The last time I wrote up one of these mock drafts I was lamenting the fact that my draft went haywire after I selected Derick Henry in Round 5 of a Superflex mock draft. That was not a problem in this one-quarterback draft, as Henry went at the end of the second round.
To be clear, my problem was not with taking Henry where I did. Also, I don't have a problem with him at the two-three turn (I have him 25th overall in this format). My problem before was that I drafted Henry and then took rookies with two of my next three picks. In this draft running backs went so early that I was really left with little choice but to build with wide receivers and youth.
Four of my first five picks were wide receivers who were drafted in the first round and will be 23 years old or younger at the start of the 2022 season. The other pick in that range was Josh Allen, who may have a longer window than all of them. This team was clearly built for the long haul.
My next two picks were Chiefs who could greatly increase their value this season in Clyde Edwards-Helaire and JuJu Smith-Schuster. Edwards-Helaire just turned 23 years old and looks primed to be the passing downs back with Ronald Jones joining the team (I drafted him too). Smith-Schuster won't turn 26 until November and may just be Patrick Mahomes' No. 1 wide receiver.
With five young receivers on the roster, I was essentially looking for two things in my running backs. Youngish guys who could greatly improve their stock this year like Edwards-Helaire and Jones, and rookies. Chase Edmonds doesn't really fit either mold, but he doesn't give me a second starter this year to go along with one of the Chiefs.
Later in the draft, I did draft a couple of veterans in Zach Ertz and Tom Brady, who may seem incongruent with this strategy. But it was the 14th and 15th rounds. There are two possible ways they could pay off big dividends. One, my team could be better than expected in Year 1 and they could help me compete for a title. Two, they could be trade chips to a contender at the deadline.
Here are the analysts who participated in this mock draft:
Mike Faiella, Dynasty League Football
Joel Cox, CBS Sports
Jay Felicio, Front Yard Fantasy
Dan Schneier, CBS Sports
Marco Enriquez, Dynasty Nerds
Donkey Teeth, Razzball
Heath Cummings, CBS Sports
Adam Aizer, CBS Sports
Troy King, Yahoo Sports
Alfredo Brown, Footballguys
Chris Towers, CBS Sports
Jamey Eisenberg, CBS Sports
And here are the results:
