Team minicamps and organized team activities (OTAs) are in full swing across the NFL. While that means we have some time until redraft leagues begin, rookie drafts for dynasty leagues are in full swing. Below is a 1QB format dynasty rookie mock draft to help you prepare for 2025.
1.01: Ashton Jeanty, RB
Las Vegas Raiders
Ashton Jeanty is a slam dunk 1.01 in 2025 with the lone exception being dynasty IDP leagues.
Jeanty was a revelation in his final collegiate season, handling 374 carries for 2,601 yards and 29 rushing touchdowns. While his receiving totals were just average in 2024 (23 receptions for 138 yards and a touchdown), he has also shown the ability to make an impact as a pass catcher (43 receptions for 569 yards and five touchdowns in 2023).
Some will question his strength of schedule, but even in games where Boise State was playing up to their competition, he performed (55 carries for 296 yards and three touchdowns against Oregon and Penn State).
I’ve seen enough.
Ashton Jeanty is RB1 😤pic.twitter.com/KlnTUNtut8
— Matt Hicks (@TheFF_Educator) September 8, 2024
Jeanty combines explosive rushing ability with amazing vision and the ability to bounce off contact to generate extra yards. He would have even led the NCAA in rushing in 2024 if you counted his yards after contact (1,695) in his final season.
The rookie running back got top 10 draft capital in the NFL draft and joins a depth chart that features Raheem Mostert, Sincere McCormick, and Zamir White. He should have no problem commanding touches for the Raiders in his first season with one of the better run-scheming offensive coordinators in football, Chip Kelly.
Don’t overthink the 1.01 this year; it is Ashton Jeanty and isn’t particularly close.
1.02: Omarion Hampton, RB
Los Angeles Chargers
Omarion Hampton received first-round draft capital and signed with a team with a punishing offensive line and a run-first identity.
It wouldn’t have been shocking if Hampton struggled to follow up a strong 2023 season (253 carries for 1,504 yards and 15 rushing touchdowns plus 29 receptions for 222 yards and a receiving score) with Drake Maye leaving for the NFL from UNC. Instead, Hampton improved on every meaningful production stat in 2024 (281 carries for 1,660 yards and 15 touchdowns with 38 receptions for 373 yards and two touchdowns).
Last year, Hampton finished second in the NCAA in yards after contact (1,222), fourth in 15+ yard rushing attempts (26), and fifth in missed tackles forced (73). He’s the most impressive combination of size (6-feet, 221 pounds) and speed (4.46 40-yard dash) of any back in this class.
Najee Harris will be a pest during his first season with the Chargers, but Hampton should have no issue commanding a consistent workload as a rookie and will likely be the feature back in a Jim Harbaugh/Greg Roman offense for years to come.
1.03: Tetairoa McMillan, WR
Carolina Panthers
Tetairoa McMillan was picked apart throughout the draft process due to his lack of speed (4.58 40-yard dash) and some old quotes about not watching film. However, the Carolina Panthers were unfazed by those issues and selected him eighth overall in the 2025 NFL draft.
McMillan was dominant during his final two seasons at Arizona. He caught 174 passes for 2,721 yards and 18 touchdowns, routinely making highlight plays and showing a penchant for making tough contested catches in the middle of the field.
He immediately becomes the number one receiver in Carolina, a team whose passing offense is ascending under Dave Canales as head coach and Bryce Young showing a high level of play to finish out the 2024 season.
McMillan should lead the Panthers in targets as a rookie and will immediately become a red zone threat thanks to his body control and catch radius. He is the closest thing to a traditional alpha receiver in this class and is well worth the third pick in the draft.
1.04: TreVeyon Henderson, RB
New England Patriots
The top three picks in dynasty rookie drafts feel like slam dunks in 2025. After that, drafting becomes a matter of picking your favorite player or situation. The next tier of rookies is deep and offers plenty of talent.
Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson headlines this next group thanks to his blend of size (5-foot-10, 202 pounds), explosion (4.43 40-yard dash), and ability to generate big plays as both a runner and receiver consistently.
