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USATSI

In a Dynasty start-up, one thing I preach is letting your first few picks determine the path of your team. If, after five rounds, your team looks like a redraft dominator, then I suggest doubling down and pushing towards a Year 1 win. Flags fly forever. On the other hand, if your team is full of young talent that is better in Dynasty than redraft, I suggest prioritizing youth moving forward and crossing certain vets off your draft list.

But not everyone learns in the same way. Some people can read instructions and follow them. Others need to actually see the mistakes being made before they fully grasp the concept. That's why the team you'll see that I drafted below looks so severely disjointed. Yeah, that's why. I was thinking of you guys.

The team started innocently enough. I took Justin Jefferson with the fifth pick of the draft, and took Jalen Hurts in Round 2 because this was a Superflex mock. After that pick I highlighted Matthew Stafford as the only quarterback I would take in Round 3 if he was still there. Stafford's safe floor was made more attractive by the volatility in Hurts' profile. I do absolutely believe Hurts has QB1 overall upside this season, but I also recognize Hurts could be one bad season away from losing his job. 

While the Stafford/Hurts combo made sense in that way, it didn't really help determine where this team fit in the two paths I laid out above. And D.J. Moore in Round 4 didn't help either. But when I got to Round 5, I saw a game-changer. Derrick Henry was still there. Drafting Derrick Henry gave me a top-five running back, two top-12 quarterbacks, my No. 2 wide receiver overall and another in the top 20. It was clearly time to put the pedal to the metal and win Year 1, right? 

That's not exactly the path I chose.

Sticking to my rankings, I took rookies with my next two picks in Garrett Wilson and Kenneth Walker. Now, I want to be clear: They were the best players on my board when I picked and I would go so far as to say that Wilson was a great value late in Round 6. But they may not help me win in 2022, and Henry may not have any Fantasy value after 2022.

If I had taken Marquise Brown over Wilson and James Conner over Walker, my team would be the clear favorite this year. And I'd still have plenty of youth to prevent the need for a complete overhaul. If we were playing this out, I may be tempted to use those guys or 2023 picks to make a push in-season for a title. Or, if I have a couple of injuries I'd be looking to deal Henry and the other older players to contenders for youth and picks.

As it stands, I have a good team in 2022 that could be great if a couple of rookies hit. It's not the worst of outcomes, but the uncertainty in which direction the roster is moving is one I try to avoid in Dynasty leagues. This team could end up in the middle in a variety of different ways, and there's no worse place to be.

Here are the analysts who participated in the mock draft:

Robby Jeffries, The Fantasy Authority
Ryan Weisse, Club Fantasy
R.J. White, CBS Fantasy
Faith Enes, Women of Fantasy Football
Heath Cummings, CBS Fantasy
Matt Renshaw, Dynasty Dads Podcast
Dave Richard, CBS Fantasy
Adam Aizer, CBS Fantasy
Frank Stampfl, CBS Fantasy
Ben Schragger, CBS Fantasy
Jamey Eisenberg, CBS Fantasy
Chris Towers, CBS Fantasy

And here are the results: 

