you can imagine, the values of quarterbacks are elevated in a superflex or 2QB league.
Dynasty League Football has all the conventional rankings for 2023 NFL rookies, as well as those for superflex leagues.
Running backs are often at the top of dynasty rankings because they are key positions in fantasy football. While quarterbacks and wide receivers have a longer shelf life than a running back, having a youthful stud runner to build around is still an essential part of building a dynasty team.
Wide receivers are very important in building a successful fantasy football team. By focusing on the top wide receivers, you’ll be able to build a strong foundation of talent that will bring you long-term success as they promise to have longer careers than running backs. This is especially important in dynasty leagues, where you’re looking to build a team for the future, not just the current season.
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