It wasn't a great draft, yes, yes, but every draft is great for fantasy football. Like the 32 teams, we have a test, and it's time to turn in the answers.
The Bloom 100 is ranked with the following type of dynasty fantasy football league in mind:
- Full IDP lineups including DT and CB
- PPR, start 3 WR
- Deep lineups and rosters
Headlines from the draft for dynasty leagues
- An already poor running back class was even more underwhelming in the eyes of the league than we thought, but many backs got landing spot bumps on the third day.
- IDP value up a great IDP draft!
- The tight end puzzle continues to unfold: the position has more interest in the draft, so more tight ends are on the field, and therefore more options, but the ceiling for everyone but the top options gets lower.
- Second-day WRs got some sneaky-good landing spots.
Advice for Rookie Drafts
- The "this class is bad" narrative is so strong that trading up into the late-first, early-second for targets has become a viable strategy, especially in IDP leagues.
- Destination is KEY! The team is very important, even though it's not as important as the player. Think of it as if you are hiring this team to develop your rookie picks.
- TAKE YOUR GUYS! THIS IS YOUR TEAM! HAVE FUN!!
1(1). Jeremiyah Love (RB-ARI)
This was truly a worst-case scenario for Love's short and long-term fantasy value. The Cardinals are one of the worst-run organizations. They have one of the worst quarterback depth charts in the league, and by taking Love instead of trading down, they missed out on adding a long-term starter to their poor offensive line. We are looking at Breece Hall with the Jets or Saquon Barkley with the Giants here. You have permission to trade out of 1.1.
Post-Draft Advice: If you can trade down in the top five and get two future firsts or a future first and a player that upgrades your starting lineup, consider dealing Love.
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2(2). Carnell Tate (WR-TEN)
It sounds like Tate was higher on the NFL's board than the mock draft complex, which sometimes had him going as the second wide receiver off the board behind Jordyn Tyson. If the Cardinals had traded down and Jeremiyah Love was still on the board, we might be talking about Tate's prospects as a Brown, Commander, or Saint. Instead, Tate will become Cam Ward's #1 receiver of the future and maybe present. Ward is an aggressive downfield passer, and Tate is a smooth separator and ball winner at all three levels of the field.
Post-Draft Advice: Be willing to trade up for Tate, who should level off as a top 10-15 fantasy receiver as long as Ward's upward trajectory coming out of last season continues.
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3(3). Makai Lemon (WR-PHI)
Lemon was this close to becoming a Pittsburgh Steeler until Howie Roseman intervened and traded up with Dallas to land the player who is likely to take AJ Brown's place in terms of presence in the offense, even if he is nothing like Brown stylistically. Lemon could rival DeVonta Smith (who won't realize the post Brown trade bump everyone was anticipating) for the lead in targets in short order as a very refined and consistent player. Jalen Hurts isn't the best for fostering fantasy value in multiple targets, and he's on somewhat shaky ground, but Lemon's floor is so high (and his ceiling in PPR leagues) that he doesn't fall on this list. Lemon didn't land in the jackpot Rams offense, but he also didn't get banished to the Jets.
Post-Draft Advice: You might be tempted to take Jadarian Price or Jordyn Tyson here, and both arguably have higher short and long-term ceilings, but I'm sticking with the player I'm more certain about hitting in a close call. If you're not sure, trade down to 1.5.
4(6). Jadarian Price (RB-SEA)
The Seahawks were trying to trade out of the first round, but Buffalo and San Francisco became allergic to picking in the first round, and trading down a total of five times between the 26th and 31st pick put the kibosh on that. You have to still assume that they wouldn't have traded down far enough to miss out on Price if he was the top player on their board at 32 - one of the worst-kept secrets in mock drafts. Price has a three-down skill set in small samples, and he has the speed to break long runs, combined with good feet, good vision, and contact balance that allow him to get extra yards and occasionally turn a modest gain into a long run. He could have more fantasy value than his college teammate Jeremiyah Love.
Post-Draft Advice: If you really need a running back, I won't talk you out of taking Price over Lemon, but given the Seahawks' penchant for running back committees, I will talk you out of taking him over Tate.
5(4). Jordyn Tyson (WR-NO)
Tyson had one of the largest pick ranges in the first round, but his late workout and buzz proved to be enough to get him into the top 10 of the draft. It's hard to know how far he would have fallen if the Saints had opted for someone else, but a slide into the teens was possible, given the offensive line run and the surprise Ty Simpson pick. Chris Olave's presence will keep Tyson from becoming a true #1, but he landed with a young quarterback on the rise in Tyler Shough and a great offensive mind in Kellen Moore, who will move him around and get him clean releases. Tyson still has major durability questions, and Michael Thomas had some not-so-nice things to say about the Saints' medical staff, but otherwise, this is a great fit and situation.
Post-Draft Advice: Just like in the NFL draft, Tyson will go ahead of Lemon and Price in a lot of rookie drafts. I'm still too uncertain about his durability and ability to adjust to a much more physical brand of play to move him ahead of them.
6(7). Sonny Styles (LB-WAS)
Styles didn't go to the Titans at 4 or the Giants at 5, and he wasn't the trade-up target of the Chiefs at 6, but for an off-ball linebacker to go at #7 is still very impressive. He's obviously going to be an everydown linebacker, but Styles did not create a lot of turnovers, and he only had 13 more tackles than Arvell Reese at Ohio State last year, but there is untapped potential for Styles to rack up sacks as a blitzer. The best case for taking Styles is that a 35-year-old Bobby Wagner was a top 10 fantasy linebacker last year, and Styles at his peak can be better. Whether to take Styles or Reese first depends on your league scoring for tackles, tackles for loss, and pass rush stats.
Post-Draft Advice: Check your scoring and lineups. If three off-ball linebackers start (or four with an IDP flex) and it's a tackle-heavy (2 pts or more per tackle, 1 pt or more per assist) league, Styles could be worth as high as the #3 pick.
7(8). Eli Stowers (TE-PHI)
You have to hand it to Howie Roseman. He sniped the Steelers on Makai Lemon in the first round and then correctly sat tight and let Stowers fall to them at their #54 pick in the second round. He should take over for Dallas Goedert in 2027 and could contribute right away on passing downs as a more athletic version of the veteran. The Eagles' passing game isn't known for boosting passcatcher value, but Goedert has been relevant even with two top wide receivers, so Stowers has a high floor to go along with his high ceiling.
Post-Draft Advice: He's the pick at 1.6 in 1QB non-IDP leagues, but he should go after Kenyon Sadiq in a lot of leagues and fall into the second half of the first round. He's worth trading up for if that happens, as long as you don't give up a 2027 in your pursuit of him. If you're in a TE premium league, do what you can to secure a pick in the 1.6-1.9 range to land him.
8(9). Jacob Rodriguez (LB-MIA)
This was a dream outcome for Rodriguez. He joins the pro team that his mentor and fellow Texas Tech Red Raider legend Zach Thomas played for and gets to establish himself as the same kind of signature player as the future green dot linebacker. He might not start this year because the Dolphins have Jordyn Brooks and Tyrel Dodson, but they could still trade one of them after they drafted two others (Kyle Louis and Trey Moore) who can also play off-ball linebacker.
Post-Draft Advice: For all of the bemoaning of rookie draft pick value this year, getting a linebacker set up for success like Rodriguez in the back half of the second round is perfectly fine value for 1.8 in IDP leagues. Like Styles, you could justify moving him higher depending on the number of off-ball linebackers that start and tackle value.
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9(10). Arvell Reese (LB - NYG)
Reese fell to the fifth pick, but the team that selected him is putting him in an ideal IDP situation for his value and appears to have a great plan for him. Reese, per the team, will start out as an off-ball linebacker with situational pass rush value. Given that the Giants' opponents will have to worry about Brian Burns and Abdul Carter, Reese could be a lethal option as a blitzer or extra rusher up front in the revival of the Tom-Brady-in-the-Super-Bowl-solving "NASCAR" package that featured four defensive ends rushing the passer. He could be as good as Micah Parsons in time, but with more snaps off the ball to earn better tackle opportunities
Post-Draft Advice: Reese's value is going to be very sensitive to your scoring system. We should assume that Reese will have a linebacker designation for now, and if your league starts more linebackers than edge rushers, that's probably a good thing, unless it is a tackle-heavy scoring system and Reese has EDGE eligibility. Just like in the draft, Reese is a complicated evaluation for fantasy football, but in the end, you should just take him in the second half of the first round if you believe in him.
