The DFF Army got together for its first analyst-only mock draft of the 2023 off-season. Here we randomly selected spots and then ran the draft in a linear order; the settings are Superflex and PPR. Hopefully, this can help give you an early 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 second-round selection below and each writer’s reasoning behind their pick. Click here to see the previous round. Rounds three and four are publishing soon!
2.01 – Will Levis, QB, Kentucky
Paul Patterson – @FantasyFreezer
I don’t think Will Levis will be a very good NFL QB, but I drafted him here because I know my player takes are not infallible. If Levis is a top-ten pick in the NFL Draft, or possibly the first QB off the board, as recent reports have suggested, he’s well worth the selection here. At this point, every prospect has question marks anyway, so I’d rather swing for the fences at a position of scarcity.
2.02 – Sean Tucker, RB Syracuse
Carl Churchill – @RookieWhisper
I am all about Sean Tucker! With Will Levis off the board, I felt pretty good taking Tucker and not looking back. In my eyes, Tucker is the full package at RB. He has adequate size at 5’10” and 210 lbs, was uber-productive in college as both a rusher and receiver and looks to be an excellent athlete. When you can pair 75th percentile Dominator Rating, 95th percentile target share with potential 4.4 40 speed…
Dominator Rating and Target Share via PlayerProfiler
2.03 – Tank Bigsby, RB Auburn
Doug Harrelson – @DougHarrelson
I seem to be landing a lot of shares of Tank Bigsby in mock drafts right now. Still quite early in the process but he is an athlete that pops during film study for sure. He has a unique ability to cut towards the hole and then use his burst to jet thru to the next level leveling defenders grabbing at air. While his game does have some worries including, size/frame, breakaway speed, and lack of passing game usage in college; these do not concern me and I am more than happy to take the upside pick here in the early second round.
2.04 – Zay Flowers, WR Boston College
Jagger May – @FantasyBluechip
I wouldn’t be surprised if this pick will be a steal after the NFL draft and Zay Flowers rockets up draft boards. The senior from Boston College is the complete package for today’s NFL as far as skill and athleticism but will be knocked for size and late declare. Take away those two factors and he looks like a Blue Chip Prospect. Flowers has an elite release package at the line of scrimmage and is a route technician that routinely finds himself wide open. His style and size combo makes him look like Diontae Johnson but much faster.
2.05 – Josh Downs, WR UNC
Chris Miles – @ChrisMiles1017
In 2022 it was Wan’Dale and I suppose this year it is going to be Josh Downs. The NFL used to love big-bodied, contested-catch-making wide receivers. But the league is changing. The two best receivers in the league are only 6’0” and 200 pounds, the “alphas” are getting smaller and so are the requirements to be a viable receiver. We have other guys like Jaylen Waddle, Tyreek Hill, Marquise Brown, Brandin Cooks, Diontae Johnson, Christian Kirk, and Tyler Lockett. All of these guys are 5’10” and under and have shown elite production in this league, and they can certainly get smaller. Josh Downs is currently listed at 5’10” and 180 pounds, but these numbers from college always seem to be exaggerated so Downs will probably be smaller than that. But I do not care, his production speaks for itself. 19.1 breakout age, 35.6% dominator rating, early declare, 39.2% target share, 44% touchdown share, 3.5 yards per team pass attempt. His production is elite and he did it at whatever size he currently is… I will gladly draft him mid-second as the WR6 in this draft.
2.06 – Roschon Johnson, RB Texas
Jonathan Smith – @DFF_sjonathan02
Welp, we’ve reached the I-wanna-throw-darts-like-Ted Lasso stage of the draft for me. As such, give me the guy no one paid attention to because the guy in front of him stole every single bit of the spotlight in the Texas backfield. At 6’2, 220+, he’s got great size for a 2-down thumper but also possesses just enough hands to make some hay on third downs. While draft capital and landing spot will tell us how we should view him, right now, I’m all about RJ.
2.07 – Devon Achane, RB Texas A&M
Chris Museezer – @force_fantasy
I was sweating a bit as I had two players left before a tier break with 2.04 on the clock. The two players were Josh Downs and Devon Achane. Fortunately, Achane made it to my selection. Achane has a rare speed. He was an All-American in the 100-meter dash for the Aggies track team with a scorching time of 10.22 seconds. Achane has a legitimate chance to break the all-time NFL combine record of 4.22 seconds. Chris Johnson has been a popular comp of Achane and Johnson posted the current fastest 40 time for a running back of 4.24. Achane’s biggest red flag is his weight. Johnson was also rumored to have played at a weight similar to Achane who will be in the 190 range. Achane’s speed translated into production as he was near the top of this class in both dominator (39%) and yards created (3.92).