Round By Round
Round 1
Pos Team Player
1 Robby Jeffries J. Allen QB BUF
2 Ryan Weisse P. Mahomes QB KC
3 R.J. White J. Herbert QB LAC
4 Faith Enes L. Jackson QB BAL
5 Heath Cummings J. Jefferson WR MIN
6 Matt Renshaw D. Prescott QB DAL
7 Dave Richard J. Chase WR CIN
8 Adam Aizer J. Taylor RB IND
9 Frank Stampfl K. Murray QB ARI
10 Ben Schragger C. Lamb WR DAL
11 Jamey Eisenberg N. Harris RB PIT
12 Chris Towers C. McCaffrey RB CAR
Round 2
Pos Team Player
13 Chris Towers J. Burrow QB CIN
14 Jamey Eisenberg K. Pitts TE ATL
15 Ben Schragger C. Kupp WR LAR
16 Frank Stampfl D. Watson QB CLE
17 Adam Aizer R. Wilson QB DEN
18 Dave Richard J. Williams RB DEN
19 Matt Renshaw D. Swift RB DET
20 Heath Cummings J. Hurts QB PHI
21 Faith Enes A. Ekeler RB LAC
22 R.J. White M. Andrews TE BAL
23 Ryan Weisse T. Lawrence QB JAC
24 Robby Jeffries J. Mixon RB CIN
Round 3
Pos Team Player
25 Robby Jeffries B. Hall RB NYJ
26 Ryan Weisse S. Diggs WR BUF
27 R.J. White D. Cook RB MIN
28 Faith Enes M. Evans WR TB
29 Heath Cummings M. Stafford QB LAR
30 Matt Renshaw T. Lance QB SF
31 Dave Richard A. Brown WR PHI
32 Adam Aizer T. Higgins WR CIN
33 Frank Stampfl D. Adams WR LV
34 Ben Schragger J. Waddle WR MIA
35 Jamey Eisenberg J. Fields QB CHI
36 Chris Towers C. Godwin WR TB
Round 4
Pos Team Player
37 Chris Towers D. Samuel WR SF
38 Jamey Eisenberg T. Hill WR MIA
39 Ben Schragger T. Tagovailoa QB MIA
40 Frank Stampfl A. Kamara RB NO
41 Adam Aizer T. Brady QB TB
42 Dave Richard D. Carr QB LV
43 Matt Renshaw D. Metcalf WR SEA
44 Heath Cummings D. Moore WR CAR
45 Faith Enes D. Montgomery RB CHI
46 R.J. White A. Cooper WR CLE
47 Ryan Weisse T. Kelce TE KC
48 Robby Jeffries Z. Wilson QB NYJ
Round 5
Pos Team Player
49 Robby Jeffries D. Johnson WR PIT
50 Ryan Weisse M. Pittman WR IND
51 R.J. White K. Allen WR LAC
52 Faith Enes J. Jacobs RB LV
53 Heath Cummings D. Henry RB TEN
54 Matt Renshaw N. Chubb RB CLE
55 Dave Richard A. Rodgers QB GB
56 Adam Aizer G. Kittle TE SF
57 Frank Stampfl S. Barkley RB NYG
58 Ben Schragger K. Cousins QB MIN
59 Jamey Eisenberg J. Winston QB NO
60 Chris Towers R. Tannehill QB TEN
Round 6
Pos Team Player
61 Chris Towers T. Burks WR TEN
62 Jamey Eisenberg T. McLaurin WR WAS
63 Ben Schragger D. London WR ATL
64 Frank Stampfl J. Jeudy WR DEN
65 Adam Aizer C. Sutton WR DEN
66 Dave Richard A. Jones RB GB
67 Matt Renshaw J. Dobbins RB BAL
68 Heath Cummings G. Wilson WR NYJ
69 Faith Enes H. Renfrow WR LV
70 R.J. White C. Akers RB LAR
71 Ryan Weisse A. Gibson RB WAS
72 Robby Jeffries T. Etienne RB JAC
Round 7
Pos Team Player
73 Robby Jeffries T. Hockenson TE DET
74 Ryan Weisse M. Brown WR ARI
