Me? I love the silly season.
This time right now, between the NFL Combine and the NFL Draft, is particularly invigorating. We get some real, actionable information as the new league year kicks off in mid-March, and the cascade of player movement upends our dynasty rosters in ways we see coming and in ways we don't.
But other than that? It's pure, wild, drunken speculation time, Bubba. NFL mock drafts are rolling out daily, and until the real thing hits in April, we dynasty managers are left to speculate on other people's speculation.
But it isn't all empty calories, my friends. Sure, the landing spots here are imaginary, and so is the impact on NFL and fantasy rosters, but the effect that the speculation has on our abilities as dynasty players is real.
Advantages can be had in dynasty leagues by managers who are most ready to react to real-life roster changes. You need experience to be prepared, and practice is the best way to gain that experience.
So why not feed our brains that mock draft candy and sharpen our dynasty skills at the same time? We'll pick a recent mock draft and examine its dynasty fallout each week.
This week, we are shifting our focus to the third round of a recent mock draft by the good folks at the33rdteam.com.
Fantasy Relevant Picks
3.03 (67) - Cleveland Browns - RB Bhayshul Tuten, Virginia Tech
The drumbeat for Tuten has been steady for most of the rookie evaluation season, and anyone who hadn't heard it yet surely caught the groove after his 4.32 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. He adds adequate size and college production to that speed to be an interesting package for the Browns early in the 3rd round. If this is the first running back they add, he will likely be in line for some opportunities behind Jerome Ford, the only real returning threat in the Browns' backfield. Tuten could have an opportunity to mix in early, and if his skills translate, he could easily push Ford to part-time status. Tuten's early value will be tied to whether or how fast he can take touches from Ford, but he is a worthy dice roll after the top rookie backs are off the board.
3.04 (68) - Las Vegas Raiders - WR Tre Harris, Ole Miss
He didn't run an elite 40 (4.54 seconds) or break out at an elite age (20), but he has great size and produced over 900 yards and more than 7 touchdowns in each of his last three college seasons. In this scenario, he goes early in the third to a Raiders team that is desperate for some help at wide receiver to allow Brock Bowers and the running game to shine. I'm sure Jakobi Meyers is a nice person, but he is not a nice number one wide receiver for an NFL team. Tre Harris has the size and skills to be that guy for the Raiders.
3.09 (73) - New York Jets - WR Kyle Williams, Washington State
Speaking of people who I'm sure are very nice, the Jets opt for Williams here as they attempt to add some talent to the receiver room behind Garrett Wilson. I'm not excited, although it's not entirely Williams' fault. He's a little undersized, and he took a little longer to break out than I typically like to see. But we're in the third round here, and he's as good a lottery ticket for the Jets as the receivers who will come later in the round. The bigger issue for me here is that I don't see much opportunity for a receiver drafted this late to make a meaningful contribution to the Jets' passing game. Wilson has produced, although somewhat inefficiently, even in the face of subpar quarterback play and general dysfunction in New York. Justin Fields may stabilize things a bit, but the passing game should continue to be low volume and funneled through Wilson.
3.19 (83) - Pittsburgh Steelers - RB Dylan Sampson, Tennessee
I should like Sampson more than I do, but if he lands in Pittsburgh, that could easily change. He won't be a 1:1 replacement for Najee Harris, but Sampson could combine with Jaylen Warren to give the Steelers a dynamic one-two punch out of the backfield. I don't think the team will head into the coming season with only Kenneth Gainwell and Cordarrelle Patterson behind Warren. Sampson gets enough draft capital here, combined with good measurables and adequate college production, that fantasy managers should be optimistic that he could have a real chance to carve out a role. And don't panic if you have shares of Warren. This type of pick by the Steelers would, to me, reinforce the notion that they believe in what he brings to the table. Sampson would come in to complement Warren rather than to replace him.
3.23 (87) - Green Bay - RB Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State
Man, there are a couple of things here. First, I'm surprised to see Judkins this late in the third round, and I'm especially surprised to see him selected after Tuten and Sampson. I've said before that I think Judkins is right there with Omarion Hampton in the tier of rookie running backs below Ashton Jeanty, and I will die on that hill. Second, you know who Judkins kind of reminds me of? Josh Jacobs. Third, this is bad, bad news for anyone still hoping to cash in on those shares of Marshawn Lloyd from last year. What's that? Why yes, I am looking in a mirror right now. Why do you ask? I would love this landing spot, but I've probably said enough about Judkins in these articles. Our own Gary Davenport listed him yesterday among the eight rookies ready to tear up fantasy football in 2025. I couldn't have said it better myself.
