Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft — Part 4

19. Amari Rodgers (by Brandon Mintz)

With the seventh pick of the second-round pick in our dynasty rookie mock draft, I select Amari Rodgers out of Clemson University. Rodgers was taken with the 85th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers.

Rodgers joins a wide receiver room with one of the league’s best receivers in Davante Adams, learning under an All-Pro can certainly help accelerate his development.

The 21-year-old does most of his work in the slot, but the Packers just re-acquired veteran slot receiver Randall Cobb from the Houston Texans. Cobb will certainly serve as a great mentor for Rodgers, but the latter is a long-term investment, as he will likely not play a big role this year in a crowded Packers receiver room.

Although Rodgers has the skills to be a valuable asset, there are certainly a few roadblocks to early fantasy production.

20. Mac Jones (by David Owen)

Mac Jones simply doesn’t have an enormous amount of upside. Best-case scenario, he has a Matt Ryan-type career, as he is quite immobile. However, he is the pick here as the rest of the players available are quite uninspiring. When faced with 3rd-round rookie WRs who may not see full playing time for a couple years, or the New England Patriots’ next starting QB, I have to go with Mac.

I believe that Jones, while lacking upside, is still being underrated by the dynasty community. He *only* threw for 4,500 yards and 41 TDs to only 4 INTs his junior year, setting NCAA records with a 77.4 completion rate and 203.1 overall QB rating. Truly absurd numbers for the Heisman finalist. Obviously being able to throw to eventual Heisman winner Devonta Smith and the rest of the Alabama supporting cast had a large part in this, but when a player performs that well, you can only discount it so much before you have to take notice.

While his physical traits are decidedly below-par, his intangibles are arguably already near the top of the NFL, even just as a rookie. Anticipation, reading defenses, decision-making… these attributes cannot be quantified, but Mac Jones has them in spades.

While he may never put up monster numbers in NE’s run-heavy offense, with one of he best offensive coordinators in the game in Josh McDaniels calling his plays, Jones could easily put up QB2 numbers for the next decade. For the 20th overall pick in this dynasty rookie mock draft, I’ll take that, especially considering the relative lack of depth in this year’s rookie class.

21. Dyami Brown (by Anand Chundi)

With the ninth pick in the second round, I select Dyami Brown. After a quiet first year at the University of North Carolina, Brown posted two 1,000+ yard seasons in a row with 20 total touchdowns between 2019 and 2020.

He joins a Washington offense that will be led by 16-year veteran Ryan Fitzpatrick, who has supported fantasy wideouts around the league in his career and this season should be no different.

Although Terry McLaurin and Curtis Samuel are firmly planted atop the WR depth chart, that third spot is up for grabs. Brown will have to compete with another newbie to Washington Adam Humphries, along with Steven Sims, Cam Sims and Antonio Gandy-Golden for the starting WR3 job.

While Brown may not break out his rookie year, he has all the makings of a dependable fantasy asset in the near future.

22. Nico Collins (by Brandon Mintz)

With the tenth pick of the second round in our dynasty rookie mock draft, I select Nico Collins out of the University of Michigan. Collins was taken with the 89th overall pick in the 2021 NFL draft by the Houston Texans.

The 22-year-old joins a Texans team that is headed for an extensive rebuild with the looming departure of Deshaun Watson. This could allow Collins to become a priority with a shift to the organization’s younger players.

This could allow him to develop alongside fellow 2021 draft pick quarterback Davis Mills. Being able to grow in an offense with your quarterback can help develop a strong connection moving forward.

However, even if the Texans decide to roll with veteran wideouts like Brandin Cooks and newly acquired Anthony Miller, Collins still can be a big presence standing at 6’4’’. This can lead to red-zone targets from the outset for Collins in an offense looking to score in any way it can.

Potential volume as well as a strong build opens up the door for some early success from Collins.

23. Pat Freiermuth (by David Owen)

As previously mentioned, the player pool has drastically thinned out by this point. We as dynasty owners are essentially relegated to taking shots on players who may or may not pan out in a couple years. With this in mind, I select the consensus TE2 in the draft, Pat Freiermuth.

Dubbed “Baby Gronk” by his teammates, taking a shot at Freiermuth in a position with shockingly little depth, and no definitive TE behind him in this rookie class with any real blend of pre-draft hype and draft capital, seems like the prudent option here. Were it not for the unicorn that is Kyle Pitts, Freiermuth would be far and away the top TE in this draft class, and likely drafted earlier than he is here.

However, Pitts’ hype is Freiermuth’s dynasty owner’s gain, as they can nab him late in the second round on a consistent basis. While he may not have a regular role as a rookie, once Eric Ebron likely departs after this season, Freiermuth should step into the TE1 role for Pittsburgh. While it normally takes young TE’s a few years to get going, Freiermuth is as pro-ready as they come, so don’t be surprised if he makes a few splash plays early on, even if he isn’t getting a ton of volume.

I project “Baby Gronk” as a Mark Andews-type talent, who, while he may never produce eye-popping numbers like a Kittle or Waller, could become a set-and-forget option at the shallowest position in fantasy.

24. Amon-Ra St. Brown (by Anand Chundi)

With the last pick of the second round (and our dynasty rookie mock draft), I am selecting Amon-Ra St. Brown from USC. The Lions needed substantial help at the receiver as they had more unaccounted targets from 2020 than any other team in the NFL. Over 59% of their targets (394) and a staggering 72.4% of their air yards (3,519) are up for grabs.

Add in the fact that the other receivers on the depth chart include Breshad Perriman, Tyrell Williams, and Quintez Cephus, it looks like St. Brown is poised to lead the team in targets in 2021 with T.J Hockenson as the main form of competition.

Another factor to consider is where the Lions as a franchise are currently. There is no question that despite a fantastic NFL Draft, they are a team that is undergoing a full rebuild. Where the Rams’ defense could keep Goff in games, he will not be afforded that luxury in Detroit. I expect this to force the Lions to rely on his arm and pass catchers like St. Brown to claw themselves back into games. While not ideal for wins, it is excellent for fantasy production.