2.08 – Rashee Rice, WR SMU
Drew Pettiford – @puma_drew
There were a couple of RBs I could’ve taken a shot on here at the 2.08, but I’m a sucker for a freak athlete wide receiver. Rashee Rice was the pick for me. A 6’2, 190 lbs X recover that moves like a slot guy, and can out-jump almost any DB he comes across, simply cannot get past me at this juncture. Rice went insane in his senior season (96/1355/10) and will be a great contributor to a team looking for a player with the home run ability with the ball in his hands.
2.09 – Kendre Miller, RB TCU
Jared Hines – @Ship_Chaser
Kendre Miller at this juncture seems like a safe pick that also has upside. While he was underutilized in the passing game, he does have pass-protection skills. He doesn’t possess elite speed or athleticism, but his contact balance and sheer power as a rusher are impressive enough for an NFL team to give him a legitimate shot at early playing time. He played well enough at TCU to prevent draft darling (and first-rounder in this mock) Zach Evans from a three-down role for two seasons.
2.10 – Israel Abanikanda, RB Pitt
Ben Winkler – @bensprinkler
With Downs and Flowers off the board, my focus here shifted back to the seemingly ever-growing tier three of running backs in this class. Stretching from the likes of Evans and Charbonnet all the way to guys like Deuce Vaughn, the end of the second feels like the last chance to snag backs of this caliber (I was really hoping Kendre Miller would slide to me). With Izzy Abanikanda available here, who from my initial evaluations has graded pretty highly, I didn’t have to think too hard about this pick.
Izzy burst onto the scene as a junior this year after a fairly quiet start to his collegiate career, posting over 1,500 scrimmage yards and 21(!!) total touchdowns. His 46.5% college dominator rating ranks in the 97th percentile. Moral of the story: Izzy was an elite producer this season. He profiles as a potential 3-down back at the NFL level, with decent hands and the proven ability to handle a full workload. He’s got elite home run ability and a great burst through the hole, but I do have some questions about his ability to break tackles consistently, which didn’t appear on tape a ton. In a lot of his touchdowns, he went completely untouched, which is a testament to his ability to find the hole and toast defenders; but he won’t have such an easy time doing that in the NFL as holes will close quicker and defenses will be more athletic. My fingers are crossed for round two draft capital, although it’s not particularly likely. Betting on the talent here, Izzy’s a great value in the late second round with a ton of upside.
2.11 – Cedric Tillman, WR Tennessee
Billy Beaman – @WillieBeamanDFF
I’m going for the upside with Cedrick Tillman at the end of the second round. Tillman is a bit older than we typically want to enter the draft but he was highly productive in 2021, posting 1,081 yards and 12 touchdowns on 64 receptions. He should have declared for the draft but decided to return in 2022. The 6’4” and 215-pound wide receiver would’ve crushed his opposition all season if it weren’t for a nagging ankle injury suffered in Week 2, sidelining him for the remainder of the year.
Again, we’re early in the process and the NFL draft will change our perspective but if he can go day one or two, he has the size and tools to take advantage if he falls into a decent situation.
2.12 – Rakim Jarrett, WR Maryland
Doc – @DocFFFN
A pleasant surprise, Rakim Jarrett at 2.12 is the choice after expecting to see him go in the 2.05-2.07 range. Post-combine and pro-day mocks should show him rise up the draft board. Jarrett is an extremely physical early-declare receiver who works hard on every route. He has strong, consistent hands and is a menace after the catch. For the box-score nerds, he won’t wow you with big numbers, as he was plagued with nagging injuries and inconsistent QB play through three seasons. Still, he has RB size (5’11” 195 lbs.), an impressive skill set with short-area quickness, and a high football IQ.
Though he will get dinged for a limited catch radius and refinement in route running is still a developmental priority, Jarrett feels like a steal at this stage of the draft. He looks to have the attributes of a WR that can produce for dynasty teams in his rookie year, not unlike Jarvis Landry and Deebo Samuel (two player comps I have for him). If he lands with a franchise that needs immediate help on offense, then it is a lock that Jarrett can be an immediate contributor, especially if he lands day two draft capital as expected.
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