A record 23 offensive players were drafted in Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft. There are still plenty left that Fantasy Football managers, particularly those who play Dynasty Fantasy Football, should be excited about. There are running backs and wide receivers who should be in Fantasy Football lineups for years to come. There may even be a couple of tight ends. The only position that feels set is quarterback, with Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye, Michael Penix, J.J. McCarthy, and Bo Nix all getting selected in the first half of Round 1. We will at least be watching where Spence Rattler lands, but not with the expectation he will be a starter in the NFL or any Fantasy Football league.
Below is a look at the players still available after Round 1 to whom Fantasy managers need to pay attention. We'll start with the position that didn't see any players selected in Round 1: running back.
Running back
We didn't expect any running backs to be drafted on Thursday night, but we expect that will change on Friday. What we don't have is a great feel for who will go on Day 2 and who will last until Day 3. That information will make all the difference when it comes to Dynasty rookie ADP.
Jonathon Brooks would be a surefire pick early on Friday night if he hadn't torn his ACL at Texas. While Brooks' recovery is reportedly going very well, he's not expected to be a full participant in his first NFL offseason. Brooks' production before 2023 was limited by the presence of Bijan Robinson and Roschon Johnson. When Brooks did get the opportunity last year, he hit the ground running. He averaged 6.1 yards per carry last season and topped 100 total yards in eight straight games. His eight-catch game against Houston highlights the fact that Brooks has the best three-down profile in this class. if Brooks goes to the Cowboys on Friday night he'll be a Round 1 rookie pick and top 20 Dynasty running back despite the ACL concerns. The fact that Brooks is only 20 years old is also a boon to his potential Dynasty value. Just get (and stay) healthy.
If Brooks has the most upside in the class, I'd say Trey Benson has the highest NFL Draft floor. If I had to pick a "most likely back to get drafted on Friday night", it would be Benson. He's also the back I give the best odds to be a must-start running back early in 2024, at least until we get draft capital and landing spot. While he wasn't quite as impressive or explosive as Brooks, Benson also showed three-down potential in his time at Florida State. And like Brooks, he's a first-round rookie pick if he lands in a favorable spot on Friday night.
Since Jim Harbaugh took the Chargers job we've speculated that he would draft Blake Corum, his former back at Michigan, on Day 2 of the NFL Draft. That speculation has cooled a bit now that the Ravens added both Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins. It appears they've favored Greg Roman's former backs over Harbaugh's. Still, that speculation points to a larger truth, Corum is likely to be a coach's favorite in the NFL, maybe even the kind of guys coaches like more than Fantasy managers. Expect Corum to be an early down back, maybe even a goal line specialist, but he probably won't be a 50-catch guy. Unless he's the first back off the board on Friday, I would expect Corum to settle into Round 2 of rookie drafts.
Other backs to watch for on Friday night: Jaylen Wright, Marshawn Lloyd, Braelon Allen
Deeper sleepers for Saturday: Audric Estime, Ray Davis, Bucky Irving
Top running back landing spots: Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals, Las Vegas Raiders
Wide receiver
In Round 1 we saw Marvin Harrison, Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze, Brian Thomas, Xavier Worthy, Ricky Pearsall, and Xavier Legette all come off the board. I would expect we will see even more pass catchers on Day 2. While I don't know who the first will be, I would bet on it being one of these guys.
Ladd McConkey could be taken as soon as the first pick of Friday night. The 22-year-old played second fiddle to Brock Bowers at Georgia the past couple of years, but more than made up for his lack of gaudy stats with an impressive combine. He's a better deep wide receiver than you might guess, averaging 15.9 yards per catch last year. If the Bills draft him in Round 2 he will vault ahead of some of the Round 1 wide receivers in rookie drafts. If he goes to a less desirable spot, he'll be a Round 2 value in rookie drafts.
Like McConkey, Adonai Mitchell had a teammate drafted in Round 1, Xavier Worthy. Mitchell is a polarizing prospect because the analytics aren't great but the physical profile is hard to ignore. He's still just 21 years old and he possesses 4.3 speed at 6-foot-2, 205 pounds. That last sentence alone was enough to have some people projecting Mitchell in Round 1, so it would be surprising if he isn't picked early on Friday evening. Mitchell will slot somewhere between pick 12 and pick 20 depending on how high he goes and how much we like his landing spot. Even early in Round 2 of rookie drafts, he's a boom-bust pick.
If McConkey helped his stock at the combine, Troy Franklin likely did not. He can absolutely fly and he caught 81 passes for 1,383 yards and 14 touchdowns at Oregon last year. But he has size concerns, and his Combine performance wasn't quite what he was hoping for. If Buffalo was willing to trade out of Round 1 when Worthy was available, it might be because they think Franklin is just as good. Or they may be looking for a bigger receiver like Mitchell. Expect Franklin to be a mid-second-round rookie pick unless he's picked very early on Friday. He's a very different receiver than Mitchell, but shares a boom-bust profile,
Other receivers to watch for on Friday night: Keon Coleman, Roman Wilson, Malachi Corley, Ja'Lynn Polk, Javon Baker
Deeper sleepers for Saturday: Malik Washington, Jermaine Burton, Johnny Wilson
Top wide receiver landing spots: Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Chargers, New England Patriots
Tight end
After Brock Bowers this draft class is full of questions with very few certain answers. If a tight end is drafted in Round 2 of the NFL Draft, then he will sneak into Round 2 of rookie drafts. More likely, these guys are going to be Round 3 picks or later. How you rank them depends on what you value. Theo Johnson has the best size-speed-athleticism. Ben Sinnott stands out when you contextualize his production within the Kansas State offense. Ja'Tavion Sanders passes the eye test. I lean toward Johnson before the draft, but even more than running back I am going to lean on draft capital and situational fit. I'm also going to be very hesitant to draft any of these guys in the top 30 picks of any rookie draft that isn't tight end premium.
Tight ends to watch for on Friday night: Theo Johnson, Ben Sinnott, Ja'Tavion Sanders, Tanner McLachlan, Cade Stover
Deeper sleepers for Saturday: Jaheim Bell, Erick All, Tip Reiman
Top tight end landing spots: Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Chargers, Indianapolis Colts