Henderson struggled through injuries throughout his four years at Ohio State but was healthy during his final season in 2024. That season, he handled 144 carries for 1,016 yards and 10 rushing touchdowns, 27 receptions for 284 yards, and a receiving score. Henderson averaged 7.6 yards per touch in his final collegiate season.
More importantly, he was a big play waiting to happen. Twenty-two players had at least 16 rushes of over 15+ yards in 2024. Only two (Henderson and Louisville’s Isaac Brown) accomplished that feat with fewer than 170 carries.
Henderson will likely never be a “bell cow” running back at the NFL level due to his injury history in college, but he will always be a threat to score when he touches the ball. He should have no problem establishing himself as the next great home run threat on an ascending Patriots offense in 2025.
1.05: Travis Hunter, WR
Jacksonville Jaguars
Travis Hunter may have been the top wide receiver in the 2025 draft class if he had singularly focused on offense during college. However, Hunter was a full-time offensive and defensive player at Colorado, making him one of the best athletes ever to play college football.
Hunter was the Bednarik Award winner (college’s best wide receiver) in 2024, catching 96 passes for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns. His ability to impact offense and defense made him the 2024 Heisman Award winner.
Hunter’s offensive and defensive proficiency make him a risk to take in rookie drafts, even though the Jaguars selected him with the second overall pick.
Jacksonville has made it clear that Hunter is viewed as an offensive playmaker primarily since drafting him, but he will have a consistent role on the defensive side of the ball as well. Not only does that elevate his injury risk, but it puts him in an ambiguous position every week.
What if one of Jacksonville’s starting cornerbacks suffers an injury that keeps them off the field for several weeks? Sure, Jacksonville could sign a free agent off the street. But they also have Hunter, a two-time First-Team All-American capable of taking those snaps and reducing his role on offense.
Hunter’s ability to turn routine catches into big plays is a risk worth taking early in rookie drafts. He’s worthy of consideration after the first pick, but selecting him at 1.05 accounts for the risk of his role in the NFL.
1.06: Kaleb Johnson, RB
Pittsburgh Steelers
Of all the running backs in this class, Kaleb Johnson needed to land in a specific scheme (zone blocking) to accentuate his talent at the NFL level. Thankfully, Johnson found the perfect home with the Pittsburgh Steelers in Round 3.
Pittsburgh was third in the NFL in inside zone runs (37.9%) and ninth in outside zone runs (24.6%) in 2024. They also have a young offensive line filled with early-round draft picks and a massive hole in their backfield after letting Najee Harris, who averaged 274 carries per season the last four years, walk in free agency.
Johnson to the Steelers perfectly matches a player’s strengths to a team’s scheme. Seventy-two percent of his 262 carries in 2024 were on zone-blocking schemes. His patience and understanding of tempo in the backfield allowed him to have the third-highest 15+ yard runs in 2024 (28) while finishing fourth in the NCAA in rushing yards (1,535) and rushing touchdowns (21).
Jaylen Warren will continue to factor into Pittsburgh’s backfield, but Johnson should lead the team in rushing attempts on an offense that wants to control tempo by running the ball. That, combined with his age (22 years old in August), pushes him above the other running backs in the first round.
1.07: Quinshon Judkins, RB
Cleveland Browns
It feels like Quinshon Judkins is being underrated despite his body of work in college.
Judkins began his career at Ole Miss, carrying the ball 545 times for 2,725 yards and 31 touchdowns while adding 37 receptions for 281 yards and three scores.
He decided to transfer to Ohio State for his junior year to pursue a National Championship and continued to produce in a timeshare with TreVeyon Henderson. Judkins frequently operated as the Buckeyes’ closer in games, accruing 194 carries for 1,060 yards and 14 touchdowns in 16 games. He also added 22 receptions for 161 yards and two receiving scores.
Quinshon Judkins stiff arming dudes to the shadow realm pic.twitter.com/i8nu2dbySg
— Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) June 1, 2025
Judkins also surprised at the combine, weighing in at 6-feet, 221 pounds before blazing a 4.48 40-yard dash. He was drafted in the second round by the Cleveland Browns and figures to be a direct replacement for Nick Chubb’s role in 2025.
Judkins won’t turn 22 until October and has the size and speed to function as a three-down back in the NFL. Unfortunately, his dynasty value does take a ding in Cleveland. Not only do the Browns have questions at quarterback, but the offensive line is getting older and less effective.
