Recently, the @DFF_Redraft team did a 12-team early redraft mock draft with rookies included. You can find the full draft board here. I had the #2 overall pick in the draft, and I’ll walk you through my thoughts at each pick one-by-one. Then, at the end, I’ll wrap up how I’m feeling about my team.
1.02: Saquon Barkley
After Christian McCaffrey went at the 1.01, I had a pretty easy choice at the 1.02 pick. Saquon Barkley is my clear RB2 for 2020, and I was quite happy to grab him to lead off my running back room. I didn’t even consider anyone else.
2.11: George Kittle
At 2.11, I had many excellent options. Both Lamar Jackson and Patrick Mahomes had already gone off the board, so I didn’t even need to consider the quarterback position. I typically prefer to go the streaming route anyway. At running back, Austin Ekeler was the last player in my fourth tier of running backs, but he went one pick before me at 2.10. He would have been the pick if he had slipped one more spot.
Therefore, I had to choose between addressing the wide receiver position or picking George Kittle. At this point, there were none of my Tier 2 WRs left, and there were many Tier 3 WRs remaining, including Odell Beckham Jr., Mike Evans, and Kenny Golladay. I felt that the best strategy was to lock up one of the top tight ends, as I believe receiver value is more likely to fall in drafts.
3.02: Odell Beckham, Jr.
At this pick, I only considered WRs. As mentioned above, Beckham, Evans, and Golladay were my three favorite options. In this draft, I decided to select Beckham as he has the highest ceiling of the three. I hope that he can return to his old form and that he builds chemistry in Year 2 with Baker Mayfield.
4.11: D’Andre Swift
By this pick, other owners had already selected all of my Tier 4 WRs. Also, I know that the running back pool depletes far faster than the receiver pool. Therefore, I knew that I wanted to take my RB2 with this pick. Unfortunately, the last of my veteran Tier 4 running backs went two selections previously when Melvin Gordon went off the board.
Marlon Mack was my highest-ranked veteran running back available, but I decided to go with Swift instead. I expect Swift to go in the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft and to become a lead back upon entering the league. While he might not be an immediate workhorse, I think he provides more passing game upside than Mack, and therefore I felt comfortable making Swift my RB2.
5.02: Calvin Ridley
At this pick, I still didn’t consider taking a quarterback. Since I already have my tight end in Kittle, I was choosing between running back and wide receiver. Mack would have been the choice if I picked a running back, but I just didn’t have enough confidence in him to pick a third running back before getting my WR2.
I believe that Calvin Ridley has WR1 upside, as Austin Hooper and Mohamed Sanu have left the Falcons. Even though Julio Jones is still the alpha target in Atlanta, Ridley could still find a massive role. He had 93 targets in only 13 games in 2019 and caught 63 passes for 866 yards and seven touchdowns. Now, I think he can finally break the 1,000-yard barrier and will be a value at this draft price.
6.11: Damien Williams
Damien Williams is the ultimate gamble in a pre-draft redraft mock. There is zero chance that his ADP will be anywhere near this value. If the Chiefs draft a running back early in the 2020 NFL Draft, then his ADP will drop significantly. However, if they don’t, Williams will go far earlier than 6.11. He is my RB3, so I felt it was a nice gamble that could pay off big time.
7.02: Cam Akers
At this stage of the draft, I decided to take a gamble on Akers. While it’s still unclear where he will land, he certainly has the talent to become an immediate starter. I believe he’ll begin the year in a committee role, but I don’t need him to start for me in the first few weeks. He has far more talent than any veteran running back available. I considered a bunch of wide receivers at this pick, but I felt that the running backs I wanted were mostly gone. I knew I could get a bunch of value receivers later on.
8.11: Tarik Cohen
I do think that fantasy owners are overlooking Tarik Cohen. He doesn’t come with much of a perceived ceiling, even though he finished as an RB1 in PPR in 2018. Even in 2019, he finished as the RB27. I rank him as my RB29, but he went all the way down as the RB34 in this draft. Given that I have two rookies and Damien Williams as my RB2-4, getting a solid floor running back for my bench is an excellent complement to my roster.
