The DFF Army got together again after the NFL Scouting Combine for its second analyst-only rookie mock draft of the 2023 off-season. Here we randomly selected spots and then ran the draft in linear order; the settings are Superflex and PPR. Hopefully, this can help give you an earlier sense of the players you should be considering at the top of your draft and the gems you will want to target later. Check out every first-round selection below and each writer’s reasoning behind their pick. With more rounds to come later!
2.01 – Tank Bigsby, RB, Auburn
Matt Ward – @PsychWardFF
Tank Bigsby broke through as a true freshman, leading Auburn with 834 rushing yards on 138 carries (6.0 YPC) with five touchdowns while being named the SEC freshman of the year. He accumulated 1,102 yards rushing, mixing in a promising blend of receiving with 21 receptions for 184 yards across 13 games played. Unfortunately, Tank’s development and prospect progression hit a wall in his junior year as he managed just 970 yards with 10 touchdowns on 179 rush attempts (5.4 YPC) without improving much on his receiving profile. Nevertheless, the former star running back that plowed through SEC defenses as a minor is still buried within Tank’s promising profile. I’m comfortable with assuming that risk at any point past the 1.12 selection.
2.02 – Devon Achane, RB, Texas A&M
Doug Harrelson – @DougHarrelson
An exciting play-making who will become a huge weapon in PPR even if he can’t land a workhorse role at the next level. Devon Achane is so good he forced his way onto the field with Isaiah Spiller as a sophomore and kept Le’Veon Moss and Amari Daniels on the bench in 2023. Achane has proven homerun speed and is a menace in the open field. He catches the ball well and is tough and compact enough to run inside if needed. While he will never be an RB1 at the next level, he will certainly be a startable contributor to your fantasy lineup.
2.03 – Zay Flowers, WR, Boston College
Ben Winkler – @bwinknfl
I pressed the button on this one really, really fast. Flowers falls in my tier 2 of WRs (JSN is the lone member of Tier 1), and as I’ve moved through my process I can feel him separating himself more and more from Quentin Johnston and Jordan Addison- who are guys I know I should like, but I don’t quite see it with. Flowers, on the other hand, does everything I look for in a receiver. He’s an elite separator, smooth and explosive after the catch, and has the strength to hold up against press out wide, even if he may be more effective in the slot. I’m happy to snag a contender for my WR2 spot in this class at the start of the 2nd round.
2.04 – Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee
Chris Museezer – @force_fantasy
I view this as the dead zone of this particular draft class. Round 1 feels like it is fairly consensus right through the end. Once we hit round 2 it feels like a giant tier where any player could go anywhere. I have Hyatt as my top available wide receiver on the board here. Hyatt has the third-highest receiving yards per team pass attempt in this class at 3.22. Although some felt he might post in the 4.3s for his 40 times he was still able to put together an elite relative athletic score of 9.56. Hyatt is a true game-breaker who threatens secondary’s with elite long speed. Look for Hyatt to go at the back end of the first round of the NFL draft.
2.05 – Sean Tucker, RB, Syracuse
Chris Miles – @ChrisMiles1017
The dynasty community has seemed to settle on its top three running backs for this class, Bijan, Gibbs, and Charbonnet. After that, it is a crapshoot that will only get settled after the NFL draft. My pick for RB4 is Sean Tucker and I am happy to get him here at RB6. Sean Tucker has an all-around skillset, is a proven receiver (18.4% best season reception share), and is north of 30.0 BMI which is a crucial mark for RBs to become every down backs. I think Tucker’s production was stellar and he really separated himself from the rest of his backfield. Those are the players I want on my dynasty team and it is why I am choosing Tucker here.
2.06 – Tyjae Spears, RB, Tulane
Drew Pettiford – @puma_drew
Maybe a little early for Tyjae Spears here at the mid-second, but there is no denying his playmaking ability. He put his explosiveness on display at the NFL Scouting Combine, finishing second and third respectively among all RBs who participated in the vertical jump and broad jumps. He also showed well in the bench press. Spears has good vision and creativity, but he doesn’t have the size or the resume (outside of 2022 against Group of Five competition) to offer a workhorse role at the next level. Still, he is an exciting prospect who can fill a flex role in your lineup if he happens to catch Round three, four, or five draft capital.
