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!
3.01 – Marvin Mims, WR Oklahoma
Paul Patterson – @FantasyFreezer
At this point in the draft, I am usually taking RBs here but sometimes a receiver can fall to make me change that. Do not discount Mims just because he shares a name with recent bust Denzel Mims. Marvin is a much better prospect and if he gets drafted on day two he will be a consensus second-round pick in dynasty rookie drafts. Mims has a good profile analytically, his only miss being dominator rating, which is one of the least important metrics I look at and he only missed the threshold by 2.5%. In these later rounds, I like to grab players that barely missed my elite thresholds because who knows if one or two balls bounced a different way they may have ended up hitting them. Marvin Mims is one of those guys.
3.02 – Dalton Kincaid, TE Utah
Carl Churchill – @RookieWhisper
I smashed the select button on this one! Mayer is TE1, but to get an analytics darling with rumored first-round Draft Capital in the third round feels like a phenomenal pick. Dalton might be undersized at 6’4” and 240 lbs, but he was incredibly productive at Utah, sporting a 94th percentile Dominator Rating, 86th percentile YPR, and 80th percentile Breakout Age.
I believe he is at worst an average athlete, but the film may suggest otherwise:
3.03 – Jalin Hyatt, WR Tennessee
Doug Harrelson – @DougHarrelson
This feels like a huge steal in the third round to get a player with the upside that Jalin Hyatt possesses. The depth of the running back position here is pushing talent down into the third round and I have to gobble up this value. His range in where he is selected may vary depending on who you are drafting with. I have seen him go in the first round (too high) and here now in the third (too low). He is a reasonable pick in the back end of the second round of Super Flex leagues and a phenomenal value in the early third. Watching the tape, Jalin Hyatt has massive big play ability and that is clear.
3.04 – Darnell Washington, TE Georgia
Jagger May – @FantasyBluechip
When we’re this late in the draft and this early in the process I’m chasing upside. Washington is a violent and willing blocker with limited usage at Georgia but comes with a monster size that could be a boom in the right system. When they did use him in the passing game he looked like a natural pass catcher that’s comfortable adjusting to the football and catching away from his body. Draft Capital and landing spot can put him as an early second or a fourth-rounder for some.
3.05 – Deuce Vaughn, RB Kansas State
Chris Miles – @ChrisMiles1017
At 3.05 I select Deuce Vaughn. At this point in rookie drafts, I am almost always taking an RB unless a day-two WR falls this far. A day three rookie RB hits a 10 ppg season in their first three years at about a 17% rate, while a day three rookie WR does the same at about a 6% rate. You are almost three times as likely to get a usable RB this late than a usable WR. and with that data, I will always go RB. In these later rounds, I target backs that have high receiving upside and Vaughn is that guy with a 24% best-season reception share in college.
3.06 – Tyjae Spears, RB Tulane
Jonathan Smith – @DFF_sjonathan02
I feel the need, the need for speed. That said, Tyjae has some things to go along with his speed – agility, burst, and great balance. The kid can stop and start on the proverbial dime; leap over defenders and lose little to no burst upon landing, and can make defenders miss. In the third, give me a guy who should be electric in the passing game (and might be in on first and second downs as well).
3.07 – Chase Brown, RB Illinois
Chris Museezer – @force_fantasy
Pre-draft my inclination was the value at running back would be in rounds two and three. While there aren’t a lot of elite prospects in this class there are many who could work themselves into a starting role. That is what ended up happening as I picked Devon Achane in round two followed by Chase Brown in round three.
Brown was only a three-star recruit with offers from programs like South Dakota and Mcneese St. He ended up at Western Michigan his freshman year before transferring to Illinois. He continued to progress throughout his college career culminating in outstanding production his final two years for Illinois. Brown ran for 1005 yards in 2021 and was 4th in the NCAA in rushing yards for 2022 with 1643 yards.
3.08 – Parker Washington, WR Penn St
Drew Pettiford – @puma_drew
I’ve drafted another receiver, surprise surprise. Parker Washington was my choice here. He was Penn States WR1, and absolutely torched Ohio St in their matchup early this season. He has some of the best hands in the draft class and seems to be a bit overlooked in the early stages of these rookie mock drafts. I anticipate Washington to move up draft boards in the next few months. This was a nice treat to get a player of his caliber at the 3.08, but don’t bank on this in March.
3.09 – Eric Gray, RB Oklahoma
Jared Hines – @Ship_Chaser
Eric Gray was a devy darling for a long time before he chose to return for his senior season after a lackluster statistical year in his first at OU. Gray has elite balance and coordination and respectable burst through the hole. He is a capable receiver with a relatively effective route arsenal and consistent hands. While he lacks in size and pass protection, at this spot in the draft taking a shot on a potential PPR maven seems like the right move. It may take him some time to carve out a role with his NFL team, but the traits and athleticism are there should he be presented with opportunities.
3.10 – Xavier Hutchinson, WR Iowa State
Ben Winkler – @bensprinkler
We’ve reached the back end of the third, which means it’s time to put on the metaphorical blindfold and start throwing stuff at the wall and hoping it sticks. With the hit rate for late-round receivers being marginally higher than for running backs and two backs I feel confident about already on my “roster”, I’m taking a shot on a toolsy receiver in Xavier Hutchinson. Yes, he is on the older end of prospects coming out, but Hutchinson did break out as a freshman and was a consistent, effective producer throughout his college career. He was an elite target-earner (97th percentile target share) and was an absolute volume hog this year (107 receptions on 163 targets in 12 games). On the off chance, Hutchinson can carve out a role for himself in the NFL, standing at 6’3 210 he fits the physical mold to be a reliable high-volume outside receiver, and to me, that’s a shot worth taking.
3.11 – Kenny McIntosh, RB Georgia
Billy Beaman – @WillieBeamanDFF
I like the value of Kenny McIntosh at the end of the third round. McIntosh comes from a long line of solid Georgia. While I like the player, he isn’t nearly as natural a rusher as some of the other backs in this class but he is an exceptional pass catcher. He finished the 2022 season with 505 yards and two touchdowns on 43 receptions. McIntosh doesn’t have any standout traits, but I would consider him at least average in all aspects. He exhibits good field vision and makes good decisions at the line of scrimmage and has good straight-line speed.
McIntosh fits more of the James Cook prototype and I could see NFL teams potentially being excited about this prospect, maybe more than the fantasy community. He could have some upside in the right landing spot.
3.12 – Hendon Hooker, QB Tennessee
Doc – @DocFFFN
Seldom do I select late-declare players at any position, but this time the value merits the selection. Though he will be a 25-year-old rookie entering the draft from an oft-maligned “wide open spread” college offense, Hendon Hookers’ production at Tennessee the past two seasons cannot be ignored.
His production is far better than that of his SEC and 2023 NFL Draft counterpart, Will Levis. Additionally, he is taller, leaner, and offers more in the QB-rushing game than Levis does. Hooker doesn’t possess a huge arm, but it’s good enough to make it in the NFL if the myriad of other developmental prospect attributes unfolds correctly. It is hard to ignore the 58 TDs and 5 INTs thrown in his final 24 collegiate games (and a 68.8% completion percentage over that time).
Despite a late-season ACL tear, I expect Hooker to hear his name called late on day two of the 2023 NFL Draft. If he lands on the right team where he can sit a season before being allowed to compete for a starting job in 2024 he’s worth a stash on the taxi squad at 3.12 of a dynasty SF rookie draft.
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