As dynasty fantasy football players, it’s never too early to look ahead to future draft classes to gauge what our rookie picks are truly worth. Knowing where the strengths and weaknesses lie in next year’s class could help you navigate through the trade market in the current season. For example, understanding that the 2025 draft class is loaded at the RB position may mean it’s wisest to buy cheap veteran RBs on your contending rosters this year, as you can likely replace those guys with incoming rookies in next year’s draft.
For this article series, I’m giving you my “way too early” 2025 Superflex rookie draft. I’ll stick with the first six picks in this article, but keep an eye out for Part 2, where I’ll cover picks 7-12. If you guys enjoy this content, I’ll continue the series into Round 2 as well! While we’re still a full year away from the 2025 NFL Draft, and I’m sure the board will look much differently this time next year, this exercise should give you an idea of which positions project to be the strongest, as well as which players to keep an eye on for the upcoming college season. Now, let’s get to the fun part: draft time!
1.01 – Carson Beck | QB | Georgia
This one feels like a “take your medicine” type of pick, which is weird to say when we’re talking about the literal 1.01. But it’s hard to justify putting anyone else at this spot based on current draft projections. Beck is ranked as the first quarterback and the third overall prospect on 2025 consensus big boards, according to NFL Mock Draft Database. Chris Trapasso of CBS actually had Beck going first overall to the Panthers (RIP Bryce Young) in his most recent mock draft.
Beck has a high football IQ and knows how to protect the football. In his first season as a starter, he finished with nearly 4,000 pass yards, was fifth in the FBS in PFF pass grade (90.8), and third in the FBS in adjusted completion percentage (80.6%). The only problem is his fantasy ceiling is capped, as he’s not a particularly mobile quarterback. But he should be a long-term starter in the NFL if he continues on this path, and that security is invaluable in Superflex formats.
1.02 – Tetairoa McMillan | WR | Arizona
Tet McMillan is my WR1 in this class, but there are two others you could make the case for, which we’ll get to shortly. As a true sophomore, McMillan had over 1,400 receiving yards, finding the endzone ten times. This would have been good for 22.3 FPPG (PPR formats). Tet finished with a 26% target rate alongside Jacob Cowing, who was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers. Without Cowing there, I fully expect McMillan to surpass 30% TPRR and turn heads in 2024. At 6’5″ and 205 lbs, McMillan is your prototypical x-receiver who can go up and get contested balls over his defenders with ease. And he has some of the surest hands in the country, dropping just 2 of 92 catchable passes in 2023.
1.03 – Luther Burden | WR | Missouri
Luther Burden had a legendary sophomore campaign, surpassing 1,200 receiving yards and hauling nine touchdowns while commanding a 32.7% target rate. Burden IS this Missouri Tiger passing offense. The jump he made from Year 1 to 2 was incredible and solidified him as a clear-cut top-3 wide receiver in this draft class. He played primarily out of the slot in 2023 but can play out wide without issue. As for Year 3, I’m expecting another monster season and believe Burden has a chance to be a top-10 pick in next year’s NFL Draft.
1.04 – Evan Stewart | WR | Oregon
Evan Stewart rounds out my “Tier 1” of 2025 Draft-eligible WRs. Stewart had an incredible freshman campaign in 2022, finishing with 5.3 receptions and 64.9 receiving yards per game. College football fans expected a breakout season in 2023, but ankle and leg injuries kept him off the field for much of 2023, only appearing in eight games. On top of this, QB Conner Weigman suffered a foot injury in September that sidelined him for the remainder of the season, so quarterback play was not as anticipated for Stewart.
He may be more of a projection-based bet than McMillan or Burden, but I feel we saw enough from Evan as a true freshman to know he’s an elite prospect and should be a first-round NFL draft pick with a solid junior season. Stewart has transferred from Texas A&M to Oregon and will play alongside Tez Johnson, a fifth-year slot receiver who commands a large target share in his own right. But I expect Stewart to put up similar or better numbers than Troy Franklin did in 2023, and he’s clearly a superior prospect. He’ll also be paired up with QB Dillon Gabriel, who is entering Year 6 and should have no issue feeding Stewart.
1.05 – Shedeur Sanders | QB | Colorado
I’ll be honest – I have a tough time determining how to value Sanders. The athleticism and arm strength are undoubtedly there; the question is whether or not this will translate to the NFL level.
Son of Deion Sanders, we know Shedeur has the genetic gifts to give us an elite fantasy ceiling. Sanders has compiled over 10,000 pass yards and 110 total touchdowns between Jackson State and Colorado in just three seasons. His speed and athleticism could net him some fantasy production on the ground at the next level; his raw rushing numbers in 2023 are deceiving, as Shedeur was scrambling for his life on most drop backs.
As a passer, Sanders was in the top 10 in the FBS in PFF pass grade (89.2) and adjusted completion percentage (79.2%), confirming he’s not just an elite athlete. However, film guys have expressed some concern with Sanders’ throwing mechanics, and he’s had a problem hanging onto the football, fumbling 13 times in the past three seasons. There are certainly some red flags to this profile, but there may not be a player in this draft with a higher fantasy ceiling than Shedeur. Assuming he secures Round 1 draft capital, 1.05 is a good value for Sanders.
1.06 – Quinshon Judkins | RB | Ohio State
I wouldn’t be shocked if Judkins elected to stay for his senior year at OSU, but assuming he declares early, I’ll lean toward him as my RB1 of this class. Judkins had one of the best freshman seasons in CFB history, posting nearly 1,700 scrimmage yards and 17 touchdowns while averaging 5.7 YPA. As a sophomore, he took a step back in production and efficiency but posted a solid season nonetheless.
Analytically, Judkins is not overly impressive. His missed tackles forced and yards after contact numbers have always been mediocre, and he’s never come close to hitting 1.0 yards per route run. That said, he looks great on film. He boasts an aggressive downhill running style and has the frame to handle a three-down NFL workload. Most mock drafts have Judkins as the clear RB1 of this class and a Round 1 NFL selection, so I’m comfortable having Judkins at 1.06 here. Playing alongside TreVeyon Henderson in Columbus should also help open things up for Judkins. I wouldn’t expect an increase in overall production in Year 3, but the efficiency should see a massive spike. I would love to see Judkins take on a more significant role as a pass catcher as well. If he does, I’ll be supremely confident in him as a dynasty asset.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article, and I hope you got some valuable information you can use for your fantasy team! If you’d like additional insight into Dynasty Football news and analysis, please follow me on Twitter at @jim_DFF. Until next time, keep grinding out there, DFF family! #DFFArmy #AlwaysBeBuilding
