Day 2 of the NFL Draft is now in the books. In this article, I provide a quick breakdown of the implications of all 21 fantasy-relevant picks in Rounds 2 and 3 of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Pick 34 – Houston Texans
Jayden Higgins (WR)
Jayden Higgins joins a Texans offense with 145 vacated targets between Stefon Diggs and Tank Dell. Higgins is one of the few X-receivers in this class, but he joins a Texans team with an established X-receiver in Nico Collins.
Overall, this selection should see Higgins as a riser for fantasy. Consensus had him as the 47th-best prospect in this class, so going so early in the 2nd round should push him above the WR66 position that he had pre-draft on KeepTradeCut.
Pick 36 – Cleveland Browns
Quinshon Judkins (RB)
Quinshon Judkins heads to a Browns team with a lot of questions on offense. Nick Chubb will be heading elsewhere in 2025, leaving Jerome Ford as the only main competition for touches in Cleveland. While there’s little competition for touches in the Cleveland backfield, the total volume available may not be very attractive for fantasy.
The Browns finished in the bottom 5 in total rushing attempts, in large part because of the dysfunction in their offense. With Kenny Pickett, Joe Flacco, and a third round rookie I’ll mention later as the current quarterbacks on the Browns’ roster, it’s very likely that trend of poor game script for running backs continues in 2025.
Overall, Judkins shouldn’t see a very large movement from the RB16 dynasty ranking he saw pre-draft. This offense does not seem prepared to sustain a top rusher in 2025, but Kevin Stefanski is a respected offensive mind and with a potential upgrade at quarterback coming in 2026 the long-term outlook for this offense could quickly improve. There’s also little competition in the backfield, and Judkins was picked 18 picks ahead of where the consensus big boards placed him ahead of the draft.
Pick 38 – New England Patriots
TreVeyon Henderson (RB)
TreVeyon Henderson didn’t have to wait long after hearing his Ohio State teammate’s name called. Henderson’s backfield situation may not be quite as smooth, but Henderson was never expected to be a true workhorse back at the NFL level.
Rhamondre Stevenson’s stock will rightfully see a huge drop after the selection of Henderson early in the 2nd. While some may be concerned that Stevenson will hold on to enough of the share of touches, I wouldn’t. Stevenson has failed to crack 4 yards per carry in either of the past two seasons. The Patriots also have a new head coach in Mike Vrabel, who wasn’t involved in Stevenson’s recent contract extension.
While the Patriots struggled in 2024, a full season of Drake Maye with Vrabel leading the team give a huge confidence boost heading into this year. This offense may be one that’s highlighted as a huge riser in 2025, which would give Henderson a chance to immediately produce for fantasy.
Overall, Henderson shouldn’t see his RB11 ranking change much from this pick. Some will be scared off by the Patriots' offense and Stevenson joining him in the backfield, but Stevenson underperforming the past two years and Mike Vrabel’s leadership should ease those concerns.
Pick 39 – Chicago Bears
Luther Burden (WR)
Henderson’s title of most shocking selection of the 2nd round didn’t last wrong, as I don’t think anyone saw the Bears selecting a wide receiver following their selection of Colston Loveland in the 1st round.
Ben Johnson isn’t leaving much to chance on the offensive side of the ball in his first crack at a head coaching opportunity. The Bears now feature two premium pass catchers from this class to join Rome Odunze and DJ Moore.
For fantasy, this is not good for Luther Burden, or Loveland, or Moore, or Odunze. If you thought last year’s pass-catching group in Chicago was hard to evaluate heading into this season, just wait until this year.
Burden fell slightly from his 36th overall ranking, but it’s the landing spot that will see him drop significantly from his pre-draft dynasty ranking of WR33. Caleb Williams with Ben Johnson calling plays has an incredible ceiling, but there’s not much proven ability there in their current roles. Add in competition for targets with the above-listed 3 players, and Burden will have an uphill battle to fantasy significance.
Pick 40 – New Orleans Saints
Tyler Shough (QB)
Tyler Shough gives the Saints some insurance should Derek Carr be unable to play in 2025. The Saints gave both Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener opportunities to start in 2024 with little success. It was unlikely that new head coach Kellen Moore saw either of those quarterbacks as their signal-caller of the future.
The Saints have two exciting receivers in Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed that could propel this offense to a better-than-expected finish in 2025. Kellen Moore has also shown a propensity to build good offense in a variety of ways. Still, with 2nd round capital, Shough isn’t guaranteed a starting role long-term.
Despite Shough not having any guarantees long-term, going 33 picks ahead of where he was projected, along with a clear path to starting in year 1, means his dynasty stock will rise drastically from QB52.
