The college football season is in full swing, and we finally have enough of a sample size on this year’s crop of prospects to begin projecting how dynasty rookie drafts might play out. Today’s mock will assume a 12-team dynasty Superflex league with a 0.5 TE premium.
First Round
1.01 - Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State
Smith is the easy 1.01 in all formats. He wins reps instantly off the line of scrimmage, with incredible burst and strong hands against press coverage. Pairing elite size with downfield speed and playmaking hands, Smith has even shown more run-after-catch ability this year.
1.02 - Jadan Baugh, RB, Florida
Measuring in at 6’1”, 225 lbs, Baugh has the footwork of a much lighter back. Pairing power with playmaking juke moves to unlock the second level, Baugh stands a solid chance of receiving early-to-mid first-round draft capital. It’s unfair to paint him as Jeremiah Smith’s consolation prize, as he’d be in the running for the 1.01 in some years.
1.03 - Charlie Becker, WR, Indiana
In my opinion, the draft starts at 1.03. Surely one or more quarterbacks will push for this slot, depending on who rises as the college season progresses, but for now we go with my WR2.
I expect he’ll go top 10 in the NFL draft, and he deserves every bit of that hype. Becker pairs great height with elite athleticism, ball tracking, and late adjustments to reel in the football deep down the field. There is some chance he’s more valuable in real-life football than fantasy football, depending on whether he rounds out his short game to establish a target floor.
1.04 - Kewan Lacy, RB, Ole Miss
With Lacy missing chunks of the season so far due to injury, we’re left guessing where his draft capital ends up. If he’s drafted in the late first or early second, he’ll go early in your dynasty rookie drafts.
Despite measuring in at a slightly leaner 5’11”, 205 lbs, Lacy plays like a big back. He shoulders a huge workload for Ole Miss whenever he’s in the lineup, carrying the ball over 300 times last season, and wins around the goal line with grit and leg drive. However, Lacy’s durability issues early this season might factor into his NFL team not treating him like a bellcow.
1.05 - Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Ole Miss
Just pencil in your favorite quarterback in this spot. For my money, Chambliss balances likely high draft capital with good-not-great rushing ability, especially around the goal line.
Granted, he’s older than you’d like, but the tape is outstanding, and I can’t see too many quarterback-needy teams passing on him. Chambliss pairs mobility and playmaking with fearlessness attacking the intermediate level of the field, throwing darts with excellent velocity into tight windows.
1.06 - Cam Coleman, WR, Texas
Cam Coleman looks every bit like an alpha X receiver. He has great size coupled with excellent movement ability for a bigger receiver, and he can bring in all sorts of highlight-reel catches in tight coverage.
While the best version of Coleman is not limited to being a contested catch guy, currently his best moments are tough wins at the catch point, and we’re waiting for the route running in the short and intermediate areas to round into form. Until that happens, the dynasty community will likely keep him at arm's length.
1.07 - Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma State
The quarterback position is more wide open than I can ever remember, with half a dozen quarterbacks in contention for first-round draft capital. Here I tentatively pencil in Drew Mestemaker as my QB2, who is maturing right in front of our eyes and showing that the step up to Power 4 football wasn’t too much for him.
It’s an open question whether Mestemaker will declare for the draft or return to school, but the way things are trending, he’s in line for high first-round draft capital.
1.08 - Trey’Dez Green, TE, LSU
In tight end premium formats, Green should go in the first round of dynasty rookie drafts. He brings an elite pass-catching profile to the table, acting as the main outlet for LSU’s passing attack, but questions about his leaner frame, blocking, and durability might cap his draft playing time at the next level.
1.09 - Arch Manning, QB, Texas
Coming into the season as the presumed first overall pick of the NFL Draft, Manning’s play to this point has not lived up to that billing. Assuming he remains in the first round, he brings solid rushing ability, pocket movement, and playmaking instincts to the table. However, his accuracy, consistency, and decision-making will make him a polarizing prospect.
1.10 - Jamari Johnson, TE, Oregon
With a more well-rounded profile than Trey’Dez Green, Johnson has a good shot of going ahead of Green in the actual NFL draft. However, it’ll be up to individual dynasty owners to determine which profile they prefer. For his part, Johnson has the requisite size to play a full-time role in an NFL offense to go along with nice agility in run-after-catch situations.
1.11 - Ahmad Hardy, RB, Mizzou
One of the most electric players in college football, Hardy was unfortunately in the wrong place at the wrong time and suffered a gunshot wound that has kept him off the field so far in 2026. However, he’s a dynamic rusher who handled a huge workload in both of his previous college football seasons despite measuring in at a smaller 5’9”, 205 lbs. Hardy is a day two back all day, and that gets him a first round pick in dynasty rookie drafts.
1.12 - K.J. Duff, WR, Rutgers
It is barely an exaggeration to suggest K.J. Duff is Rutgers’ entire offense. A massive receiver at 6’6”, 225 lbs, his leverage is extremely reliable to throw into. With his knack for boxing out, Duff is essentially always open on slants. Despite his 99th percentile size, he maximizes his movement ability with good fluidity and deception in his routes.
