Today we’re going to be looking at two mid-late round 1 rookie prospects: Ladd McConkey and Jonathon Brooks. I’ve seen more questions regarding which of these two to take than any others out there regarding this current rookie class. When it comes to dynasty rookie drafts, the people want to know: Ladd McConkey or Jonathon Brooks?
Jonathon Brooks
Brooks was a stud at Texas last year before tearing his ACL on Nov 11, 2023. Before that injury, he amassed 1,139 yards and 10 TDs on the ground while averaging a very robust 6.1 YPC. Despite the injury, he was the first RB off the board in the NFL draft, going to the Panthers in Round 2. At 6’0” and 216 lbs., Brooks has the build of a prototypical NFL RB.
Brooks is still recovering from his ACL injury but early reports during the draft process stated he will be ready to roll for the start of training camp. Whether that’s true or how effective he’ll be out of the gates remains to be seen, but luckily, we’re talking dynasty football here.
Brooks fell into the perfect situation with the Carolina Panthers, as all they have on the roster currently at RB are Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders.
As soon as Brooks is ready to run, he should be the team’s unquestioned every down back, and these days, that can be hard to come by.
Ladd McConkey
Due to injuries, Ladd McConkey didn’t produce at Georgia as you’d expect for a top dynasty rookie prospect. However, he’s a great route runner that was uncoverable at the Senior Bowl and his game has no flaws. He’s a seamless route runner who can get in and out of breaks and reminds me a lot of Julian Edelman.
McConkey fell to an interesting landing spot in with the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers have no WRs, so target competition shouldn’t be much of a problem. They have a very good QB in Justin Herbert who should lean on McConkey like crazy after he saw his top two targets, Keenan Allen and Mike Williams, leave via free agency. That’s the good.
The bad is that Jim Harbaugh is his head coach and Greg Roman is his offensive coordinator; both are known for using run-heavy schemes. However, it doesn’t concern me that much, because the Chargers 1) Have no RBs and 2) Have a bad defense. The game script will force them to throw the ball, and they’ve got a QB that can do it very well. This means Ladd should be a PPR monster.
In Conclusion
There’s no doubt that Jonathon Brooks and Ladd McConkey are both great mid-late-round rookie prospects. The case can be made for both. I prefer Jonathon Brooks, as I’m always going to side with the bell cow RB for fantasy production, unless we’re talking about an elite stud top-tier WR. Brooks is only 20 years old and should have a long career of bell cow status ahead of him. Invest with confidence in the mid-late 1st of your dynasty rookie drafts.
Thanks for reading! Any questions/positive feedback/negative feedback/whatever, I can be found on Twitter @DynastyPatrolHQ #DFFArmy #AlwaysBeBuilding #AlwaysBeScouting #DynastyFootball #NFL #NFLTrades #NFLDraft #NFLInjuries #PlantYourFlag
