By Will Harper
Fantasy Football never stops. It definitely slows down at times, but it never actually stops. This is even more-so the case in a Dynasty league. For those unaware, a Dynasty format of fantasy football is a lot different than your normal, draft-a-new-team-every-Fall, Fantasy Football league. In a Dynasty format, you have a start-up draft where you pick your team, just like normal, but that team doesn’t leave you after championship weekend. That team sticks with you. The players that you draft and pick up from the waiver wire are yours to keep until you either trade them or drop them. Every year, there is a subsequent Rookie draft where each Fantasy manager brings in a new crop of talent. Since you’ve never seen any of these guys take the field against NFL competition, there is a good deal of risk and reward with every pick.
I am the commissioner of the League Of Ordinary Gentlemen, a Dynasty Fantasy Football league like I just described above. We are entering into our third season, and this offseason, we are expanding from a 10-team league to a 12-team league. Nick, the creator of Backyard Catch, is a co-founder of this league with me. We decided to publish #content for the league on Backyard Catch this year so that league members can follow along with what’s going on in an official format (GroupMe, Slack, group text, etc. are cool and all, but actually going to a website is so much cooler). If you’re not in the league but still want to follow along, by all means, come join us!
With that being said, our league has just had our season-end meeting and draft lottery. We put all of our teams that didn’t make the playoffs into a lottery to determine the top 6 draft positions. For the teams that make the playoffs, your draft position is determined by your finish in the playoffs, just like the NFL (champion picks 12th, runner-up 11th, etc). I’ve put together an initial first round mock draft. A lot can change once these guys are actually drafted by an NFL team, but these are my predictions right now based on talent. Keep in mind too, that we are a super FLEX league, which means that we have one super FLEX position where you can play a second quarterback. Since QB is usually the highest scoring position on a week-to-week basis, having 2-3 good quarterbacks is extremely important. That’s why you will see some QBs so high in this draft.
1. Ware Shoals Catfish- Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson
The QB from Clemson is going to go first overall in the NFL draft, and he’s going to go first overall in our draft as well. He has a couple of factors going for him here to make him the first pick. Number one, the manager of the Catfish, Matt, is a Clemson grad and fan. Check. The Catfish have one young stud at QB already in Kyler Murray, so adding a second would be a huge foundational move heading into a super FLEX position. Check. The Jaguars, Lawrence’s future NFL team, surprisingly already has some really good, young talent waiting on him in key skill positions. DJ Chark and Laviska Shenault Jr. are really good options at WR and James Robinson was a breakout start at RB this past season. Check. The defense is… not optimal so they will depend on the offense to score a lot to try to keep them in games. Check. This looks like a slam dunk pick here for the Fish.
2. Columbia Ninjas (via Indian Land Hounds)- Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson
I’ll start this off by saying that honestly, I don’t think that this will end up being the pick. I know you’re asking, “so why are you predicting it now then?” Well, Jimmy is openly trying to move Lamar Jackson. If he does, I think that there is a certain QB from Ohio State that he would pick right here. If the Ninjas hold on to Jackson, he’s going to get offered a bounty to trade down a few spots so that someone else can draft Fields. However, none of that comes to pass and Jimmy holds on to this pick, Etienne would be a huge pickup. The Clemson star didn’t lose anything in draft stock by coming back for his senior year. The Ninjas would pair him with Jonathan Taylor to form a dynamic young RB duo that could wreak havoc on the Central division for years to come.
3. Fort Mill Flyers- Devonta Smith, WR, Alabama
The Fort Mill Flyers are the first of our two expansion franchises. By the time that draft day rolls around, the Flyers will have a starting roster of 12 players, but this is the first chance that Max will get to bring in a true foundational star. The reigning Heisman Trophy winner is a fantastic player to build on. The best WR in college football last year will more than likely find his way into being an NFL team’s top receiver next season. He should slide into the Flyers’ roster as it’s WR1, even next season in his rookie year. A reunion with Tua, Smith’s former college QB at Alabama, in Miami would be an ideal landing spot for Smith. However, no matter where Smith lands, he has the pedigree, speed, and route running to succeed anywhere.
4. Queen City Dragons- Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
Playing off of my Etienne selection at 1.2, I don’t think that Fields will actually go here at 4. I think that either the Ninjas will ultimately select him or a team will trade up to get him. However, if he is still on the board when the Dragons select at 4, Hank will full-on sprint to the podium to make this pick. The Dragons may already be bringing one of the strongest WR cores into next season. They have some RBs that disappointed this season in Zeke, Kenyan Drake, and Ronald Jones that could easily bounce back next year. QB is the obvious weak spot for the Dragons. The Joe Burrow selection last year looks like a good one, but he may not play next season, pending on the timeline for recovering from his leg injuries. That leaves Baker as the only real QB option that the Dragons have right now. Adding Fields would be monumental for Hank and the Dragons.
5. Columbia Ninjas- Ja’Marr Chase, WR, LSU
Ja’Marr Chase was the best receiver on the LSU roster two seasons ago when the Tigers brought home the championship and an undefeated season. He was only a true Sophomore at the time without the option to go to the NFL. He decided to sit out this past season to focus on the 2021 NFL Draft. He was probably, and may still be, the favorite to be the top WR taken in the draft. Devonta Smith will challenge that claim, but Chase should still be a top 10 pick. Chase is listed at 6-1 and 200 pounds, but he plays bigger than that. He would join a Ninjas receiving core that already includes promising guys like DK Metcalf, Hollywood Brown, and CeeDee Lamb, and TE Zeus himself, Travis Kelce.