10(4). KC Concepcion (WR-CLE)
The Browns were already one of the "yuck" spots for a wide receiver, and then they decided to take a second wide receiver in the early second round. Cleveland's quarterback situation and offense are among the worst in the league, but there is a path for Concepcion to eventually become the #1 target-getter (sorry, Harold Fannin Jr.) and remain relevant in PPR leagues while we see if the Browns can get out of the quarterback desert.
Post-Draft Advice: I'm not a big Denzel Boston fan, and the Browns could get quarterback figured out while he is still on his rookie deal, so I won't talk you out of taking him higher than this in PPR leagues.
11(14). Ted Hurst (WR-TB)
Hurst falling to the mid-third was the perfect junction of need and value for the Bucs. He has the length, speed, and ball skills to make a run at Mike Evans' role in what has been a very prolific pass offense at times. Chris Godwin Jr. is still a big part of the offense, but he will head to free agency next year unless the team picks up his $20.5 million option. If Hurst is good, there will be plenty of targets for him soon enough. If you're on the fence about taking Hurst, remember that Bucs GM Jason Licht's recent track record of drafting wide receivers has been outstanding.
Post-Draft Advice: Hurst deserves to go in the first round of rookie drafts. Explore a trade-up for him from your second-round pick to the late first if all it costs are later picks.
12(12). Chris Brazzell II (WR-CAR)
Maybe the latest chapter of the George Pickens saga scared teams off of this Pickens-esque talent with Pickens-esque concerns on and off the field. The Panthers were willing to take the plunge at #83, and it sounds like head coach Dave Canales, a former wide receiver coach, believes that Brazzell is "obviously another guy that loves football ", in the coach's own words. Brazzell also wanted badly to play for the Panthers, saying, "I mean, one, like I said, 1000 times, (this was) my favorite team...vibe was amazing. I feel like my 30-visit paid off for them selecting me."
Post-Draft Advice: Like Hurst, Brazzell is a worthy trade-up target to snag in the late first if all it takes is your second-round pick and later picks.
13(24). Chris Bell (WR-MIA)
Bell fell a little farther than some expected, but he landed in the perfect spot. The Dolphins are in rebuilding mode and won't rush him back from his 2025 ACL tear. When Bell is ready to play, his strengths as a runaway train on crossing patterns and a big ball winner on the outside fit with Malik Willis's strengths. He should be able to establish himself as the #1 downfield target as soon as he's back up to speed.
Post-Draft Advice: Like Hurst and Brazzell, Bell is a worthy trade-up target to snag in the late first if all it takes is your second-round pick and later picks.
14(31). Anthony Hill Jr. (LB-TEN)
You have to love that new head coach, Robert Saleh, wanted Hill bad enough to move back up in the second round to land him. Hill is roughly on the same level as Fred Warner was when he was drafted by the 49ers in the third round of the 2018 draft. There's obviously a long way to go before Hill is regarded anywhere near Warner as a professional player, but he has as high a ceiling in IDP leagues as Styles and Rodriguez if he takes to the coaching of Saleh and his staff.
Post-Draft Advice: Be willing to take Hill in the early second - even late first, depending on your lineups and scoring - because we trust Robert Saleh.
15(30) CJ Allen (LB-IND)
Here's your projected green dot linebacker for the Colts as soon as he is ready. Allen is a natural playmaker and only 21 years old. Zaire Franklin became an elite IDP linebacker in this defense. If Allen can clean up his coverage instincts when the play is beside or behind him, he should be able to stick as an every-down leader of this defense for a long time.
