About a month ago, twelve of us here at the Dynasty Football Factory decided to create a SuperFlex Dynasty League to see who the best of the best are within the organization. We just recently completed our first rookie draft, with picks selected in the startup draft. I have broken down my picks below. Overall, I feel good about the results.
1.09 – Jalen Reagor, WR – Philadelphia Eagles
This was a no brainer for me. With the top RBs, Burrow, and Tua off the board, it was an easy decision for me to take my WR1 Jalen Reagor here. Reagor checks all the boxes. On tape he’s explosive, creating separation on all three levels. He has better ball skills than many give him credit. Also, he is a threat to take it to the house every time he touches the ball. Reagor’s versatility and athleticism show up on the stat sheet. During his three year career at TCU, Jalen totaled 148 receptions for 2,248 yards and 22 touchdowns.
In addition to his receiving production, he added 35 rushes for 324 yards and 2 touchdowns, and 724 return yards for 2 more touchdowns. He has one of the better analytical profiles in the class, due to his freshman year breakout and fantastic sophomore year, where he led the class in dominator rating. Last but not least he secured first-round draft capital and landed in a situation where he can become the top WR option in a great offense, sooner rather than later. Jalen Reagor was plagued by poor QB play during his time at TCU, particularly in 2019.
It is easy to imagine Carson Wentz putting a lot of those throws on the money. This was a great selection for the Eagles and also for my dynasty team!
2.11 – Bryan Edwards, WR – Las Vegas Raiders
Late Round 2 and it’s another easy decision for me. Bryan Edwards is my WR5 in this class, so I hit the draft button before I could even field offers. Like Reagor, Edwards checks all the boxes for me. On film, his catch radius and strength at 6’3 212 pounds are evident. He regularly wins in contested catch situations, making him “open” even when he isn’t truly open.
I think he is a work in progress as a route runner, but due to his ability to use footwork and finesse in his releases of the line of scrimmage, I believe he can translate that into becoming an above-average route runner at the NFL level. In addition to his very solid film, Edwards has the strongest analytical profile in the class, and perhaps ever… Edwards sports a breakout age of 17.8, 100th percentile. He pairs that with a 94th percentile dominator rating *faints*. In 2018 as a junior while sharing the field with 49ers 2nd round pick in 2019, Deebo Samuel, Edwards produced a very solid year of 55 catches for 846 yards and 7 touchdowns, very comparable to Samuel’s best college season stat line of 62 catches for 882 yards and 11 touchdowns.
To cap off his profile, Edwards was drafted in Round 3 to the Las Vegas Raiders. Despite being the third WR taken by the Raiders in 2020 (Ruggs 1.12 and Bowden 3.16) I believe Edwards should be the true “Alpha” WR in Vegas. I project Ruggs will be used as a big-play threat that doesn’t need a ton of volume (like he was used in college) and Bowden is now being listed as an RB and should be used as a “Jack Of All Trades”. This leaves Edwards in a position to secure the high volume WR1 role, soaking up targets as the “possession” guy.
3.2 – Lynn Bowden, RB/WR – Las Vegas Raiders
In early Round 3, this is probably considered a reach. However, I made this pick for 2 reasons. One being I own Josh Jacobs, and I wanted to handcuff him. Bowden was considered a WR by most pre-draft but the Raiders have announced he will be RB for them. DeAndre Washington is now gone, leaving behind over 100 carries and 40 targets from 2019. I expect Bowden to step right into this role as the backup to Jones and get the occasional 3rd down work. I also believe Bowden could steal some slot snaps from Hunter Renfrow.
Bowden was an excellent slot WR for Kentucky in 2018, where he broke out with a 38.5% dominator rating, good for 2nd best of all sophomores (only behind Jalen Reagor). So I am expecting Bowden to be used early and often in Las Vegas, even if he is not a true starter. The second reason I drafted Bowden is simply that I am a big fan of his game. He is incredibly versatile, and I broke him down pre-draft, specifically as a WR in the article here: https://dynastyfootballfactory.com/2020-wide-receiver-pre-draft-profile-lynn-bowden-jr/.
In addition to Bowden’s 1,303 career receiving yards, he also has 1,530 rushing yards. The large majority of those coming in 2019, when he ran for 1,468 which led the SEC. Yep, that was more than Cylde Edwards-Helaire, Ke’Shawn Vaugh, DeAndre Swift, and all the other incredibly talented full-time RB’s in the SEC.
3.11 – Cole Kmet, TE – Chicago Bears
In late Round 3, I felt it was an appropriate time to select the first TE off the board. The Bears selected Kmet with the 11th pick in the second round, making him the first TE selected in the 2020 Draft and the only one selected in the 2nd round. Cole Kmet has an all-around skill set. He uses his massive 6’6 262-pound frame as an asset in the blocking game, and his plus size-adjusted athleticism and solid hands to produce in the passing game. Kmet touts an 83rd percentile speed score and only 2 career drops.
As a Junior at Notre Dame Kmet had 43 catches for 515 yards and 6 touchdowns. This was good for over 15% of the teams receiving yards, an impressive feat for a TE. Cole Kmet also drew a rave review from his old college coach.
Cole Kmet may not see a high percentage of snaps or the bulk of TE targets in year one with Jimmy Graham on the roster, but in 2021 Kmet should be the guy if he can show well in chances he is given.
5.09 – Harrison Bryant, TE – Cleveland Browns
This is a pick where I just had to take “My Guy”. Harrison Bryant out of FIU was my TE1 pre-draft. This was primarily due to incredible statistics and smooth athleticism on tape. During Bryant’s four year stint at Florida Atlantic, he put together a gaudy career stat line of 148 catches for 2137 yards and 16 touchdowns.
This is elite for a TE. His age-adjusted production was the primary reason I was so high on him going into the draft. However, after landing in a less than ideal spot with a very crowded TE depth chart in Cleveland, he has taken a tumble down my board. At this point in the draft though I felt very good taking him. Bryant is a dynamic receiver and a true mismatch in the passing game. Harrison Bryant got my attention after a stellar performance against the talented OSU defense. Here are a couple of clips from the game:
As you can see in the clips, he lines up out wide and in the slot. I believe this is where Bryant can make an impact early on in Cleveland. It is unlikely he will beat out Austin Hooper and take snaps in 1 TE sets, but with his versatility and receiving ability I believe he will still find his way onto the field.
6.01 – James Morgan, QB – New York Jets
In all honesty, this was a pick I didn’t see myself making. I had QB Cole McDonald, the 7th round pick of the Titans in mind here, but with him already off the board, and I had to scramble a bit. With a little research, I was able to find the 4th round QB selection of the NYJ, James Morgan out of FIU. I did not know much about James Morgan before this, but I now know he was linked to the Patriots and is highly regarded by Chris Simms.
There is a lot of projecting up when it comes to James Morgan. He has the look of an NFL QB, but his college production leaves more to be desired. A four-year career with a 57.1% completion rate for 8,654 yards, 65 touchdowns, and 34 interceptions is not what I personally look for in my QB. However, the Jets obviously liked his upside enough to select him in the 4th round. I do not expect Morgan to push Darnold for the starting role. Still, I was happy to land his potential backup in the 6th round of a Superflex rookie draft.
Thanks for reading my thoughts into my picks in this rookie draft. You can follow me @RookieWhisper for more dynasty content!
