STARTUP SUPERFLEX MOCK DRAFT

In preparing for your dynasty startup or rookie draft, it’s always helpful to run through some mock drafts to test your strategies and hone your skills. Plus, let’s face it, mock drafting can be fun. Here we will be running aa mock draft on the DLF Mock Draft Simulator, where one person mocks against a computer making all of the other picks. It isn’t always as dynamic and crazy as a mock draft (or real draft) with other humans, but it is an excellent way to quickly power through a number of mocks drafts. In this startup mock draft, we will break down a 15-round superflex draft. For the sake of continuity, rookie picks or placeholders will not be included. Please note, this mock draft was performed over a week ahead of the NFL Draft, so results will look different once we are past the NFL Drafts and rookie landing spots have been determined. Let’s get into it.

Rounds One Through Five

This draft will be utilizing the quarterback early approach with a sprinkle of zero RB served on the side. This approach focuses on locking down two quarterbacks within the first three to four rounds, depending on who is on the board. The strategy is to lock up two important roster positions with players who have a fantasy shelf-life of more than two to three years, and build around them. Positional scarcity being what it is at the QB position, this method helps secure that position for a longer timeline.

The first round went fairly scripted, with eight quarterbacks being taken in the first twelve picks. In this case, Joe Burrow fell to the fifth overall pick and was the easy selection at that pick. Both Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase went with the next two picks, followed by three more quarterbacks and ended with Christian McCaffrey and Jonathan Taylor.

Spoiler alert, team 12 was clearly operating as the antithesis of the quarterback early approach and did not select a quarterback within these first five rounds. It should prove useful in showing how different rosters can look utilizing different builds.

Round two was much less quarterback-heavy, having only four signal callers selected. In this range, a stud wide receiver, or running back is not out of the question. Honestly, had CeeDee Lamb fallen to 2.08, that would have been my selection with my sights on another quarterback in round three. Garrett Wilson, Stefon Diggs, Jaylen Waddle, Chris Olave, and Amon Ra St. Brown were all temptations in this range. However, wrapping up the quarterback slots with Dak Prescott felt to good to pass on.

Round two ended with only two teams securing both of their presumed starting quarterbacks. It is also worth noting, the selection of Mark Andrews at 2.10 felt a little rich in a non-tight end premium start-up.

Round three was a complete abandonment of the quarterback position, instead leaning more toward wide receivers. I know it is just a mock draft and for educational and content creation purposes; however, to pretend I was not irked when Garrett Wilson got sniped right before my pick would be doing my readers a disservice. Some good came out of it in the form of stacking Tee Higgins with Burrow.

Having selected two quarterbacks and a very good receiver, running back was on the radar into round four. However, when it came to making the pick and both DeVonta Smith and Deebo Samuel were still on the board, I could not pull the trigger on one of the backs in this range. DeVonta Smith was added to the squad, with Deebo falling next and the round closing out with a trio of running backs.

Round five opens with Kirk Cousins and is then littered with receivers. Once more, running backs were on my mind but I could not pass on some of the receivers still available. The immediate running backs were 27-year-old Dalvin Cook, and Dameon Pierce, who lacks the draft capital to be thought of as irreplaceable. Neither seemed like the best fit for the oft-mentioned three-year window. Instead, I selected 26-year-old D.J. Moore, who is a proven NFL talent on the right side of the age curve. It is also worth mentioning, Moore represents the first team WR1 on my squad and he was available in the fifth round. 

Rounds Six Through Ten

Entering round six, running back was again on my mind, especially with a solid starting core of receivers and my starting quarterbacks accounted for.

Tony Pollard was a no-brainer pick at this spot and most likely would have been gone by this point in other drafts. That being said, Marquise Brown, DeAndre Hopkins, and Jerry Jeudy were all tempting selections. Two more quarterbacks fell in this round, and the obligatory one tight end. Pollard was the only running back taken in this round. Making my seventh-round selection group better than anticipated.

Round seven was more balanced. Five receivers and five running backs were taken, with one quarterback and another tight end. Of the players on the board at the start of the round, Aaron Jones was the coveted pick. Sniping occurred but was not overly upsetting. Rachaad White fell to me and appears primed to enter a larger role building off of a strong rookie season. White offers a three-down skill set and youth that ices the cake.

Round eight opened up with a flurry of receivers, all of which would have been tempting, with the exception of JuJu Smith-Schuster, who did not seem to fit in this range. Instead, it was the annually undervalued Tyler Lockett that fell to my pick. Lockett finished as a WR1 or WR2 in 63% of his games last season. While I am not typically looking to add receivers across the age threshold of 30, he has finished as a WR2 or better in each season since 2018.

Round nine was a weird one for this draft. Khalil Herbert and A.J. Dillon were both on my shortlist, and both went here. David Montgomery was also on that list and in hindsight, should have been my selection. With an empty tight end spot, I was looking for both youth and positive usage last season, and Greg Dulcich checked both boxes. Also, I did not expect him to make it back to me, and judging by the rest of the round, he wouldn’t have, nor would any of the replacement options that were in mind.

In the tenth, adding a third quarterback was a thought. But again, sniped just one pick ahead. Elijah Mitchell is not the feel-good kind of pick, outside of bestball drafts or DFS during the season. However, the 49ers love this back and kept him involved when CMC was on the field. He has a role and that role can exponentially increase if McCaffrey were to be hobbled or out with injury. There is value to this pick, but it certainly contains some inherent risk. 

Rounds Eleven Through Fifteen

The middle to late rounds are where you find the depth that is usually required to bring home championships. It also is important to acknowledge these players offer a larger range of outcomes, and could more easily be busts than some of the players selected a few rounds earlier.

In round 11, Rondale Moore was the pick. Diminutive receivers do not always pan out, but there is upside present if Hopkins moves on and a full-time slot role is available. Moore has shown success in this role when the opportunity presents itself.

Round 12, Alexander Mattison, easily one of the best running back handcuffs in the NFL for fantasy purposes, joins the squad. Mattison is still young enough to be an impact player at just 24 years old and has a successful track record when called upon. At only 404 career carries, there is not enough wear and tear to offer concern and if Dalvin Cook moves on or sustains an injury, Mattison becomes one of the more coveted running backs available. Excellent value pick.

In round 13, the squad adds the third quarterback to the roster with Jimmy Garroppolo, who is now leading the offensive charge for the Los Vegas Raiders. While limited from a fantasy standpoint as a pure pocket passer, Jimmy G. has a reliable floor for his career and suits fantasy teams as a spot start during bye weeks.

In round 14, there were options with either Kenneth Gainwell or Damien Harris. Due to age, pass-catching, and a potential larger role in the offense, Gainwell fit the bill for the pick.

Khalil Shakir joins the squad in round 15 and has upside appeal over some of the other options in this range. With slot opportunities currently available, Shakir could play himself into a larger role with the recent departure of Isaiah McKenzie

Wrapping It Up

There is more than one way to de-fur a feline and more than one way to bring home a championship. When it comes to superflex dynasty squads, it remains helpful to secure a couple of highly productive quarterbacks. After that, securing young, talented receivers is also a priority. Utilizing this process does lead to a less than sexy running back room at times. The flip side of this build is a team like team 12, who did not select a quarterback until round 13 and ended up with Matthew Stafford, Desmond Ridder, and Brock Purdy as their final three picks.

Thanks for reading along. And be sure to prepare yourself for your upcoming drafts with the DLF Mock Draft Simulator. It’s an awesome resource for testing strategy and having a little mock draft fun.