Pick 42 – New York Jets
Mason Taylor (TE)
It was no surprise that the Jets were targeting a tight end in this draft following the departure of Tyler Conklin. In my Fantasy-Relevant 2025 Dynasty Mock Draft, I had the Jets selecting a tight end in Round 4, but the team obviously felt it necessary to add to the position earlier than that.
While I am not one of them, Mason Taylor has a lot of believers. Taylor provides a good combo of pass catching ability and blocking. While I don’t see him as being a prolific fantasy tight end, especially with Justin Fields at quarterback, he could be a productive player for the Jets offense.
Taylor ended up going almost exactly where he was ranked and has a clear path to starting right away. Still, having Fields leading the offense does not bode well for a high volume passing attack. Taylor’s pre-draft dynasty ranking of TE51 will likely improve significantly due to likely being a young starting tight end, I don’t see him joining the top 24 at the position.
Pick 46 – Los Angeles Rams
Terrance Ferguson (TE)
Terrance Ferguson wasn’t expected to go this high by many. His consensus rank was 86th overall, 40 picks behind where he was selected.
The landing spot brings mixed interpretations. This is an elite passing attack led by a great quarterback and play caller. On the other side, the Rams already have two receivers that have dominated targets in Puka Nacua and Davante Adams, leaving little room for Ferguson to earn targets.
Age of the above mentioned players also plays both ways. Adams will turn 33 this season and could be a single-season addition to the Rams. If Adams is gone after 2025, there could be more room for Ferguson to increase his role as a pass catcher. On the other hand though, Matthew Stafford is approaching the end of his career and his departure would add significant uncertainty to the Rams’ offense.
There is also the question of whether Ferguson will even supplant the incumbent tight ends in Tyler Higbee and Colby Parkinson.
Ferguson will likely see an increase in dynasty value from TE64, but I don’t see him moving much ahead of TE36 given he’s not even guaranteed to start in an offense with a lot of target competition.
Pick 50 – Seattle Seahawks
Elijah Arroyo (TE)
Eliijah Arroyo is an incredible athlete, and goes to a Seahawks team with a lot of vacated targets from DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett. Noah Fant has been rumored to be on the trade block or even a cut candidate, meaning there could be a very clear path to Arroyo starting sooner rather than later.
If Fant is gone, Arroyo could see a more significant share of targets than any of the other Day 2 tight ends selected. His TE36 dynasty ranking could see a significant push upwards.
Pick 55 – Los Angeles Chargers
Tre Harris (WR)
Tre Harris goes as the sixth wide receiver off the board to a Chargers team in desperate need of size on the outside. Ladd McConkey’s emergence helped a better-than-expected Chargers passing offense in 2024, but it became incredibly clear in the playoffs that the Chargers needed to give McConkey some help.
Harris could immediately step into the X-receiver role for the Chargers, and be successful doing so. Harris was my WR2 based on his film pre-draft. While draft capital may move him down somewhat, the landing spot with a great passer and a great opportunity for targets will prevent him from falling far down my rankings.
The Chargers also added Omarion Hampton in the first round, meaning the Chargers’ running game could become more of a focus, but there should be plenty of targets available for Harris to rise from his pre-draft dynasty ranking of WR69.
Pick 58 – Las Vegas Raiders
Jack Bech (WR)
Jack Bech was a big riser in the dynasty community heading into the draft. Fans of his will likely be excited by the Raiders landing spot, as the team is very weak at wide receiver outside of veteran Jakobi Meyers.
While Geno Smith may not be the future for the Raiders, he’s a great veteran who has shown he can sustain multiple fantasy options for his team. That should allow Bech to see a significant increase from his pre-draft dynasty ranking of WR90.
Pick 60 – Denver Broncos
RJ Harvey (RB)
RJ Harvey has the potential to be a 3-down back at the NFL level, and now he goes to a team that could use one. While it’s easy to get carried away with the potential of Harvey with a clear path to start in a Sean Payton offense, it needs to be noted that Payton is known for split backfields.
The Broncos already have Jaleel McLaughlin who has played relatively well as a change-of-pace third-down back. That could mean that Harvey fills into the less valuable for fantasy early down role.
While McLaughlin’s lack of pass blocking could leave an opening for Harvey as a third down back, Harvey’s pass blocking is not a strength in his game either. Harvey does have slightly better size though at 205 lbs, which could leave him room to improve.
Between going 40 picks ahead of his consensus big board rank and the possibility of becoming Sean Payton’s new RB1, Harvey’s dynasty stock will rise drastically from his current RB62 ranking.