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16(13). Malachi Fields (WR-NYG)
The Giants jumped ahead of the Dolphins (where Fields would have projected as a future #1 receiver) to land the Notre Dame product, giving up two 4th (including one next year) and a fifth to get him. His upside is capped by the presence of Malik Nabers, and throwing deep to the sidelines isn't Jaxson Dart's strength, but the Giants' decisive move up the board for him jives with my pre-draft evaluation of him as a projected future NFL starter.
Post-Draft Advice: Be happy to land a player of Fields' caliber in the second round of this year's gross rookie draft class for offense-only leagues.
17(17). Fernando Mendoza (QB-LV) - SUPERFLEX #3
Mendoza's ranking didn't change, but I feel better about him than I did before the draft because John Spytek's use of assets gave me more confidence that he can build a good team around Mendoza. His fantasy ceiling is in the Brock Purdy range if Klint Kubiak is successful at rehabilitating the Raiders offense.
Superflex Draft Advice: Mendoza is worth a pick as high as #2, and shouldn't be on the board very much longer than that.
18(19). Rueben Bain Jr. (EDGE-TB)
Bain fell to the Bucs, which actually increased his IDP value because it is an ideal spot for a player with his power-based game. Some of the ways he impacts the game don't show up on the stat sheet, but Bain's ceiling is still in the top 10 EDGEs.
Post-Draft Advice: Be happy to get Bain once David Bailey is taken, knowing that you might have gotten the better player.
19(11). David Bailey (EDGE-NYJ)
Watching the Jets draft, this regime doesn't seem any more likely to get this team out of the ditch on the side of the road they have been stuck in since the Rex Ryan era ended. Bailey is a great speed-to-power edge rush specimen who can clinch the game when it hinges on the pass defense, but it's going to be hard for his talents to show up big on the stat sheet with the Jets.
Post-Draft Advice: Let someone else hire the Jets to develop their dynasty rookie picks.
20(18). Caleb Downs (S-DAL)
The Cowboys, unlike the Steelers, did something smart when a top target fell within one pick of their spot. They traded up to get the best safety prospect since Eric Berry. Berry was never an elite IDP safety because his coverage duties took him away from the action, but Downs will still make a few weeks a year for you with big plays and not be a lineup liability when he doesn't.
Post-Draft Advice: Take him in the second if you don't love anyone left on the board.
21(29). Oscar Delp (TE-NO)
Delp's third-round draft capital, despite a very limited production profile, only confirms that his best football could be ahead of him. He landed in an organization with a good young quarterback and an offensive-minded head coach. He is never going to be an elite fantasy tight end, but Delp's value could approach Tucker Kraft's in a best-case scenario.
Post-Draft Advice: Be happy to get Delp a round after Kenyon Sadiq is taken, knowing that you might have gotten the better player.
22(38). Ty Simpson (QB-LAR) - SUPERFLEX RANKING: #6
Everything came together for Simpson - he was a first-round pick, but he landed in a great organization with a great offensive coach who won't ask him to play until year three or four of his rookie deal. Will he be better than, say, Jimmy Garoppolo, the 49er, for fantasy? That's questionable, but this was a best-case scenario that gives Simpson a chance to matter in 1QB leagues if fantasy players are willing to be patient.
Superflex Draft Advice: There's a reasonable chance you'll be able to get him in the back half of the first half, which is a good idea given the potential payoff and Sean McVay's ability to build an offense.
23(33). De'Zhaun Stribling (WR-SF)
Stribling is somewhat one-dimensional as a fantasy receiver, but that dimension is speed, and in the 49ers offense, that could be enough to matter in fantasy leagues. Some of his value as an early second-round pick is as a blocker, and who knows if the 49ers will draft another receiver early again next year if Ricky Pearsall can't stay healthy, but Stribling can maximize the value of his limited skillset for fantasy in this spot.
Post-Draft Advice: We are getting to the "punt" section of rookie drafts when you are looking at Stribling.
