The key to any fantasy football season is preparation. Whether you have the first overall pick or the last of the first round, having a sense of who will be available in each round is key.
I’ll be doing mock drafts throughout the summer while offering scenarios and feedback for each position. The point of these mocks is to prepare for the unexpected.
The mock drafts will assume that 12 teams are in the league with the following roster construction: quarterback, two running backs, two wide receivers, tight end, a flex (running back, wide receiver or tight end) defense, kicker and seven bench spots. It is a 16-round snake draft in a half-point-per-reception (half-PPR) league.
If you read my draft guide, you know I’m not a fan of drafting kickers and defense if it’s not necessary. I’d rather add a few running backs who could end up being a starter in the event of an injury. However, for the sake of this exercise, I’ll round out each draft by doing so. Remember, do not draft either before your final two picks!
Most important of all, be creative with your mock drafts. Don’t take the same players in every mock. Your favorite sleeper is probably someone else’s too. I’m guilty of this myself but I will try to go with different approaches in many of these mock drafts.
The draft is just the start of the season. If you are drafting early, work the waiver wire to your advantage if any major injuries arise. If you’re a fantasy nerd like me, turn on notifications from your favorite NFL insider for breaking news around the league. But the draft is where you build the foundation of your roster, and the goal is to have as deep a roster as possible.
We are onto the final pick of the order at No. 12 overall. (See also: No. 1 pick – 3 RBs, No. 1 pick – 2 RBs/1 WR, No. 2 pick, No. 3 pick, No. 4 pick, No. 5 pick, No. 6 pick, No. 7 pick, No. 8 pick, No. 9 pick, No. 10 pick, No. 11 pick, 16-team league, Superflex, non-PPR).
Let’s get going with the latest mock draft of the 2022 season.
Here is my roster:
Round 1, Pick 12: Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers
Round 2, Pick 1: Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals
Round 3, Pick 12: Courtland Sutton, WR, Denver Broncos
Round 4, Pick 1: Mike Williams, WR, Los Angeles Chargers
Round 5, Pick 12: Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints
Round 6, Pick 1: Jalen Hurts, QB, Philadelphia Eagles
Round 7, Pick 12: Dameon Pierce, RB, Houston Texans
Round 8, Pick 1: Drake London, WR, Atlanta Falcons
Round 9, Pick 12: Zach Ertz, TE, Arizona Cardinals
Round 10, Pick 1: Corey Davis, WR, New York Jets
Round 11, Pick 12: Nyheim Hines, RB, Indianapolis Colts
Round 12, Pick 1: J.D. McKissic, RB, Washington Commanders
Round 13, Pick 12: Mark Ingram, RB, New Orleans Saints
Round 14, Pick 1: Kenyan Drake, RB, Baltimore Ravens
Round 15, Pick 12: Cleveland Browns DST
Round 16, Pick 1: Evan McPherson, K, Cincinnati Bengals
Observations:
I was not a fan of how the mock for the 11th pick went, as I felt the need to reach a bit for many of my picks. This draft was the polar opposite, as I was in awe at the talent that kept falling to me with the last pick in the first round.
I had to do a double take when I saw who was still available at No. 12. The only reasonable explanation I could come up with for Najee Harris being available is fantasy managers are worried about the news that he’s battled a Lisfranc sprain this preseason. Still, he led the NFL in touches last season and there is no reason to believe that won’t do so again with the Steelers’ suspect quarterback situation.
Landing Joe Mixon at the turn gives me two of my top-eight players at Nos. 12 and 13 overall. Harris topped the league in touches and Mixon was third. Mixon was also tied with Jonathan Taylor and James Conner for the most red-zone touchdowns. Both NFC North running backs are unquestioned bell cows with the upside to finish as the top back overall when it’s all said and done. This duo is as elite as it gets when building your fantasy roster.
Having those two top-tier backs allowed me to be aggressive at wide receiver with my next three picks. All reports out of Denver are that Courtland Sutton is Russell Wilson’s go-to target. Mike Williams is as physically gifted as any receiver in the league. Michael Thomas offers massive upside as my FLEX/WR3. All three are matchup nightmares for just about every cornerback in the NFL.
With how things were shaping up, I could not pass on an elite quarterback at this point. Jalen Hurts has the dual-threat ability and talent around him to be QB1 when it is all said and done. Hurts finished as a top-12 fantasy QB in 11 of 15 starts and now has A.J. Brown at his disposal. At this stage of the draft, I am ecstatic about this team.
The talent I’ve acquired thus far allowed me to take fliers on two rookies who can make an instant impact. Dameon Pierce has won the starting running back job in Houston with the Texans releasing veteran Marlon Mack. Drake London was the top receiver selected in the 2022 NFL Draft, and with the lack of other receiving talent in Atlanta outside Kyle Pitts, he is going to be heavily involved in the pass game.
I continue to stack up players with top-five potential with Zach Ertz as my tight end. Ertz will benefit early on with the DeAndre Hopkins’ suspension, as he saw 24 percent of the targets in games Hopkins missed last season. He was TE5 from Week 9 on once traded from Philadelphia. I don’t see why Ertz won’t be top-fight tight end again in his first full season with the Cardinals.
You’re probably sick of seeing Corey Davis in these mock drafts, but he is absolutely my favorite late-round sleeper at receiver. He was WR25 and saw 21 percent of the targets before an injury last season. The Jets adding Garrett Wilson in the first round of the draft doesn’t scare me. If anything, Zach Wilson does.
My last four picks are all running backs, three of whom are excellent receiving backs. Nyheim Hines and J.D. McKissic each finished with at least 40 receptions the past two seasons, in addition to their rushing numbers. Mark Ingram will spell Alvin Kamara and becomes a top-20 back in the event of an injury. Kenyan Drake was featured in my early mock drafts when he was still with the Raiders, but I like him even more in Baltimore.
How I landed this roster at No. 12 is mind-boggling to me. If I exit any draft with this roster, I am feeling super confident about my playoff chances. Every starter has potential to be top-five at their position, and the two rookies will see a ton of work as well. I want Davis on as many fantasy teams as possible. The pass-catching backs to close it all out are the cherry on top. I wish this was one of my real teams instead of a mock.
What do you think of this roster? Let’s discuss on Twitter @JoeSerp.
You can do your own mock draft in seconds by clicking here.
Photo Credit: Kenya Allen/PressBox