2.07 – Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah
Jagger May – @FantasyBluechip
Kincaid somehow falls to the 2.07 in a TEP rookie mock draft–I will absolutely slam dunk this value. A couple of boom-or-bust RB prospects have pushed down potentially the top TE in the entire draft class. Kincaid boasts the best receiving numbers for 2022 of all the TEs declaring for the NFL Draft. While his limitations as a blocker may hinder his snap percentage at the next level, rest assured that when he is in the game he is a realistic target of the QB on every pass play.
2.08 – Zach Evans, RB, Ole Miss
Paul Patterson – @FantasyFreezer
Zach Evans did not have a great combine, he came in small and ran slow for his size. But his production is solid and he still has a shot at Day 2 NFL draft capital. At this point in the draft, those are my only targets, backs that I could see being selected on day two of the draft. These guys will be given much more opportunity than the day three backs to succeed and score fantasy points.
2.09 – Kayshon Boutte, WR, LSU
Doc – @DocFFFN
Again, we let the standard Twitter overreaction take place and allow the value to fall to us. Here we have another early-declare WR to bolster our fictitious roster. Kayshon Boutte had a few poor jumps and a poor second attempt at his 40-yard dash at the combine. Those who were actually watching the combine, and know his history, can see it looked as though he tweaked his ankle and pull up and let off the gas. Also, do not discount his first attempt was 4.50 flat, which is plenty fast enough for your author. Boutte was an immature young man in college, but he navigated situations such as the birth of his first child, a serious broken ankle injury, and multiple QB changes during his time at LSU.
And for all you analytics nuts, Boutte finished his freshman season on an absolute tear, earning him the number-one breakout spot among freshman wide receivers in 2020. The LSU receiver led all freshman receivers with 735 yards on his 45 catches. Over his final three games of the season, Boutte averaged nine catches for 175 yards and 1.33 TDs. While those last three games were played without potential first-round receiver Terrace Marshall Jr., it does show what Boutte can do as the top option in an offense. Boutte had a dominator rating of just over 20% and 1.74 yards per team pass attempt. He led all receivers in his 2020 freshman class with 1.06 adjusted yards per play as well.
Your author took some flack for a similar prospect path in Rondale Moore a few years ago. Rondale enjoyed a massive freshman breakout in the BIG10 before suffering several injuries during his sophomore and junior season before he declared for the NFL Draft. Admittedly, Moore has struggled with injuries in the pros, but check out the production when he does play. Hopefully, Boutte can get his ankle right and we’ll end up with a steal here in the mid-second round of rookie drafts.
2.10 – Darnell Washington, TE, Georgia
Billy Beaman – @WillieBeamanDFF
This is a tight end premium mock draft which obviously pushes Washington up the board a bit. That said, he is a freak of nature at 6’7” 270 lbs. and torched the 40-yard dash and just about every other workout. I don’t mind taking a shot on upside in the late second.
2.11 – Rashee Rice, WR, SMU
Joe Memmolo – @DFF_JoeMem
Rashee Rice posted an impressive combine, displaying excellent athleticism, but the film doesn’t match up with the ability shown off the field. Rice has a good blend of size, length, and speed, and he does show a feel for the game and is willing to grind and work back to his QB on broken-down plays. However, there are limitations in his game currently with route running acumen and concentration drops as primary concerns. If Rice can develop these under the tutelage of an NFL receivers coach then look out, the sky is the limit! The Chargers or Chiefs would be ideal landing spots in the middle rounds.
2.12 – Marvin Mims, WR, Oklahoma
MG – @AlwaysBBuilding
As an OU grad, I’m biased, but truth be told he should have already been gone by now IMHO. A future PPR magnet and locks in the potential to be a consistent WR2-3. Boomer Sooner!
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