24(20). Kenyon Sadiq (TE-NYJ)
I went back and watched Sadiq one more time before writing this, and he still looks like a player whose play speed isn't near 4.39 with little in the way of agility, quickness, or coordination. He's Jonnu Smith/Delanie Walker, and in an organization that hasn't been able to get talents like Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson going in fantasy. To top it off, they moved back into the first round to take Omar Cooper Jr., a receiver who doesn't project as a starter at "X" or "Z", so he and Sadiq, a tight end who doesn't project as an inline starter, will be virtually competing for snaps and targets.
Post-Draft Advice: He's going in the first round of most rookie drafts, so this is basically a do-not-draft recommendation.
25(16). Denzel Boston (WR-CLE)
Boston didn't strike me as a first-round pick, even in this weak class, even with the ever-increasing salary scale at wide receiver. He wasn't, and he went to the Browns, a terrible offense with no established quarterback, a completely rebuilt line, and a new head coach. Oh, and they took another receiver ahead of him who will earn more targets.
Post-Draft Advice: He's going much earlier than this in most rookie drafts, so this is basically a do-not-draft recommendation.
26(15). Omar Cooper Jr. (WR-NYJ)
Cooper isn't going be the starting "X", he isn't suited for that role. He isn't displacing Garrett Wilson as the starting "Z". Kenyon Sadiq is going to take up a lot of the snaps that a slot receiver would get as a second tight end. Where exactly does Cooper fit in that can make him fantasy-relevant? Oh, did I mention the Jets could be starting Cade Klubnik by the end of the season?
Post-Draft Advice: He's going much earlier than this in most rookie drafts, so this is basically a do-not-draft recommendation.
27(25). Demond Claiborne (RB-MIN)
This "De'Von Achane lite" running back prospect landed on a team with a lot of opportunity on the horizon, and the Vikings traded up for him in the sixth.
Post-Draft Advice: Claiborne is the best running back to reach for if you need to take one in the third round.
28(37). Jonah Coleman (RB-DEN)
Coleman is good at everything, great at nothing back, but that could be good enough to start in Denver if J.K. Dobbins goes down, since RJ Harvey didn't live up to his second-round pick billing. In a truly best-case scenario, Coleman could be a Kyren Williams, but he's more likely to level off as a high-floor backup.
Post-Draft Advice: Coleman is worth a pick in the third if you need running backs.
29(50). Kaytron Allen (RB-WAS)
Ignore the sixth round draft capital. Allen is the best inside runner on a team that wants to reinvent itself around the under-center snap run game. He should be the goal-line back in any scenario (cue up Fats Domino when he scores), and could have similar value to what Chris Rodriguez Jr. generated late last season. Allen taking over this backfield - for at least this year - is not outlandish.
Post-Draft Advice: Allen is worth a pick in the third if you need running backs.
30(32). Jake Golday (LB/EDGE-MIN)
The team that turned Andrew Van Ginkel into a strong fantasy presence took Golday, which is a great thing for his outlook. Golday is set up to be the heir to Van Ginkel, who turns 31 this summer and is a free agent in 2027, in a playmaking OLB/EDGE role.
Post-Draft Advice: Look at what Van Ginkel was worth last year based on your scoring system and lineups, and his position designation, and let that be your guide to Golday's final place on this list.
31(21). Dillon Thieneman (S-CHI)
Thieneman is an outstanding all-around safety, but like Downs, his coverage ability may keep him away from the action, capping his upside in IDP leagues. He will also be partnered with Coby Bryant, a formidable presence signed away from the world-champion Seahawks in free agency.
Post-Draft Advice: If you want to take the plunge on a safety before the third round, Downs Hall of Fame ceiling makes him the better target.
32(84). Josiah Trotter (LB-TB)
The Bucs took the second son of Jeremiah Trotter Jr. to get drafted into the NFL in the second round. I'm not sure he can hang in coverage and could end up being a part-time linebacker, but Tampa sees the possibility for more.
Post-Draft Advice: You should only take Trotter if all of the other second-round linebackers are gone. Chances are, he won't last that long.
33(22). Kyle Louis (LB/S-MIA)
Louis lasted longer than expected - into the late fourth round - but he landed with a team that can give him a long-term role that maximizes his fantasy potential. He won't play much this year, but could be part of a long-term thunder and lightning duo with Jacob Rodriguez.
