NFL training camps are set to begin in the coming weeks, and just like for the players on the field, the key to any successful season is preparation.
The same can be said for fantasy football. 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 will be doing mock drafts throughout the summer, offering scenarios and feedback for each position, starting with the No. 1 pick. 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. We will mix in 10- and 16-team drafts at some point as well as a Superflex draft.
If you read my draft guide, you know I am not a fan of drafting kickers and defense if it’s not necessary. I would rather add a few running backs who could end up being a starter in case of an injury. However, for the sake of this exercise, I will 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. Do not take the same players in every mock. Your favorite sleeper is probably someone else’s, too.
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 are a fantasy nerd like me, make sure to 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.
Let’s get started with the first mock draft of the 2025 season.
Here is my roster:
Round 1, Pick 1: Ja’Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals
Round 2, Pick 12: Trey McBride, TE, Arizona Cardinals
Round 3, Pick 1: Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
Round 4, Pick 12: Chuba Hubbard, RB, Carolina Panthers
Round 5, Pick 1: Zay Flowers, WR, Baltimore Ravens
Round 6, Pick 12: D’Andre Swift, RB, Chicago Bears
Round 7, Pick 1: Calvin Ridley, WR, Tennessee Titans
Round 8, Pick 12: Zach Charbonnet, RB, Seattle Seahawks
Round 9, Pick 1: Darnell Mooney, WR, Atlanta Falcons
Round 10, Pick 12: Ray Davis, RB, Buffalo Bills
Round 11, Pick 1: Trey Benson, RB, Arizona Cardinals
Round 12, Pick 12: Adam Thielen, WR, Carolina Panthers
Round 13, Pick 1: DJ Giddens, RB, Indianapolis Colts
Round 14, Pick 12: Adonai Mitchell, WR, Indianapolis Colts
Round 15, Pick 1: Pittsburgh Steelers D/ST
Round 16, Pick 12: Jake Elliott, Philadelphia Eagles
Observations:
There are two players I am confident in taking with the No. 1 pick. Bijan Robinson is the choice for some, but Ja’Marr Chase is atop my draft board. It is unrealistic to think Chase will repeat as triple crown winner, but he has finished as a WR4, WR16, WR10 and WR1 since entering the NFL. The Bengals will be forced to throw it a ton because of their suspect defense. Chase is as sure as it gets to finish as one of the top players in fantasy football.
The downside to picking first is waiting 23 picks to make your next selection. The beauty of picking first (or last) is the ability to go with back-to-back picks to set the foundation of your roster. I decided to land one of the top tight ends in Trey McBride and my QB1 in Lamar Jackson with those consecutive picks. As I have done my research leading up to mock draft season, running back is very deep this year because of an excellent rookie class. There is already a significant advantage when you have one of the top tight ends or quarterbacks, but doubling down at the positions can be game-changing.
Many have proclaimed this portion of the draft the “running back dead zone,” but I will be hopeful to land several of the backs falling in this range. Chuba Hubbard is ranked outside the top 15 running backs after finishing as RB12 last season. The Panthers rewarded him with a new contract and brought in little competition for touches. D’Andre Swift is another back I have ranked higher than the consensus. Swift will play the Jahmyr Gibbs role in Ben Johnson’s offense. Both have all the potential to outperform their draft position.
I was able to land two of my favorite mid-round receivers as well. I could not pass on the opportunity to stack Jackson with Zay Flowers, who enters his third season. Flowers is the perfect WR2 as the top receiver for the star quarterback. This could be the year he finishes as one of fantasy’s best. Call me a sucker for buying into the hype again, but Calvin Ridley is still the No. 1 receiver on a team that figures to be trailing often. Ridley gets improved quarterback play with Cam Ward at the helm.
The rest of the draft was about high-upside running backs and safe pass-catchers. Zach Charbonnet finished as an RB1 in three of the six games he started for an injured Kenneth Walker. Ray Davis will be a popular name this summer with the rumors of a potential James Cook holdout. Trey Benson was a highly regarded sleeper last season because of James Conner’s injury history, and that is the case again this year. DJ Giddens is one of those phenomenal rookie backs who has an opportunity to back up Jonathan Taylor.
This might be only the first mock of the season, but I am impressed with how this team turned out. Having the best receiver in football with an elite quarterback and tight end gives me a big leg up on the competition. Hubbard and Swift are lead backs with RB1 potential in Rounds 4 and 6. The depth behind the starting roster is quality as well. Let’s hope this roster build comes true when draft day does approach in August.
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: Colin Murphy/PressBox