It’s fantasy football mock draft season!
Everywhere you look, there’s a new mock attempting to predict the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft. I even put out my own fantasy version of a first-round mock, including only offensive skill position players and offensive linemen. The fantasy football world is doing way-too-early mock drafts too, especially now that many top free agents have either re-signed with their previous teams or signed on to play for new organizations. Those moves also had collateral damage in some cases, as the players who left or joined teams will impact both teams for 2021.
This one-man, five-round mock includes 12 teams and is based on PPR scoring. These teams used different "strategies" with their first three overall picks, so you can see how the roster is built at the top. No team took a quarterback in the first three rounds.
Teams 1, 9: Running back, running back, wide receiverTeams 2: Running back, tight end, wide receiverTeams 3: Running back, wide receiver, wide receiverTeam 4: Running back, running back, wide receiverTeams 5, 8, 10: Running back, wide receiver, running backTeams 6, 11: Wide receiver, wide receiver, running backTeam 7: Running back, running back, tight endTeam 12: Tight end, wide receiver, running back
I’ll be running longer mocks after the NFL draft, so keep checking back for updates!
READ MORE: Five-Round Fantasy Mock Draft 1.0
ROUND 11.1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers1.2. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings1.3. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints1.4. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants1.5. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans1.6. Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers1.7. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns1.8. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys1.9. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers1.10. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts1.11. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs1.12. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs
A total of nine running backs came off the board, with McCaffrey leading the charge. While he missed most of last season due to injuries, he still averaged over 30 fantasy points in his three games. Kamara remains my No. 3 overall player with Jameis Winston now the favorite the start at quarterback in New Orleans. Adams was the first wideout chosen at No. 6 overall, and Hill was the second player selected at the position. I moved Elliott ahead of Taylor with Dak Prescott now under contract in Dallas, and Jones moved into the first round after re-signing with the Packers. He’s been a top-five back two straight seasons. Kelce is also a first-rounder after his massive 2020 totals.
READ MORE: How NFL Free Agency Impacts Everyone Else – The Winners
ROUND 22.13. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Arizona Cardinals2.14. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills2.15. D.K. Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks2.16. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers2.17. Calvin Ridley, WR, Atlanta Falcons2.18. Cam Akers, RB, Los Angeles Rams2.19. A.J. Brown, WR, Tennessee Titans2.20. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings2.21. James Robinson, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars2.22. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers2.23. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers2.24. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
Seven of the 12 selections in this round were wideouts, led by Hopkins, Diggs, and Metcalf. Brown moved up a few spots after the Titans lost Corey Davis and Jonnu Smith as free agents. That could mean more targets from Ryan Tannehill. The biggest movers in this round are Akers and Edwards-Helaire. Akers looked great down the stretch as a rookie, and the Rams lost Malcolm Brown to Miami. That will open up touches. The Chiefs released Damien Williams, who signed with the Bears, so the Glyde looks more like the team's top running back next season. Kittle is my second-ranked tight end and comes off the board within the top-25 overall picks.
ROUND 33.25. Allen Robinson, WR, Chicago Bears3.26. Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons3.27. Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints3.28. Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers3.29. Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks3.30. D’Andre Swift, RB, Detroit Lions3.31. Darren Waller, TE, Las Vegas Raiders3.32. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals3.33. Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Football Team3.34. J.K. Dobbins, RB, Baltimore Ravens3.35. Antonio Gibson, RB, Washington Football Team3.36. Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles
Robinson could be a second-rounder in some drafts, but he won’t fall out of the top 30 with Andy Dalton under center. Thomas remains a third-rounder, with Winston as the Saints' top quarterback. Carson moved up among running backs after re-signing with the Seahawks, but Swift fell a few spots after the Lions signed Jamaal Williams. Both remain firmly in the RB2 conversation. Waller is the third tight end off the board. Mixon could be a steal, but he comes with risk. This round also includes several backs with plenty of statistical upside, including Swift, Dobbins, Gibson, and Sanders. I like McLaurin in this round much more with Ryan Fitzpatrick under center for the Football Team.
ROUND 44.37. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers4.38. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders4.39. Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings4.40. D.J. Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers4.41. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs4.42. Amari Cooper, WR, Dallas Cowboys4.43. David Montgomery, RB, Chicago Bears4.44. Robert Woods, WR, Los Angeles Rams4.45. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys4.46. Melvin Gordon, RB, Denver Broncos4.47. Chase Edmonds, RB, Arizona Cardinals4.48. Diontae Johnson, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers
This was a wide receiver heavy round, with a total of seven coming off the board, including Evans, Thielen, and Moore. Cooper went just a few spots ahead of Lamb, who could be a big-time breakout wideout. Maybe I'm a bit too harsh with Jacobs, but for now, he's an early fourth-round selection. The Raiders adding Kenyan Drake has me extremely concerned about Jacob's touch share, especially as it pertains to his role as a pass-catcher. Gordon moved up with the Broncos letting Phillip Lindsay walk as a free agent, and Edmonds has seen his stock soar with Drake in Las Vegas. Of course, I can see the Cardinals adding a high-impact running back in the draft. Mahomes was the first quarterback picked, but he’ll go higher in home leagues.
ROUND 55.49. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams5.50. Brandon Aiyuk, WR, San Francisco 49ers5.51. Mike Davis, RB, Atlanta Falcons5.52. Tee Higgins, WR, Cincinnati Bengals5.53. Brandin Cooks, WR, Houston Texans5.54. Chase Claypool, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers5.55. Tyler Lockett, WR, Seattle Seahawks5.56. Kenny Golladay, WR, New York Giants5.57. JuJu Smith-Schuster, WR, Pittsburgh Steelers5.58. Raheem Mostert, RB, San Francisco 49ers5.59. Myles Gaskin, RB, Miami Dolphins5.60. Kareem Hunt, RB, Cleveland Browns
This round is filled without potential bargains and those like Higgins and Aiyuk who’ll be considered breakout candidates. The loss of A.J. Green should mean more targets for Higgins, and Kendrick Bourne’s departure in San Francisco will mean the same for Aiyuk. With Will Fuller now in Miami, Cooks becomes the No. 1 wideout in Houston. I’m not sure who his quarterback will be at this point, but I have him ranked as if it will be Deshaun Watson. I’ve got Claypool a few spots ahead of Smith-Schuster, who returned to the Steel City. Golladay fell out of my top 50 players after joining the Giants, who have many mouths to feed with a quarterback in Daniel Jones who still has a lot to prove. Davis looks like the top back in Atlanta, but I can absolutely see them adding another runner in the draft. The same goes for Gaskin, who is the best back in Miami but could be usurped by an upstart rookie this summer.