Head coach Kevin Stefanski has also famously split his backfield, even when Chubb was at his prime. That trend will likely continue after Cleveland drafted Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson in the fourth round.
1.08: R.J. Harvey, RB
Denver Broncos
No player has seen his value skyrocket more than R.J. Harvey in dynasty since the NFL draft. Harvey was a trendy sleeper with upside until he landed fantastic draft capital (second round) in one of the most running back-friendly situations in the NFL (Denver’s backfield).
Harvey, a converted quarterback, is a legitimately explosive running back prospect. Over his final two seasons at UCF, he racked up 248 carries for 2,993 yards and 38 touchdowns while adding 39 receptions for 505 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Harvey finished second in the NCAA in 15+ yard runs (32) during the season.
Sean Payton is famous in fantasy circles for his ability to funnel targets to his running backs, and Harvey is a capable pass catcher. His college receiving profile isn’t stellar (career-best 9.4% target share in 2024), but he can get the job done.
Harvey is on the back end of the running back prospects because of Payton’s penchant for splitting touches in the backfield and his age (24 as a rookie).
However, neither of these things is a reason to fade him completely. If fantasy football aims to roster good players, then Harvey deserves to be a top-eight pick in rookie drafts and could justifiably be taken in the top six.
There are just enough questions about his workload in his first season (further complicated by the J.K. Dobbins signing) that he falls behind Kaleb Johnson and Quinshon Judkins in this mock draft.
1.09: Matthew Golden, WR
Green Bay Packers
Matthew Golden was a fringe first-round prospect heading into the 2025 offseason before running a 4.29 40-yard dash at 5-foot-11, 191 pounds at the NFL combine. That element of speed was enough to take him from a fringe prospect to a first-round lock.
Golden was productive throughout his college career (134 receptions for 1,975 yards and 22 touchdowns with Houston and Texas), but he was never a dominant target earner. Golden is a clean route runner with good hands, but he doesn’t always seem to move like a receiver who runs a sub-4.3 40-yard dash. Often, he can utilize it on breaking routes to generate separation.
Golden will be given every opportunity to establish himself as the WR1 among a collection of complementary pieces in Green Bay. At worst, he will be able to fill the void left behind by Christian Watson during his ACL recovery. However, his ceiling is much higher since he isn’t a pure speed merchant like Watson.
In the long term, Golden could see his value swell as soon as 2026. Green Bay must make long-term contract decisions on Watson and Romeo Doubs. Dontayvion Wicks will also be a restricted free agent after the 2025 season.
Golden will have a role in Green Bay in 2025 and could be the team’s unquestioned WR1 as soon as 2026. That upside makes him an excellent pick after the premier running backs are off the board in this class.
1.10: Emeka Egbuka, WR
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
One of the more surprising picks in the first round of the NFL draft was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ selection of Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka with the 19th overall pick.
The surprise wasn’t an indictment on Egbuka’s talent, but more so due to Tampa Bay’s already strong wide receiver depth chart. Mike Evans is a future Hall-of-Famer, Chris Godwin just signed a lucrative extension and was on a torrid pace (19.7 PPR points per game per fantasydata.com) before being injured, and rookie Jalen McMillan showed flashes to close the 2024 season.
Still, the prospect of adding Egbuka to the receiver room was too good to pass up. Egbuka ended his career as statistically the top receiver in Ohio State history with 205 receptions for 2,868 yards and 24 touchdowns in four seasons. He was a slot-specific player in college, but showed that he has the speed (4.50 40-yard dash at his Pro Day) to warrant a shot on the outside.
Mike Evans will be a free agent in 2026, and Chris Godwin is coming off a brutal ankle injury that has tended to linger when suffered by other NFL players. Egbuka could have a surprising role in 2025 and should be a staple of the passing attack in his second season.
1.11: Colston Loveland, TE
Chicago Bears
The Bears surprised everybody when they selected Michigan tight end Colston Loveland with the tenth pick in the 2025 NFL draft. Many expected Chicago to upgrade their offense through the draft in Ben Johnson’s first year as head coach, but few expected the pick to be Loveland, especially with Tyler Warren on the board.
