The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft is in the books and we eagerly await round two for a glut of fantasy relevant players to be taken. Thursday was a tough night for rookie fantasy value, as very few players landed in perfect spots, but these are also players who are too good to sit. We’l go through all of the offensive skill players and grade their fantasy appeal heading into the 2024 season and in dynasty leagues for Rouds 2 and 3 of the draft.
Round 2
33. Buffalo Bills (Trade with Panthers ) — Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State
The Bills finally stopped trading and grabbed a wide receiver. Coleman can make circus catches and will do so with the Bills and Josh Allen, but he does have his limitations, as he’s not the best route runner and lacks top end speed. The good news is that he landed in a great spot, as the Bills need someone to take over for Stefon Diggs.
Re-draft grade: B
Dynasty Grade: B
34. Los Angeles Chargers (Trade with Patriots) — Ladd McConkey, WR, Georgia
The Chargers went with offensive tackle early, but traded up to snag McConkey early in the second. They needed to, as they let Mike Williams and Keenan Allen go this offseason. That should help McConkey see immediate work and he has the ability to be a trustworthy receiver for Justin Herbert out of the slot and moving around the formation.
Re-draft grade: B
Dynasty Grade: B+
37. New England Patriots — Ja’Lynn Polk, WR, Washington
The Patriots got a high character guy here. He projects as a possession, slot receiver early on, but has the build and technique to prove he can be more. Scouts love his versatility and if the Patriots can get him and Drake Maye going early on, he could prove to be a useful fantasy player sooner than later.
Re-draft grade: C
Dynasty Grade: B+
46. Carolina Panthers — Jonathan Brooks, RB, Texas
Brooks is the first running back to come off the board and the Panthers traded up to grab him. He might have gone earlier if not for his ACL injury, but all indications are that he’ll be ready to go this year. He’s the best three-down back in the draft by many accounts and should get the lead role over Miles Sanders earlier than later. The offense isn’t great, but the usage should be.
Re-draft grade: A
Dynasty Grade: A
52. Indianapolis Colts — Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
Mitchell’s ability could have landed hi in the first round, but some outside concerns apparently precipitated a fall to the 52nd pick. That’s good news for the Colts, as he has all the tools to be a top flight receiver. For fantasy he’s be blocked by Michael Pittman and Anthony RIchardson’s development as a passer, but he should quickly be WR2 in the offense.
Re-draft grade: C
Dynasty Grade: B+
54. Washington Commanders — Ben Sinnot, TE, Kansas St.
Brock Bowers was the no doubt TE1 in this draft, but Sinnot was the No. 2 on many draft boards. The Commanders let Logan Thomas go this offseason and they need Sinnot to step up early with Zach Ertz looking at the end of his playing days. He has upside to be a starting fantasy tight end in the league and the athletic ability to move toward the top of the fantasy TE list.
Re-draft grade: D
Dynasty Grade: B+
65. New York Jets — Malachi Corley, WR, Western Kentucky
Corley is a tough, yards after the catch receiver often compared to the 49ers Deebo Samuel. He should be a good complement to the Jets WR1 Garrett Wilson. His usage will be tough to predict early on, but he will have Aaron Rodgers throwing hi the ball this season at least.
Re-draft grade: C
Dynasty Grade: B
66. Arizona Cardinals — Trey Benson, RB, Florida St.
Benson showed well at the combine and was right up there with Brooks on many draft boards. He’ll have James Conner to contend with early on, but the Cardinals needed a Conner replacement and Benson has the skills to be that guy. His re-draft value is tough to parse out this season, but he’s a guy I want on my dynasty roster.
Re-draft grade: C
Dynasty Grade: A
Cincinnati Bengals — Jermaine Burton, WR, Alabama
Burton is a deep ball maven and should fit in well with the Bengals and Joe Burrow. He will be behind Tee Higgins and Ja’Marr Chase this year, and will be blocked from much fantasy usage, but Higgins is more than likely gone after this season and that’s when Burton could pay dividends in fantasy.
Re-draft grade: C-
Dynasty Grade: A
Round 1
1. Chicago Bears (from CAR) — Caleb Williams, QB, USC
Williams was the no-doubt pick of the night, as the Bears finally get a true difference maker at the QB position. How good he ends up being is an open question, but all signs point to him having success with an out of this world receiving core in his rookie season.
Williams ill have Keenan Allen, D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze, and Cole Kmet to throw to. He’ll also have Shane Waldron as his OC, which is light years better than Luke Getsy’s, especially for fantasy. Parsing out the pecking order of his targets is one thing, but as the guy throwing the ball, he’s golden. Add in his strong ability as a runner, and we can expect a handful of rushing touchdowns to keep his fantasy numbers up.
Expecting huge fantasy numbers from a rookie is tough, but I believe he will be a Top 10 fantasy QB to start.
Re-draft grade: B+
Dynasty Grade: A+
2. Washington Commanders — Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
Daniels lands in a much worse situation than Williams, but Terry McLaurin and Jahan Dotson aren’t scrubs. Of course, the good news for fantasy is that Daniels can move with the ball in his hand, garnering us bunches of fantasy points on the ground. How quickly the Commanders can get their team on track and ascending will be in part how Daniels plays and in part how well the team gels in all facets. It’s tough to foresee a big fantasy rookie year for Daniels with the overall offense likely being subpar, but he has what it takes to put up goof fantasy numbers on his own.