3.26 (90) - Los Angeles Rams - QB Tyler Shough, Louisville
I mentioned it last week, but it bears repeating briefly here: especially if I need to count on him in my lineups, I look only for quarterbacks drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft. Teams miss on guys for sure, but generally speaking, if a quarterback isn't drafted in the first round, I take that as a sign that teams view him as a developmental player. If a quarterback is taken after the third round, I view him as a pure dart throw. Shough has been a popular name in rankings after the top 3 or 4 rookie quarterbacks, and for good reason. He has a nice combination of size, speed, and experience, and he would have a legitimate chance to develop into a starting quality quarterback under the tutelage of Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford. I like this pick for the Rams and Shough.
3.27 (91) - Baltimore Ravens - TE Gunnar Helm, Texas
I don't generally have much to say about rookie tight ends, and that is especially true for the guys taken this far down in the NFL Draft. Long ago, in the dark times before the Days of Dynamic Tight Ends, it was a position I punted in every draft I ever did. Let other people chase points from Bubba Franks, man. I've changed with the times, but I'm still not as adept at evaluating what makes a good fantasy tight end as I'd like to be. To make up for that, I usually look for athletic players who appear to be threats and are among the top two or three targets on their NFL team. You are likely familiar with Kent Lee Platte's Relative Athletic Score model, but if you aren't, you should be. He does a great job of breaking athleticism into something even a dummy like me can understand. Helm scores lower than I would like. Similarly, he goes into a situation in Baltimore where both Mark Andrews and Isaiah Likely sit firmly ahead of him on the depth chart. Helm is not super athletic and is third on the depth chart at his position in a low-volume passing offense. No, thank you.
3.29 (93) - New Orleans - WR Jalen Royals, Utah State
For several months now, I haven't been able to read this guy's name without getting that Lourde song stuck in my head, and now, unfortunately, you can't either. New Zealand songstresses aside, I love this pick. At least in a vacuum. The Saints need the help, and Royals is talented enough to find his way into meaningful snaps pretty quickly. The bigger problem in New Orleans might be who will play quarterback, and whether the team is good enough in general to help a rookie receiver find fantasy success in what would presumably be a complementary role to Chris Olave, and possibly even Rashid Shaheed. I like the talent and the opportunity, but I fear a bottoming-out is coming to the Saints, and it might prevent Royals from fulfilling his potential early in his career.
3.30 (94) - Cleveland Browns - QB Kyle McCord, Syracuse
In this mock, the Browns opt for Travis Hunter in the first round and offensive tackle Josh Simmons in the second. With a massage-table-sized hole at quarterback, the Browns turn to the former Buckeye from Syracuse. From an NFL perspective, maybe McCord develops into a quarterback who can win games for the Browns. From a fantasy perspective, I'm staying away from him. He's a late Day 2 pick, and he's going to an organization that I simply don't trust to develop him into the kind of player who will consistently produce fantasy points.
3.32 (96) - Philadelphia Eagles - TE Terrance Ferguson, Oregon
The Eagles seem to be on the verge of jettisoning Dallas Goedert, so Ferguson could step into an opportunity in Philadelphia. Unlike Helm, Ferguson checks in with a very high Relative Athletic Score, which makes me more likely to take a flyer on the third-round tight end. He would have a long road to establish himself as a top-two option in the passing game, but if I were making a bet on a tight end this late, it would be on someone with his profile.
3.36 (100) - San Francisco 49ers - WR Savion Williams, TCU
Savion Williams is a good example of why I love Matt Waldman's Rookie Scouting Portfolio. I'm not going to tell you why, you'll have to read it for yourself, but my perspective on Williams changed completely after reading Waldman's take. He has good size and speed, but his production as a receiver leaves a lot to be desired. Waldman, however, gave me a different perspective on him, and if Williams receives this kind of draft capital and lands in this offense system, I will consider him as a late-round flyer in my rookie drafts.
3.37 (101) - Los Angeles Rams - WR Tai Felton, Maryland
Felton is fast, and he commanded the ball at Maryland to the tune of a 29.7 percent dominator rating and a 30 percent receiving market share in his best year. On the other hand, he's a little thin, and he broke out a little later than I usually like to see from a college receiver. He's a lottery ticket at this stage of both the NFL Draft and where you'll likely be thinking of selecting him in your rookie drafts. But he's got speed, and he ends up with the Rams, a good offense with a receiving room in a little bit of flux. You can do worse in the later rounds of your rookie drafts this spring.
Check back next week for our final installment of Mock Draft Reactions. We'll publish next Thursday to be out before the first round of the NFL Draft begins that night. Until then, get ready for your rookie drafts with our updated rookie guide.