6. Belmont Barrelmen- Zach Wilson, QB, BYU
The Barrelmen are the second of our two new expansion franchises. The Barrelmen really got the short straw when they ended up earning the worst spot in the draft lottery. But will Chad S. actually end up having a diamond fall into his lap? Zach Wilson, for those unaware, is a QB from BYU that has tons of upside. So much so, that he has a legitimate chance to be the second QB taken in the NFL draft over Justin Fields. Like the Flyers, the Barrelmen will already have 12 guys by the time that draft day rolls around, but Wilson will become the star of Belmont. If a team like the Panthers or Falcons were to draft Wilson, he may not start from day one because of the incumbent QBs for those franchises, but Wilson would have all the weapons around him that he would need to succeed at either one of those NFC South teams.
7. Greenville Griffins- Najee Harris, RB, Alabama
Now, we get into the playoff teams from a year ago. The Griffins won it all in year one, and came up a few games short having a chance to defend the crown in year two. Last year, the Griffins added Clemson star Tee Higgins to round out a dynamic WR group that includes Adam Thielen, Allen Robinson, and AJ Brown. This year, I think that Nick will take a dominant RB, in Alabama stud, Najee Harris. Najee is a little bit older than you’d like in a rookie RB. He’s older than a handful of RBs that have already spent one year in the league. However, that shouldn’t matter to the Griffins. They’ll have Dalvin Cook and Saquon coming back from injury. Adding Harris will solidify that RB room and make them a favorite in the West.
8. Old Town Bucks- Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida
I think that it’s safe to say that the Bucks won the draft last year. Chad T. picked up De’Andre Swift, Justin Jefferson, and Antonio Gibson in the three round Rookie draft. All three of those guys should end up being Franchise Tags for the Bucks and foundational pieces for years to come. So how will he follow it up this year? Answer: Kyle Pitts. Pitts was by far, the best TE in college football last year. He reminded me a lot of what Jimmy Graham did in the NFL in his prime. He’s a huge, fast, unguardable receiver that luckily plays a position that is usually a dumpster fire. Pitts has a legit chance to be a top 5 TE next season (pending NFL team), and an overall TE1 guy in a few years once he hits his mid-late twenties. Pitts would be a perfect option for Gronk to pass the torch to on the Bucks’ roster.
9. Charlotte Storm- Javonte Williams, RB, North Carolina
The Storm should be in the market here for a RB with this pick. Derrick Henry is the top guy for this team, but he needs a sidekick. Brad had to work his lineup around this year to try to find a dependable second RB. Javonte Williams has the chance to solve this riddle for the Storm. The RB out of UNC has the size, speed, and vision to become a very good NFL player. Depending on his landing spot in the NFL, he should get some work from day one and could slide into Brad’s RB2 slot to give Henry the help that he needs.
10. Hartsville Thundercats- Jaylen Waddle, WR, Alabama
Devonta Smith was the WR1 for Alabama, but Jaylen Waddle was the “speed” guy. I’ve seen his speed first hand in Columbia, SC during the 2019 season. The guy can seriously move. If he ends up somewhere creative that will find ways to use that speed, he can be the steal of this draft. Justin can look to add more RB talent here as well, but the upside of Jaylen Waddle here should be too much to pass up. He will join a solid WR group that already includes Calvin Ridley and Brandon Aiyuk, and will look to make the Cats the favorite in the East.
11. Rock Hill Wolves- Kenneth Gainwell, RB, Memphis
“Who? Who is this guy?” That’s probably what you’re asking yourself right now. I was as well before I did a little research on him. You fantasy players will remember Antonio Gibson’s rise up draft boards last season, and here is your guy for 2021. In fact, Gainwell is the reason that Gibson had so few carries in college. In 2019 while at Memphis, Gainwell had over 2,000 combined rushing and receiving yards and 16 combined touchdowns. He sat out the 2020 season due to COVID concerns, and finds himself as a diamond in the rough heading into the 2021 draft. He would join a RB room that already includes James Robinson and Aaron Jones, but needs a dependable third guy. That guy could very well be “Kenny G.” Last year, I took Ke’Shawn Vaughn in the first round of this draft, so here’s my chance to redeem myself.
12. Travelers Rest Tankers- Kadarius Toney, WR, Florida
The defending champs had a heroic performance by Stefon Diggs on Monday Night Football to bring home the championship against my Wolves. However, Ryan’s WR group behind Diggs could use some improvement heading into 2021. The speedster for Florida could help improve that group. Toney teamed up with Pitts to form a dynamic duo for the Gators. They even made Kyle Trask a legit Heisman candidate. I think that this pick really depends on landing spot. If Toney goes to a team like the Packers or Saints, a good team that needs more good WRs, he’ll have back-end of first round value. If he goes somewhere that already has 2 or 3 good options, he could find himself still on the Tankers roster, just one round later.
BONUS PICK
14. Indian Land Hounds- Terrace Marshall Jr., WR, LSU
Since the Hounds traded their first round pick to the Ninjas two seasons ago in the CMC trade, Spencer doesn’t have a first rounder this year. I made the graphic and really wanted to use it. I’m projecting Terrace Marshall Jr. from LSU to go to him in the second round.