75 R.J. White L. Fournette RB TB
76 Faith Enes M. Jones QB NE
77 Heath Cummings K. Walker III RB SEA
78 Matt Renshaw R. Bateman WR BAL
79 Dave Richard G. Davis WR BUF
80 Adam Aizer D. Smith WR PHI
81 Frank Stampfl E. Moore WR NYJ
82 Ben Schragger J. Conner RB ARI
83 Jamey Eisenberg B. Cooks WR HOU
84 Chris Towers C. Olave WR NO
Round 8
Pos Team Player
85 Chris Towers J. Williams WR DET
86 Jamey Eisenberg S. Moore WR KC
87 Ben Schragger C. Edwards-Helaire RB KC
88 Frank Stampfl A. St. Brown WR DET
89 Adam Aizer A. Dillon RB GB
90 Dave Richard D. Waller TE LV
91 Matt Renshaw J. Smith-Schuster WR KC
92 Heath Cummings D. Mooney WR CHI
93 Faith Enes Z. Ertz TE ARI
94 R.J. White M. Ryan QB IND
95 Ryan Weisse E. Elliott RB DAL
96 Robby Jeffries M. Williams WR LAC
Round 9
Pos Team Player
97 Robby Jeffries A. Robinson WR LAR
98 Ryan Weisse M. Thomas WR NO
99 R.J. White J. Goff QB DET
100 Faith Enes D. Harris RB NE
101 Heath Cummings E. Mitchell RB SF
102 Matt Renshaw K. Pickett QB PIT
103 Dave Richard T. Pollard RB DAL
104 Adam Aizer C. Watson WR GB
105 Frank Stampfl D. Hopkins WR ARI
106 Ben Schragger M. Sanders RB PHI
107 Jamey Eisenberg D. Singletary RB BUF
108 Chris Towers J. Cook RB BUF
Round 10
Pos Team Player
109 Chris Towers A. Okwuegbunam TE DEN
110 Jamey Eisenberg R. White RB TB
111 Ben Schragger D. Schultz TE DAL
112 Frank Stampfl C. Edmonds RB MIA
113 Adam Aizer T. Allgeier RB ATL
114 Dave Richard T. Lockett WR SEA
115 Matt Renshaw B. Aiyuk WR SF
116 Heath Cummings J. Dotson WR WAS
117 Faith Enes G. Pickens WR PIT
118 R.J. White M. Gallup WR DAL
119 Ryan Weisse P. Freiermuth TE PIT
120 Robby Jeffries C. Kirk WR JAC
Round 11
Pos Team Player
121 Robby Jeffries A. Lazard WR GB
122 Ryan Weisse C. Patterson RB ATL
123 R.J. White R. Jones RB KC
124 Faith Enes R. Woods WR TEN
125 Heath Cummings D. Goedert TE PHI
126 Matt Renshaw D. Mills QB HOU
127 Dave Richard R. Stevenson RB NE
128 Adam Aizer K. Hunt RB CLE
129 Frank Stampfl D. Pierce RB HOU
130 Ben Schragger J. Robinson RB JAC
131 Jamey Eisenberg A. Mattison RB MIN
132 Chris Towers I. Spiller RB LAC
Round 12
Pos Team Player
133 Chris Towers C. Claypool WR PIT
134 Jamey Eisenberg K. Toney WR NYG
135 Ben Schragger D. Jones QB NYG
136 Frank Stampfl R. Moore WR ARI
137 Adam Aizer J. Garoppolo QB SF
138 Dave Richard B. Robinson Jr. RB WAS
139 Matt Renshaw O. Beckham Jr. WR LAR
140 Heath Cummings C. Wentz QB WAS
141 Faith Enes M. Gesicki TE MIA
142 R.J. White M. Carter RB NYJ
143 Ryan Weisse M. Willis QB TEN
144 Robby Jeffries M. Mariota QB ATL
Round 13
Pos Team Player
145 Robby Jeffries M. Trubisky QB PIT
146 Ryan Weisse D. Ridder QB ATL