There is much more Tetairoa McMillan to Duff’s game than there is N’Keal Harry. Currently, it doesn’t sound like the media is projecting Duff to get amazing draft capital, but I want to be ahead of the market on him.
Second Round
2.01 - C.J. Carr, QB, Notre Dame
I’m not all the way there on C.J. Carr quite yet. Yes, he operates Notre Dame’s offense efficiently and on schedule, but I need to see him play the game on hard mode. It’s a big plus that he scans the whole field and gets through his progressions on time, but he doesn’t have the same tools as the quarterbacks I’ve projected ahead of him, and I need to see if he can operate equally as effectively when his processing gets sped up.
Regardless, he’s gaining significant steam to receive early first-round draft capital, which puts him squarely on dynasty radars.
2.02 - Deuce Alexander, WR, Ole Miss
It’s a happy accident that “Deuce” would go with the 2.02, but here we are. The first thing that jumps out at you about Alexander is his game-breaking speed. But he’s not just a speedster; Alexander executes sharp cuts at full speed and can win either down the sideline or over the middle of the field. He spreads defenses out both vertically and horizontally without relying solely on gadget usage.
2.03 - Jamal Roberts, RB, Missouri
Does Missouri have the best one-two punch in college football? This is perhaps a very aggressive projection, but Jamal Roberts has absolutely been that impressive as Mizzou’s bellcow while Ahmad Hardy recovers from injury. Let’s have a little fun and project that he has earned himself day two draft capital with his great rushing performances this season.
Roberts runs extremely hard with a one-cut style and good acceleration to get into the second level in a hurry. Even when Hardy returns, I can’t picture Roberts falling out of relevance on this offense.
2.04 - Dante Moore, QB, Oregon
Moore appears to be falling this year, but it’s not clear exactly how far. Although he is accurate with a live arm, to this point he’s come up short whenever Oregon has needed him to put the team on his back. When things get frenetic, he has a tendency not to let the play develop.
From a fantasy perspective, Moore has good athleticism to get you a first down, but it’s not the kind of mobility that adds massive value in terms of escapability or designed rushing.
2.05 - Nick Marsh, WR, Indiana
Marsh is a tough, physical ass-kicker who makes catches through contact and is fearless over the middle of the field. His blocking will earn him significant playing time, which bodes well for his snap rates in the NFL. It’s a bit of an open question how much separation Marsh can get on the outside, as his movement ability is just ok.
2.06 - Darien Mensah, QB, Miami
Similarly to C.J. Carr, Mensah does not bring loud tools to the table. The arm strength in particular is average or below in the modern NFL. To this point, Mensah has won with accuracy and timing, but his go-to option under pressure has been to lob the ball off his back foot out in front of Malachi Toney. It’s not entirely clear to me if that approach will keep working against NFL secondaries. If Mensah plays this well in the College Football Playoff, he’ll absolutely rise.
2.07 - Ryan Coleman-Williams, WR, Alabama
Despite some maddening inconsistencies that saw Coleman-Williams fade out of Alabama’s offense last season, he’s having a bit of a resurgence this year. The hands are still a huge concern, but his speed and movement ability are truly rare. At the end of the day, some NFL team will take a chance on him somewhere on day two.
2.08 - Ryan Wingo, WR, Texas
Here we have yet another Ryan who simply must catch the ball better. Although the hands have been an issue for Wingo, there simply aren’t many receivers at 6’2” who move like he does. Wingo is a major threat in the deep and intermediate parts of the field, but he can also take run after catch opportunities to the house. Some NFL offensive coordinator is going to stick his neck out for Wingo.
2.09 - Hollywood Smothers, RB, Texas
One of the big risers this season, Smothers has transformed the Longhorns’ backfield along with fellow transfer Raleek Brown. As a shiftier back with great footwork to avoid tacklers, this season Smothers has also shown that he can carry the load as a 1A back. However, he does need to get tougher to grind out tough yards in the hole. Smothers’ pass-catching is a nice plus too.
2.10 - Junior Sherrill, WR, Vanderbilt
Sherrill has put the Commodores’ passing game on his back this year, playing with incredible competitiveness at the catch point despite his just ok size. He has excellent hip sink to execute difficult cuts and good acceleration out of his breaks. Sherrill profiles well as a Z receiver at the NFL level, but we can hope for a flanker-slot role for fantasy purposes.
2.11 - Reed Harris, WR, Arizona State
Apparently it’s the year of the super-sized wide receiver, because Reed Harris joins KJ Duff in this mock draft as yet another receiver standing 6’5” or taller. Despite sharing the passing game with Omarion Miller, Harris has been the alpha for Arizona State. They target him at all three levels, and even throw him the ball at the line of scrimmage for run after catch opportunties. My one concern with Harris is that his route tree is more runway routes into open space, and less winning against tight man coverage. He might have a tough transition in front of him if an NFL team makes him their static X receiver.
2.12 - Lanorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina
Don’t look now, but Lanorris Sellers has strung together a couple of solid weeks in a row. If he gets any sort of decent draft capital, he simply must be on dynasty radars. Sellers is comfortably the best rusher in this class at the quarterback position, and he has massive potential as a weapon around the goal line as well. Combine that with excellent arm talent, and he’s as boom or bust as it gets in the draft.