9.02: Emmanuel Sanders
At 9.02, I finally decided to select my WR3. Emmanuel Sanders is the WR37 in my current redraft rankings and should provide a nice fantasy floor playing in a Drew Brees-led offense. He finished as the WR33 in 2018, despite changing teams in the middle of the season. I know that the Saints will use Sanders, even if he’s at best competing for the third target with Jared Cook behind Michael Thomas and Alvin Kamara. At this point, I just needed to start stacking high-floor bench wide receivers in case Beckham or Ridley doesn’t pan out.
10.11: Jordan Howard
While I’m far from a fan of Jordan Howard, he is still currently the starter in Miami. Unless the Dolphins select Jonathan Taylor, who is a complete workhorse, I think that Howard will receive carries in 2020 based on his 2-year, $10 million free-agent contract. Even if he just maintains the starting role for a few weeks, he can still provide value in the late-10th round.
11.02: Jamison Crowder
Similar to Sanders, Jamison Crowder is a good PPR depth receiver. In 2019, Crowder finished as the WR26 in a putrid Jets’ offense. While the Jets will almost certainly add a star rookie wide receiver in the first round of the NFL Draft, Crowder will maintain his slot role from 2019. If Sam Darnold can make any progress in Year 3, Crowder will be an absolute steal in the 11th round.
12.11: Alshon Jeffery
Someone in the draft chat asked me why I picked Alshon Jeffery. My answer was straightforward: “it’s the 12th round, and he’s my WR5. Alshon is simple. If he’s playing, he’ll outperform the price. If he’s not, I’ll cut him before Week 1 and move onto someone else.” In this type of early redraft mock draft, I want to try and get the most upside possible onto my roster, especially in these later rounds. Jeffery is a perfect example of that since he’s consistently at least a high-end WR3 when he’s on the field. If he’s washed, I can just add someone else in the preseason.
13.02: Golden Tate
Similar to Sanders and Crowder, I felt that Golden Tate was a substantial value late in the draft. In a PPR format, he finished as the WR44 in only 11 games in 2019. Coming into a full season with Daniel Jones, Tate should at least match his 2019 WR44 finish in a full 16 games.
14.11: Matthew Stafford
Finally, in the 14th round, I decided to select my quarterback. I think that Matthew Stafford dropped way too far in this mock, as he’s ranked as my QB14. However, I took him as the 18th quarterback off the board. Either way, I’m the streaming guy, and I write a weekly streaming column for DFF, so it’s no surprise that I chose to wait on a quarterback.
15.02: Devonta Freeman
At this point, I decided to grab Devonta Freeman just in case he signs somewhere in free agency. Even though he was over the hill in 2019, he still managed an RB18 finish. While I don’t think he can come anywhere near that, he has enough of a pedigree that any team signing him will give him carries. Freeman won’t be a 15th round pick come August. He’ll either be out of the league or a much higher draft pick.
Overall Team and Final Thoughts
QB: Matthew Stafford
RB: Saquon Barkley, D’Andre Swift, Damien Williams, Cam Akers, Tarik Cohen, Jordan Howard, Devonta Freeman
WR: Odell Beckham, Jr., Calvin Ridley, Emmanuel Sanders, Jamison Crowder, Alshon Jeffery, Golden Tate
TE: George Kittle
I’m ecstatic about this final roster. I’m happy with my depth and upside at both running back and wide receiver. I also have a stud tight end. My quarterback spot is certainly my weakest area, but I know that a late-round quarterback strategy can work. Additionally, I didn’t decide to select a kicker or a D/ST in the draft. At this point, we don’t even have an NFL schedule. Since I prefer to stream both kicker and D/ST weekly, I don’t even know which ones I would want for Week 1. Therefore, I decided just to wait to fill those spots until late August.
Thanks for reading this article. You can find me on Twitter at @DFF_Karp. I love to interact with anyone in the community, so reach out at any time! I take fantasy questions and help with all formats, so keep sending those questions my way.