Pick 67 – Cleveland Browns
Harold Fannin (TE)
While pick 67 is a bit of a rise for Harold Fannin from his big board ranking of 76, the landing spot is pretty bad for fantasy purposes. Cleveland is still in line to have either Kenny Pickett or Joe Flacco starting at quarterback this season (or a 3rd round rookie that we'll get to later). They also have a great pass-catching tight end in David Njoku already on the roster.
While it’s possible that the Browns use Fannin in a creative way alongside Njoku, being second on the depth chart and poor quarterback play will likely see him drop from his pre-draft dynasty ranking of TE33.
Pick 69 – New England Patriots
Kyle Williams (WR)
Kyle Williams is going to be my flag plant player from Day 2 of the NFL Draft after landing with the Patriots. There’s little to no established talent in the New England wide receiver room, and no, a 31-year-old Stefon Diggs coming off an ACL tear does not count.
I think Williams could take over the WR1 role for the Patriots by the end of the 2025 season. In the dynasty community though, Williams has gone under the radar. In my aggregate consensus mock draft, Kyle Williams wasn’t even in the top 48. He also wasn’t ranked at all on KTC heading into the draft. That is going to change very soon with this landing spot.
Pick 70 – Detroit Lions
Isaac TeSlaa (WR)
The Lions shocked a lot of people with their selection of Isaac TeSlaa. The receiver had a big board rank of 168 heading into the draft.
The only skill position that the Lions possibly needed was a big X-receiver, and TeSlaa, at over 6’3” and 214 lbs is just that. With Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Sam LaPorta, and Jahmyr Gibbs featuring in the Lions' passing offense, it’s unlikely TeSlaa will see any fantasy relevance early on in his career.
Still, a receiver that fills a needed role in an explosive Lions offense could see some dynasty hype.
Pick 74 – Denver Broncos
Pat Bryant (WR)
Pat Bryant enters a Broncos wide receiver room with little competition behind Courtland Sutton. Bryant goes much earlier than expected as his big board ranking was 162 heading into the draft.
The opportunity to be a starter early in his career for an ascending offense will likely push Bryant well up dynasty rookie drafts from the 46th pick that he was going in the consensus mock.
Pick 79 – Houston Texans
Jaylin Noel (WR)
Jaylin Noel gets paired up with his college teammate Jayden Higgins on the Texans. Noel was expected to go much higher in the draft, ranked as the 59th best prospect and 6th best wide receiver in the class.
Noel will likely get a chance to earn slot snaps in his first year with Tank Dell likely missing the entire season. Past 2025 though, there’s some uncertainty around his role on the team. That opportunity, along with being paired with a great young quarterback in CJ Stroud, could keep Noel in the third round of rookie drafts, but the floor is certainly lower than previously expected.
Pick 83 – Pittsburgh Steelers
Kaleb Johnson (RB)
My comp for Kaleb Johnson through the pre-draft process was Najee Harris with breakaway speed. He now goes to the Steelers as Harris’ replacement.
While I think the fit is very good in Arthur Smith’s offense, Johnson will have competition from Jaylen Warren and part of an offense that doesn’t seem like it’ll be very successful. After going well after his big board rank of 58, it’s almost certain that his dynasty ranking will drop from his current RB20 rank.
Pick 87 – Green Bay Packers
Savion Williams (WR)
While the Matthew Golden pick to a deep wide receiver room in Green Bay can make sense as they need a WR1, Savion Williams is a head-scratcher. Williams though is an incredible athlete, and the Packers could see him as more of a gadget player than a traditional wide receiver.
In the consensus dynasty rookie mock draft, Williams was going early in the 4th round, and I think he could fall out of the 4th round entirely given the depth of the Packers wide receiver room.
Pick 92 – Seattle Seahawks
Jalen Milroe (QB)
Jalen Milroe is going to be a polarizing player for fantasy players. He’s an elite athlete at the position reminiscent of Robert Griffin III, but his passing ability is far from the level needed to be an NFL quarterback.
With Sam Darnold under contract long-term, there’s not an easy path to starting for Milroe, but if he does get an opportunity to start, he’ll be a solid Superflex option because of his rushing ability alone.
Pick 94 – Cleveland Browns
Dillon Gabriel (QB)
Dillon Gabriel going to the Brown does leave open some space for an opportunity to start in his rookie campaign, but long-term it’s much more likely that Gabriel is simply a backup. Gabriel will almost certainly get pushed up in rookie drafts due to the weak depth chart at the position in Cleveland.
Pick 102 – Minnesota Vikings
Tai Felton (WR)
Any skill player in a Kevin O’Connell offense needs some fantasy consideration. While a late third-round selection isn’t any guarantee of targets, there is room for another pass catcher in the Vikings rotation.
With the upside that the Vikings' offense offers, Felton could move up slightly from his consensus dynasty rookie mock placement of 43 overall.