The DFFArmy banded together for a way too early 12-team full PPR Superflex, TE Premium rookie mock draft!
Check out every third-round selection below and each writer’s reasoning behind their pick. Stay tuned for round four dropping over the next few days.
3.01 – Skyy Moore, WR Western Michigan
Chris Museezer – @force_fantasy
With Treylon Burks and Drake London already drafted I was not planning on selecting a wide receiver in the third round. However, Skyy Moore was too good of a value to pass up. Moore is a G5 player declaring for the draft as a junior. That in and of itself should tell you how good Moore is. The metrics and eye test back it up. As you can see below he excels against press coverage.
Moore also led all prospects in the predictive metric of yards per route run.
3.02 – Jerome Ford, RB Cincinnati
Chris Miles – @ChrisMiles1017
Jerome Ford seems to be an undervalued name even though he was on one of the best teams in the country this year. Ford is an efficient running back with a great nose for the end zone, boasting over six yards per carry and 20 total touchdowns in his senior season. My philosophy in rookie drafts is to typically stack RBs in round three and on. Having a productive player, with good size, from a good school available in the third round is a smash draft for me. Ford is my RB6 and I was able to draft him here as the RB8. You should start thinking about him around 2.06 in your Superflex rookie drafts.
3.03 – Bailey Zappe, QB Western Kentucky
Paul Patterson – @fantasyfreezer
Bailey Zappe played three seasons at Houston Baptist, a second-division team, before transferring to Western Kentucky. In 2021, as a senior, Zappe went absolutely bananas, setting the FBS record for passing yards and TDs in a season with 5,967 and 62, respectively. With size and production reminiscent of Case Keenum, I’m not especially confident that Zappe’s game will translate to the NFL. However, if he is selected in the second or third round of the NFL Draft, I won’t be making the same mistake that I made with Davis Mills. Sometimes you have to throw your own evaluation away and just take a guy at a premium position that the NFL seems to believe in.
3.04- Charlie Kolar, TE, Iowa State
Devin Maney – @DevinManey
Tight End is a position in Dynasty that often takes years to maximize fully, and typically, my goal in every rookie draft is to walk away with the best Tight End available with one of my picks. Charlie Kolar is my TE2 off the board right now, so I selected him in the third round. Kolar doesn’t necessarily excel at one specific skill set but instead seems well-rounded, which should benefit his playing time at the NFL level. He can be helped immensely by a strong landing position and/or draft capital. Kolar doesn’t feel like a home run pick today; however, I fully support grabbing the best Tight End every year when selecting in the third round. Worst case, you have to move one in a few years.
3.05 – Jalen Tolbert, WR Southern Alabama
Matt Ward – @PsychWardFF
The third round of Superflex rookie drafts is my favorite round of the 2022 class. There may not be as much elite top-end talent in this class as in the previous years we have been blessed with, but the diamonds in the rough run deep throughout. Jalen Tolbert is a polished gem that I believe many are undervaluing as a later pick. Tolbert broke out late as a 21-year-old junior at Southern Alabama and continues to be overlooked for his age and alma mater despite smashing all analytical thresholds over the past two seasons. Smoother than silk off the press, the 6’1”-195 LB Tolbert possesses route-running abilities far beyond his reflective ranking. He has all the tools to become a fixture in the NFL for years to come and should be a great late target for managers in their rookie drafts.
3.06 – Tyler Badie, RB Missouri
Derek Hulsey – @DAH_Fantasy
The third round holds a lot of hidden gems this year, one of my favorites is Tyler Badie. I was able to watch Badie extensively being a Mizzou season ticket holder. Badie is a natural runner. The game comes easy to him. Badie put on a show at the Senior Bowl and was one of the best prospective RBs this past week in Mobile where he proved his complete arsenal of quickness and vision running the ball while showing he was effective as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. Playing against SEC defenses Badie has done an extraordinary job of possessing the football. In 516 rush attempts Badie has coughed up the ball twice. Badie is electric in space, and teams could get creative with ways to get him the ball.
3.07 – Brian Robinson Jr., RB Alabama
Joe Memmolo – @DFFJoe_Mem
Brian Robinson is a BIG MAN. He weighs in at 6’1’ 228 lbs. This dude reminds me of former New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs. The only issue is he’s a fifth-year senior. Generally late declares don’t have tons of success. Some break the mold and if anyone can break something it’s this guy. I love the size and he’s got pedigree, we love Alabama running backs, right? Robinson finished 2021 with 1,343 yards and 14 touchdowns. Late declare or not Robinson is going to garner some attention from the NFL scouts.
