This article is part of our Dynasty Strategy series.
Some of RotoWire's sharpest football writers squared off in our first dynasty superflex rookie mock draft of the 2022 season. This exercise helps educate our readers about the 2022 rookie class; providing player evaluation and strategy perspective from the 12 participants in this draft. Our first draft was three rounds. Our next mock draft will expand to five rounds.
PARTICIPANTS & DRAFT ORDER
- Alan Seslowsky- RotoWire Youtuber
- John McKechnie - FSWA College Writer of the Year
- Mario Puig - RotoWire Senior Writer/SiriusXM host
- Joe Bartel - RotoWire Football Contributor & SiriusXM host
- Jordan Mazzara - NFL Writer covering the Seahawks
- Ryan Pohle - RotoWire Writer; High Stakes Fantasy Footballer
- Jason Shebilske - RotoWire Writer
- Michael Spero - RotoWire Writer
- Ethan Sexton - RotoWire Writer
- Jerry Donabedian - RotoWire Senior Writer
- Ilango Villoth - RotoWire NFL Notes Guru
- Shane Seeley -The Flex Network
FORMAT
PPR: Yes
QBs: Superflex
Final Positional Count: QB = 6, RB = 11, WR = 17, TE = 2
Total Players Selected: 36
Round 1 Takeaways
- The 2022 class is undervalued. There is likely to be 10 year-one contributors
- There is a tier of two players at the top. No consensus 1.1 yet
- A QB didn't get drafted until pick 7. Very unusual in superflex formats.
Round One Summary
The first overall pick in most Superflex formats is usually the top QB in the class. Quarterbacks score the most points in fantasy and there is no replacement value on the waiver wire like there is in 1-QB formats. Alan Seslowsky elected to take Breece Hall, a three-down runner who can reasonably assume a bellcow roll in the NFL. John McKechnie quickly clicked the button on Arkansas star WR Treylon Burks at two. Burks has the rare traits that will make him a difference maker in the NFL. Expert rookie prospect profiler, Mario Puig, secured Drake London, the standout WR from USC with pick three. London can match the production of any WR in the draft but is one of the youngest in the class, not turning 21 until July.
Joe Bartel "settled" for OSU WR Garrett Wilson at pick four. Joe had his eyes set on London, who is an easy projection to the NFL. Wilson may not be as flashy as the top three players, but he will be a plug-and-play receiver for your fantasy team in short order. Jordan Mazzara was happy to add Texas A&M RB Isaiah Spiller at fifth overall. Jordan thought long and hard about a QB here, but couldn't resist the upside of Spiller. He noted the soft hands of Spiller. RBs who can catch are key to a long fantasy shelf life at that position. Picking sixth, Ryan Pohle was not scared off by Alabama WR Jameson Williams' ACL injury in the national championship game. Ryan is confident Williams is locked in as a first-round NFL pick.
Jason Shebilske stopped the tumble of the QBs by rostering Ole Miss' Matt Corral at pick seven. The narrative is that 2022 is a down QB year. As we know QBs tend to get pushed up the board as the process unfolds. This pick is a steal in a superflex league for Jason. Michael Spero makes the first eye-popping pick of the draft at eight. Michael jumped ADP to select Liberty QB Malik Willis. Willis is the ultimate gamble. Willis' dual-threat ability can pay off tenfold if he hits. Well done Spero. Ethan Sexton lands a tremendous value by taking Kenny Pickett, the QB out of Pitt. Many sharp draft evaluators have Pickett as the QB1 in this class.
Jerry Donabedian said he felt deflated when his QB targets didn't fall to the 10th slot. Jerry is a sharp dynasty player, who focuses on value. Jerry added UNC QB, Sam Howell, understanding positional value is the key to winning a dynasty league. Ilango Villoth's eyes lit up when Michigan State's Kenneth Walker fell in his lap. Walker has the making of a game-breaking runner that an NFL team is going to deploy immediately. The Flex Network's Shane Seeley lands Ohio State WR Chris Olave with pick 12. Olave has elite route-running ability and projected round 1 draft capital. Olave profiles like a modern day NFL receiver.
Round Two Takeaways
- The '22 class lacks elite prospect depth, but it has depth of NFL starters
- First-round NFL WRs are still available
- The first Tight End is selected
Round Two Summary
Three WRs flew off the board to start the round. David Bell, George Pickens and Justyn Ross have first-round NFL draft capital possibilities. There are still talented runners available. It's important to note, as Joe Bartel points out, players like RB Kyren Williams may be undersized (5-foot-9, 200) to project a 20-touch role. Trey McBride is the first tight end selected. McBride has a chance to produce in year one. That is rare for the position.
Round Three Takeaways
- There is optimism around the dart-throw WRs
- Dalvin Cook's brother, James Cook, is the last player selected
- Two RBs have a chance to be this year's Elijah Mitchell
Round Three Summary
Both BYU's Tyler Allgeier and Georgia's Zamir White are the runners who profile as late-round picks and have a chance to be fantasy relevant this season. Both likely will be the RB3 on whichever team drafts them. As we have seen with Elijah Mitchell and Khalil Herbert in 2021, a player who starts as an RB3 on their team, can quickly ascend to a projectable starting roll. Texas A&M Tight End Jalen Wydermyer could be a top-50 overall draft pick. If he lands on a team like the Chargers, he could be an instant producer.
CONCLUSION
RotoWire's first rookie mock draft exercise of 2022 was a success. Performing a mock draft in January with knowledgeable competitors is a great way to gauge our evaluations versus the market ADPs. We rightly change our perspectives after the NFL draft. At times we can distort our baseline evaluations of these players to a fault. No better example than A.J. Brown in 2019. Brown was the WR1 on many draft boards throughout the fantasy industry. Many sharp analysts dropped him as low as WR10 due to perceived poor landing spots. Talent will usually rise to the top.
Comment below who you believe are the best and worst picks of this draft.