147 R.J. White A. Thielen WR MIN
148 Faith Enes T. McBride TE ARI
149 Heath Cummings C. Kmet TE CHI
150 Matt Renshaw M. Gordon RB DEN
151 Dave Richard D. Peoples-Jones WR CLE
152 Adam Aizer K. Golladay WR NYG
153 Frank Stampfl N. Fant TE SEA
154 Ben Schragger C. Ridley WR ATL
155 Jamey Eisenberg M. Corral QB CAR
156 Chris Towers K. Gainwell RB PHI
Round 14
Pos Team Player
157 Chris Towers M. Valdes-Scantling WR KC
158 Jamey Eisenberg D. Bell WR CLE
159 Ben Schragger J. Metchie III WR HOU
160 Frank Stampfl D. Knox TE BUF
161 Adam Aizer Z. White RB LV
162 Dave Richard R. Gage WR TB
163 Matt Renshaw I. Smith TE MIN
164 Heath Cummings K. Herbert RB CHI
165 Faith Enes T. Thornton WR NE
166 R.J. White D. Parker WR NE
167 Ryan Weisse R. Penny RB SEA
168 Robby Jeffries D. Henderson RB LAR
Round 15
Pos Team Player
169 Robby Jeffries J. Tolbert WR DAL
170 Ryan Weisse J. Meyers WR NE
171 R.J. White A. Pierce WR IND
172 Faith Enes D. Njoku TE CLE
173 Heath Cummings E. Benjamin RB ARI
174 Matt Renshaw J. Landry WR NO
175 Dave Richard J. Palmer WR LAC
176 Adam Aizer J. Jones WR TEN
177 Frank Stampfl T. Davis-Price RB SF
178 Ben Schragger N. Hines RB IND
179 Jamey Eisenberg K. Osborn WR MIN
180 Chris Towers B. Mayfield QB CLE
Round 16
Pos Team Player
181 Chris Towers D. Chark WR DET
182 Jamey Eisenberg R. Doubs WR GB
183 Ben Schragger R. Gronkowski TE TB
184 Frank Stampfl T. Patrick WR DEN
185 Adam Aizer M. Hardman WR KC
186 Dave Richard K. Shakir WR BUF
187 Matt Renshaw T. Boyd WR CIN
188 Heath Cummings T. Sermon RB SF
189 Faith Enes K. Drake RB LV
190 R.J. White R. Tonyan TE GB
191 Ryan Weisse K. Ingram RB ARI
192 Robby Jeffries D. Lock QB SEA
Round 17
Pos Team Player
193 Robby Jeffries G. Smith QB SEA
194 Ryan Weisse H. Henry TE NE
195 R.J. White M. Mack RB HOU
196 Faith Enes R. Mostert RB MIA
197 Heath Cummings W. Fuller WR MIA
198 Matt Renshaw J. Williams RB DET
199 Dave Richard J. Ross WR KC
200 Adam Aizer A. Rodgers WR GB
201 Frank Stampfl G. Edwards RB BAL
202 Ben Schragger M. Ingram RB NO
203 Jamey Eisenberg P. Strong Jr. RB NE
204 Chris Towers S. Michel RB MIA
Round 18
Pos Team Player
205 Chris Towers L. Thomas TE WAS
206 Jamey Eisenberg G. Dulcich TE DEN
207 Ben Schragger V. Jefferson WR LAR
208 Frank Stampfl J. McKissic RB WAS
209 Adam Aizer T. Higbee TE LAR
210 Dave Richard T. Badie RB BAL
211 Matt Renshaw H. Hurst TE CIN
212 Heath Cummings G. Minshew QB PHI
213 Faith Enes C. Uzomah TE NYJ
214 R.J. White S. Watkins WR GB
215 Ryan Weisse K. Williams RB LAR
216 Robby Jeffries S. Darnold QB CAR
Team by Team
Robby Jeffries
Rd Pk Player
1 1 J. Allen QB BUF
2 24 J. Mixon RB CIN
3 25 B. Hall RB NYJ