Loveland was forced to sit out the draft process while recovering from shoulder surgery and had subpar production (117 receptions for 1,466 yards and 11 touchdowns) in three seasons. However, his film showed an elite route runner who could generate yards after the catch. He was also moved across the formation and earned a target on over 37% of his routes.
Colston Loveland is a WR in a TE body. Mismatch nightmare with rare versatility.
Bears got it right. #DaBears #Bears pic.twitter.com/jqmZmjlCpI
— Clay Harbor (@clayharbs82) April 25, 2025
Tight ends are a slow burn in fantasy, but Ben Johnson handpicked Loveland to be a chess piece in his passing attack. He also won’t turn 22 until after his rookie season. That offensive environment, combined with his draft capital, makes him a worthy first-round pick.
1.12: Tyler Warren, TE
Indianapolis Colts
With Penn State, Warren had one of the most prolific tight end seasons in 2024. He was the offense’s centerpiece, catching 104 targets for 1,233 yards and eight touchdowns. He also added 26 carries for 218 yards and four touchdowns as a wildcat quarterback.
Warren has above-average speed (4.69 40-yard dash) relative to his massive frame (6-foot-6, 258 pounds) and was used in the backfield, as a true tight end, and as a wide receiver in college. However, it did take him five seasons at Penn State to finally emerge as a viable threat in their passing attack.
The Colts have been searching for a tight end like Warren, but that doesn’t necessarily mean he will make an instant impact in fantasy. Indianapolis has an uncertain quarterback room and plenty of wide receivers (Michael Pittman Jr., Josh Downs, Alec Pierce, and Adonai Mitchell) to challenge him for targets.
Regardless, the Colts were willing to use a first-round draft pick to get a do-it-all tight end that the team has been searching for for years. Warren is a worthy first-round pick given the lack of depth at tight end in fantasy football.
Round 2
2.01: Cam Ward, QB
Tennessee Titans
2.02: Tre Harris, WR
Los Angeles Chargers
2.03: Luther Burden III, WR
Chicago Bears
2.04: Jayden Higgins, WR
Houston Texans
2.05: Bayshul Tuten, RB
Jacksonville Jaguars
2.06: Jack Bech, WR
Las Vegas Raiders
2.07: Cam Skattebo, RB
New York Giants
2.08: Kyle Williams, WR
New England Patriots
2.09: Jaylin Noel, WR
Houston Texans
2.10: Jaxson Dart, QB
Ole Miss
2.11: Elijah Arroyo, TE
Seattle Seahawks
2.12: Terrance Ferguson, TE
Los Angeles Rams
Round 3
3.01: Pat Bryant, WR
Denver Broncos
3.02: Mason Taylor, TE
New York Jets
3.03: Jaydon Blue, RB
Dallas Cowboys
3.04: Dylan Sampson, RB
Cleveland Browns
3.05: Jarquez Hunter, RB
Los Angeles Rams
3.06: Elic Ayomanor, WR
Tennessee Titans
3.07: Tyler Shough, QB
New Orleans Saints
3.08: Harold Fannin Jr., TE
Cleveland Browns
3.09: Jalen Milroe, QB
Seattle Seahawks
3.10: DJ Giddens, RB
Indianapolis Colts
3.11: Trevor Etienne, RB
Carolina Panthers
3.12: Woody Marks, RB
Houston Texans
Round 4
4.01: Tahj Brooks, RB
Cincinnati Bengals
4.02: Devin Neal, RB
New Orleans Saints
4.03: Brashard Smith, RB
Kansas City Chiefs
4.04: Tory Horton, WR
Seattle Seahawks
4.05: Jalen Royals, WR
Kansas City Chiefs
4.06: Tai Felton, WR
Minnesota Vikings
4.07: Jordan James, RB
San Francisco 49ers
4.08: Isaac TeSlaa, WR
Detroit Lions
4.09: Savion Williams, WR
Green Bay Packers
4.10: Ollie Gordon II, RB
Miami Dolphins
4.11: Oronde Gadsen II, TE
Los Angeles Chargers
4.12: Jacory Croskey-Merritt, RB
Washington Commanders