Fantasy Football: Breece Hall, Kenneth Walker first rookies off the board in our first post-NFL Draft mock
Our first mock since the draft gives a look at how the rookies fit

The NFL Draft was crazy, which makes sense, since this offseason has been insane. No one apparently liked this quarterback class, while the rookie receivers were highly popular. And speaking of receivers, two stars were on the move in surprising trades in the first round when A.J. Brown was sent to Philadelphia and Marquise Brown to Arizona.
The latter move made some sense a few days later when we found out DeAndre Hopkins was suspended six games for violating the NFL's policy on performance-enhancing drugs. Just another eye-popping headline to add to the madness of the past few months.
Now, with the NFL Draft done, it's time for us to focus on the upcoming season and get you prepared for your Fantasy leagues. And that's why you're here.
This is our first 12-team, PPR mock draft following the NFL Draft. The puzzle of most NFL rosters is now complete, and we can give you a better idea of what your Fantasy drafts might look like.
The fun of this mock draft is to see where the rookies were drafted and the veterans impacted by the NFL Draft. For example, Breece Hall will be the first rookie selected in most leagues, and he went in Round 4 as the No. 18 running back off the board. I love that value for Hall, and I would consider him as early as Round 3. He should be the lead running back for the Jets ahead of Michael Carter.
Kenneth Walker was the next rookie off the board, and he went in Round 6. Again, I like that value for Walker, who should be the No. 1 running back for the Seahawks ahead of Rashaad Penny and Chris Carson, especially if both continue to battle injuries (Carson is currently still dealing with a neck injury).
Round 7 was when the rookie receivers started to come off the board, and Skyy Moore was the first one selected, which was a surprise. Treylon Burks, Drake London and Chris Olave were drafted right after Moore, and I like London and Burks the best of this class in redraft leagues.
In total, there were eight rookie running backs selected (Hall, Walker, James Cook, Dameon Pierce, Tyler Allgeier, Isaiah Spiller, Tyler Badie and Brian Robinson) and 11 rookie receivers (Moore, Burks, London, Olave, Garrett Wilson, Jameson Williams, Jahan Dotson, Jalen Tolbert, Alec Pierce, George Pickens and David Bell). None of rookie quarterbacks or tight ends were drafted, and those guys will likely only get selected in two-quarterback and Superflex leagues, as well as tight-end premium formats.
For the veterans, it was notable to see where A.J. Brown went following his trade to the Eagles, and he was still a second-round pick at No. 24 overall. He was the No. 11 receiver off the board, and that's the range he should go since he still has top-10 potential in Philadelphia.
Marquise Brown went in Round 5, and he should be considered the new No. 1 receiver for the Cardinals with Hopkins out. I like him in that range as a borderline No. 2 receiver.
Hopkins fell to Round 8, and that's the earliest I would consider drafting him. Along with the six-game absence, you have to be concerned that he's no longer an elite Fantasy receiver at 30, including coming back from last year's knee surgery.
Some other players who gained Fantasy value following the NFL Draft included James Conner (Round 2 here), Aaron Jones (Round 3), Darnell Mooney (Round 5) and Rashod Bateman (Round 6). Conner looks headed for a huge workload in Arizona, Jones should have a huge role in the passing game for the Packers, Mooney should dominate targets in Chicago and Bateman is now the new No. 1 receiver in Baltimore.
Some players who lost value following the NFL Draft include Antonio Gibson (Round 4 here), Amon-Ra St. Brown (Round 7), Elijah Moore (Round 7), Carter (Round 8) and Penny (Round 10). Gibson got some company in the Commanders' backfield with Robinson, as well as J.D. McKissic back in Washington, and Carter and Penny potentially got replaced in their backfields. The Lions added to their receiving corps this offseason with Jameson Williams and D.J. Chark, which is bad for St. Brown, and the Jets brought in Wilson, which lowers the value for Moore.
This mock draft was fun, and I like the way my team turned out. My first five picks felt like home runs in Najee Harris, D'Andre Swift, Michael Thomas, Brandin Cooks and Mooney, and I drafted Walker in Round 6. After taking Gabriel Davis and Tony Pollard next, I drafted another rookie in Dameon Pierce in Round 9, and he could be the lead running back for the Texans this year.
I added to my bench with Michael Gallup and Kenneth Gainwell next before finally drafting my tight end (Cole Kmet) in Round 12 and quarterback (Kirk Cousins) in Round 13. Kmet is another draft winner with the Bears having a barren receiving corps, and he's one of my favorite sleepers. And Cousins could have a career season under new coach Kevin O'Connell, and I'm going to love waiting for him with a late-round pick in all of my leagues this year.
In this league, all touchdowns are worth six points, and we award one point for every 10 yards rushing and receiving and one point for every 25 yards passing. We also award one point for every reception. We feature a starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE and FLEX (RB/WR/TE). There also are six reserve spots for a 14-round draft.
Our draft order is as follows:
1. Meron Berkson, CBS Sports HQ Producer
2. Jack Capotorto, CBS Sports HQ Producer
3. R.J. White, Managing Editor, SportsLine and CBS Fantasy
4. Adam Aizer, FFT Podcast Host
5. George Maselli, Fantasy Editor
6. Frank Stampfl, FBT Podcast Host
7. Daniel Schneier, Fantasy Editor
8. Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer
9. Jacobs Gibbs, SportsLine Fantasy Analyst
10. Scott Fish, Scott Fish Bowl
11. Chris Towers, Senior Editor, Fantasy
12. Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer
