4 48 Z. Wilson QB NYJ
5 49 D. Johnson WR PIT
6 72 T. Etienne RB JAC
7 73 T. Hockenson TE DET
8 96 M. Williams WR LAC
9 97 A. Robinson WR LAR
10 120 C. Kirk WR JAC
11 121 A. Lazard WR GB
12 144 M. Mariota QB ATL
13 145 M. Trubisky QB PIT
14 168 D. Henderson RB LAR
15 169 J. Tolbert WR DAL
16 192 D. Lock QB SEA
17 193 G. Smith QB SEA
18 216 S. Darnold QB CAR
Ryan Weisse
Rd Pk Player
1 2 P. Mahomes QB KC
2 23 T. Lawrence QB JAC
3 26 S. Diggs WR BUF
4 47 T. Kelce TE KC
5 50 M. Pittman WR IND
6 71 A. Gibson RB WAS
7 74 M. Brown WR ARI
8 95 E. Elliott RB DAL
9 98 M. Thomas WR NO
10 119 P. Freiermuth TE PIT
11 122 C. Patterson RB ATL
12 143 M. Willis QB TEN
13 146 D. Ridder QB ATL
14 167 R. Penny RB SEA
15 170 J. Meyers WR NE
16 191 K. Ingram RB ARI
17 194 H. Henry TE NE
18 215 K. Williams RB LAR
R.J. White
Rd Pk Player
1 3 J. Herbert QB LAC
2 22 M. Andrews TE BAL
3 27 D. Cook RB MIN
4 46 A. Cooper WR CLE
5 51 K. Allen WR LAC
6 70 C. Akers RB LAR
7 75 L. Fournette RB TB
8 94 M. Ryan QB IND
9 99 J. Goff QB DET
10 118 M. Gallup WR DAL
11 123 R. Jones RB KC
12 142 M. Carter RB NYJ
13 147 A. Thielen WR MIN
14 166 D. Parker WR NE
15 171 A. Pierce WR IND
16 190 R. Tonyan TE GB
17 195 M. Mack RB HOU
18 214 S. Watkins WR GB
Faith Enes
Rd Pk Player
1 4 L. Jackson QB BAL
2 21 A. Ekeler RB LAC
3 28 M. Evans WR TB
4 45 D. Montgomery RB CHI
5 52 J. Jacobs RB LV
6 69 H. Renfrow WR LV
7 76 M. Jones QB NE
8 93 Z. Ertz TE ARI
9 100 D. Harris RB NE
10 117 G. Pickens WR PIT
11 124 R. Woods WR TEN
12 141 M. Gesicki TE MIA
13 148 T. McBride TE ARI
14 165 T. Thornton WR NE
15 172 D. Njoku TE CLE
16 189 K. Drake RB LV
17 196 R. Mostert RB MIA
18 213 C. Uzomah TE NYJ
Heath Cummings
Rd Pk Player
1 5 J. Jefferson WR MIN
2 20 J. Hurts QB PHI
3 29 M. Stafford QB LAR
4 44 D. Moore WR CAR
5 53 D. Henry RB TEN
6 68 G. Wilson WR NYJ
7 77 K. Walker III RB SEA
8 92 D. Mooney WR CHI
9 101 E. Mitchell RB SF
10 116 J. Dotson WR WAS
11 125 D. Goedert TE PHI
12 140 C. Wentz QB WAS
13 149 C. Kmet TE CHI
14 164 K. Herbert RB CHI
15 173 E. Benjamin RB ARI
16 188 T. Sermon RB SF
17 197 W. Fuller WR MIA
18 212 G. Minshew QB PHI
Matt Renshaw
Rd Pk Player
1 6 D. Prescott QB DAL
2 19 D. Swift RB DET
3 30 T. Lance QB SF
4 43 D. Metcalf WR SEA
5 54 N. Chubb RB CLE
6 67 J. Dobbins RB BAL
7 78 R. Bateman WR BAL
8 91 J. Smith-Schuster WR KC
9 102 K. Pickett QB PIT
10 115 B. Aiyuk WR SF
11 126 D. Mills QB HOU
12 139 O. Beckham Jr. WR LAR
13 150 M. Gordon RB DEN
14 163 I. Smith TE MIN
15 174 J. Landry WR NO
16 187 T. Boyd WR CIN
17 198 J. Williams RB DET
18 211 H. Hurst TE CIN
Dave Richard
Rd Pk Player
1 7 J. Chase WR CIN
2 18 J. Williams RB DEN
3 31 A. Brown WR PHI
4 42 D. Carr QB LV
5 55 A. Rodgers QB GB
6 66 A. Jones RB GB
7 79 G. Davis WR BUF
8 90 D. Waller TE LV
9 103 T. Pollard RB DAL
10 114 T. Lockett WR SEA
11 127 R. Stevenson RB NE
12 138 B. Robinson Jr. RB WAS
13 151 D. Peoples-Jones WR CLE
14 162 R. Gage WR TB
15 175 J. Palmer WR LAC
16 186 K. Shakir WR BUF
17 199 J. Ross WR KC
18 210 T. Badie RB BAL
Adam Aizer
Rd Pk Player
1 8 J. Taylor RB IND
2 17 R. Wilson QB DEN
3 32 T. Higgins WR CIN
4 41 T. Brady QB TB
5 56 G. Kittle TE SF
6 65 C. Sutton WR DEN
7 80 D. Smith WR PHI
8 89 A. Dillon RB GB
9 104 C. Watson WR GB
10 113 T. Allgeier RB ATL
11 128 K. Hunt RB CLE
12 137 J. Garoppolo QB SF
13 152 K. Golladay WR NYG
14 161 Z. White RB LV
15 176 J. Jones WR TEN
16 185 M. Hardman WR KC
17 200 A. Rodgers WR GB
18 209 T. Higbee TE LAR
Frank Stampfl
Rd Pk Player
1 9 K. Murray QB ARI
2 16 D. Watson QB CLE
3 33 D. Adams WR LV
4 40 A. Kamara RB NO
5 57 S. Barkley RB NYG
6 64 J. Jeudy WR DEN
7 81 E. Moore WR NYJ
8 88 A. St. Brown WR DET
9 105 D. Hopkins WR ARI
10 112 C. Edmonds RB MIA
11 129 D. Pierce RB HOU
12 136 R. Moore WR ARI
13 153 N. Fant TE SEA
14 160 D. Knox TE BUF
15 177 T. Davis-Price RB SF
16 184 T. Patrick WR DEN
17 201 G. Edwards RB BAL
18 208 J. McKissic RB WAS
Ben Schragger
Rd Pk Player
1 10 C. Lamb WR DAL
2 15 C. Kupp WR LAR
3 34 J. Waddle WR MIA
4 39 T. Tagovailoa QB MIA
5 58 K. Cousins QB MIN
6 63 D. London WR ATL
7 82 J. Conner RB ARI
8 87 C. Edwards-Helaire RB KC
9 106 M. Sanders RB PHI
10 111 D. Schultz TE DAL
11 130 J. Robinson RB JAC
12 135 D. Jones QB NYG
13 154 C. Ridley WR ATL
14 159 J. Metchie III WR HOU
15 178 N. Hines RB IND
16 183 R. Gronkowski TE TB
17 202 M. Ingram RB NO
18 207 V. Jefferson WR LAR
Jamey Eisenberg
Rd Pk Player
1 11 N. Harris RB PIT
2 14 K. Pitts TE ATL
3 35 J. Fields QB CHI
4 38 T. Hill WR MIA
5 59 J. Winston QB NO
6 62 T. McLaurin WR WAS
7 83 B. Cooks WR HOU
8 86 S. Moore WR KC
9 107 D. Singletary RB BUF
10 110 R. White RB TB
11 131 A. Mattison RB MIN
12 134 K. Toney WR NYG
13 155 M. Corral QB CAR
14 158 D. Bell WR CLE
15 179 K. Osborn WR MIN
16 182 R. Doubs WR GB
17 203 P. Strong Jr. RB NE
18 206 G. Dulcich TE DEN
Chris Towers
Rd Pk Player
1 12 C. McCaffrey RB CAR
2 13 J. Burrow QB CIN
3 36 C. Godwin WR TB
4 37 D. Samuel WR SF
5 60 R. Tannehill QB TEN
6 61 T. Burks WR TEN
7 84 C. Olave WR NO
8 85 J. Williams WR DET
9 108 J. Cook RB BUF
10 109 A. Okwuegbunam TE DEN
11 132 I. Spiller RB LAC
12 133 C. Claypool WR PIT
13 156 K. Gainwell RB PHI
14 157 M. Valdes-Scantling WR KC
15 180 B. Mayfield QB CLE
16 181 D. Chark WR DET
17 204 S. Michel RB MIA
18 205 L. Thomas TE WAS