Re-draft grade: C+
Dynasty Grade: A
3. New England Patriots — Drake Maye, QB, UNC
Maye lands in a worse situation than Daniels, as the Patriots are devoid of playmakers on offense. He has upside that gives him dynasty appeal, but even if the Patriots add a wide receiver or two, this is a situation I’m staying away from in 2024.
Re-draft grade: D+
Dynasty Grade: B+
4. Arizona Cardinals — Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio St.
Of the Top 3 receivers, Harrison Jr. landed with the best QB/target share combo. I like Caleb Williams more than Kyler Murray in the long run, but Murray is still a good QB and the Cardinals don’t have nearly the wide receiver depth the Bears do. Harrison Jr. will be the No. 1 receiver right out of the gate and should be productive while leading the team in targets.
Re-draft grade: A
Dynasty Grade: A+
6. New York Giants — Malik Nabers, WR, LSU
The Giants still need a QB, but Daniel Jones is average enough to get the ball to Nabers and Nabers is set to win all the targets he can handle in year one. It won’t all be bread and roses, but Nabers explosive ability, high draft capital and lack of competition put hi right up there with Harrison Jr. in redraft this year.
Re-draft grade: A
Dynasty Grade: A+
8. Atlanta Falcons — Michael Penix, Jr., QB, Washington
Well, Penix Jr. couldn’t have landed many worse places, especially when getting drafted eighth overall. That kind of draft spot for a QB usually means you have a good shot at starting your rookie year. Not for Mr. Penix though. He’ll have to wait out Kirk Cousins for at least two seasons and if things go well for Cousins and the Falcons, he’ll have to wait even longer to get his shot. It would have been a great landing spot if Cousins wasn;t in the picture, so that does give us some hope for his dynasty upside.
Re-draft grade: F
Dynasty Grade: C+
9. Chicago Bears — Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
Odunze is NFL ready and if he were the No. 1 WR on his team, he’d be high in the redraft rankings. Unfortunately he’ll have veteran stud WRs D.J. Moore and Keenan Allen to compete for targets with. Allen’s injury history of late could open up space this season, but that is a hypothetical we can’t bank on. He is a slam dunk dynasty pick though with Caleb Williams set to be his QB from Day 1.
10. Minnesota Vikings (Trade with Jets) — JJ McCarthy, QB, Michigan
However you feel about McCarthy, he landed in a great spot in Minnesota. Justin Jefferson by himself is enough to like this spot, but add in Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson and Aaron Jones and you have yourself a diverse set of playmakers to throw to. Add in a strong offensive line and there was no better spot he could have realistically landed.
Re-draft grade: A
Dynasty Grade: A
12. Denver Broncos — Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
Nix didn’t land in a great spot for fantasy right off the bat, but getting drafted 12th and being the presumptive starter in the NFL was a coup for the Oregon QB. Sean Payton’s quick, short passing offense fits Nix well, giving him some chance at success. But, his overall ability coupled with the Broncos lack of strong offensive playmakers could push Nix out of his starting job much sooner than they hope.
Re-draft grade: D
Dynasty Grade: C
13. Las Vegas Raiders — Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
Bowers was a Top 5 overall player for many draft analysts. His main drawback was his position, which likely kept him out of the Top 5. Sadly, he also landed in one of the worst spots possible. The Raiders don’t have a good quarterback and he’ll need to compete with Davante Adams, Jakobi Meyers, and recent TE draft pick Michael Mayer for targets.
Re-draft grade: C
Dynasty Grade: A
23. Jacksonville Jaguars (Trade with Vikings) — Brian Thomas Jr., WR, LSU
Thomas Jr. burst on the scene last year as a big play and touchdown maker for LSU. He landed in a good, but not great spot, as he’ll compete with Gabe Davis, Christian Kirk and Evan Engram for targets from Trevor Lawrence. He should develop into their No. 1 receiver, but at this point he’s got a lot of similarities with Davis as a deep threat without a comprehensive route tree.
Re-draft grade: C
Dynasty Grade: A-
28. Kansas City Chiefs (Trade with Bills) — Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
Worthy’s record-breaking 40 tie at the combine helped move him up some draft boards, but it’s not the only reason teams wanted to take him early. For the Chiefs, his speed is a big factor though, as last season, despite winning the Super Bowl, they were downright bad on deep pass plays. They’ve added Marquise Brown and Worthy, two speed guys to go along with Rasheed Rice, who could miss some time due to suspension.
Worthy might have trouble being a fantasy asset early on, but his upside is incredible with Patrick Mahomes throwing his way. He and Brown will help each other bust Cover 2 and open the Kansas City offense back up.
Re-draft grade: C
Dynasty Grade: A
31. San Francisco 49ers — Ricky Pearsall, WR, Florida
Pearsall fits the Shanahan offense well and once Deebo Samuel is gone, he should be in line for enough work to be a consistent fantasy producer in a strong offense. There is a slim chance that Samuel or Brandon Aiyuk are traded sooner than later, but at this point it’s just a slight possibility. Unless something happens there, Pearsall is going to have trouble being a fantasy asset this season.
Re-draft grade: D
Dynasty Grade: B
32. Carolina Panthers (Trade with Bills) — Xavier Legette, WR, South Carolina
Legette landed in a good spot for snaps, but he also will be in a poor offense with a quarterback who needs him to get open versus one who can consistently throw him open. And two of his target competitors, Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen, are good at getting open. Legette has plenty of athleticism and talent, but his route running leaves a lot to be desired. Hopefully they can manufacture touches for him, which will help, but getting consistent fantasy work that way can be tough.
Re-draft grade: D
Dynasty Grade: C