3.08 – Isaiah Likely, TE Coastal Carolina
MR – @DFF_MR
Jalen Wydermyer was still surprisingly available at this draft selection, but my instinct caused a pivot toward Coastal Carolina’s Isaiah Likely. A converted WR, Likely possesses all the skills you look for in a fantasy tight end, especially in TEP formats – speed, size, and catch radius. However, I don’t expect him to immediately make an impact so temper your outlook in his rookie season. If he does pop then you’re in the bonus, but at the back of the third round, this felt like the optimal selection so long as patience accompanies the pick.
3.09 – Justyn Ross, WR Clemson
Carl Churchill – @RookieWhisper
It was only a few years ago that Justyn Ross was the Devy WR1. After a 1,000-yard freshmen campaign capped with two epic games in the College Football Playoff in which he had 301 yards and three touchdowns, Ross had everyone’s jaws on the floor.
However, after a letdown of a sophomore year and missing his true junior year due to a congenital fusion condition of his neck and spine, his value was at an all-time low. Ross then had a “good not great” redshirt Junior year in which he played in ten games, catching 46 passes for 514 yards and three touchdowns.
All of that said, Ross is still a fantastic “dart throw” in the late 3rd round of rookie drafts. A healthy Justyn Ross can be dominant and he could hear his name called on Day 2.
3.10 – Jalen Wydermyer, TE Texas A&M
DocFFFN – @DocFFFN
Inexplicably, Jalen Wydermyer becomes the fourth TE off the draft board. There has been a lot of discussion in this round about dart throw picks, but your author prefers to just select the best players available that fall each round. Until recently, Wydermyer had long been the consensus TE1 from this 2022 draft class. While other potential stars have certainly emerged at the position, Wydermyer has not really done anything to hurt his draft stock or his outlook. This is your author’s first and only “safe pick.” Change-of-direction and route speed have always been the concerns for Wydermyer’s draft profile, but he does possess nearly every other desirable attribute one looks for in an NFL TE.
Wydermyer profiles as a prototypical in-line “Y” TE and possesses the technique, strength, and experience to be an effective blocker at the NFL level. While this means very little for fantasy, it does ensure one thing–he can be on the field in almost any situation, thus increasing potential opportunities. Wydermyer has natural hands and balance which would both be considered the strengths of his game as a pass-catcher. His route running needs refinement and his athleticism is limited, but he is a player that should start in the NFL for a long time and be productive.
3.11 – Kyle Phillips, WR UCLA
Billy Beaman – @WillieBeamanDFF
I’d be shocked to find Phillips this late in any draft come June unless he’s completely bereft of draft capital. The UCLA standout profiles as a dynamic slot receiver who can have an immediate impact in the right situation. We’ve seen the NFL recently turn towards smaller, quicker athletes over the traditional 6’4 “true number one wide receiver”. Phillips certainly fits the mold. He’s a refined route runner who exhibits great burst and run after the catch ability. However, he was used as a gadget player much of his time in college before 2021 so he lacks the expected level of experience most receivers gain by this point in their careers. I’d imagine there will be a learning curve of sorts for him but this is dynasty fantasy football, therefore we can demonstrate some patience here.
3.12 – Kevin Harris, RB South Carolina
MG – @AlwayBBuilding
We’ve entered the lottery pick, stage folks. In other words, get your guy if he’s still there.
Kevin Harris was an absolute bust in 2021. He wasn’t even a shadow of who he was in 2020. There were big expectations for Harris in 2021 and simply put, he didn’t deliver. Excited yet? Didn’t think so. Therein lies the inherent advantage you will have in your rookie drafts, fellow owners overlooking him. This is a mistake you can capitalize on.
Harris offers a special blend of size, shiftiness, and patience while being effective on three levels; pass protection, rushing, and receiving. He also checks in at a workhorse size at 5’11 225lbs. At this stage of his development, I don’t view him as a three-down back out of the gates, but he has shown the ability to offer effectiveness as a receiver when given the chance. Harris is definitely one I will be keeping an eye on during the Combine.
The rewards far outweigh the risks with Harris, especially drafting him at the 3.12. More importantly, I like his short and long-term potential more than any running backs taken after this pick.
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