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Fantasy football mock draft series: August takeaways

Fantasy football mock draft series: August takeaways

Fantasy football draft strategy tips and advice

Fantasy football mock draft series: August takeaways

By August 20, 2021 1:25 pm

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The fantasy football mock draft review for August is here, and we get a great comparison to July, with 11 of the 12 drafters being the same in each one.

We previously analyzed May and June with a different team of participants. For privacy of the upcoming publication that will include this draft, all team names and participants have been omitted.

Before getting into my individual picks, here are a few positional observations from this traditional 12-team, PPR draft.

  • Like in the June and July drafts, Patrick Mahomes was a third-round pick. He went 31st last month and 33rd in this draft. Mahomes and Josh Allen were the only two quarterbacks to go in the first four rounds in consecutive months, although we witnessed a pair of QBs come off the board in the first three picks of Round 5 of August’s draft. Eleven passers went in the first 100 picks last month. This time around, 10 QBs were chosen.
  • Nine of the Round 1 choices were running backs in both July and August. The position represented 14 of the first 24 chosen players — also the same as July. Among the first 100 picks, 38 running backs came off the board, down two from last month.
  • Wide receiver claimed 43 of the first 100 selections, also two fewer from July. Once again, among the 24 choices in Rounds 2 and 3, half went to the position.
  • Eight tight ends were chosen in the first 100 picks (Irv Smith Jr. was No. 101), and only two of them came off the board in the first 36 selections — a jump of seven spots for George Kittle (37th) in this draft.

Below is a snapshot of the first 10 rounds broken down by number of positional picks from both the July and August drafts, including the change by round and overall.

June draft results Au draft results Change +/-
Rnd QB RB WR TE Rnd QB RB WR TE QB RB WR TE
1 0 9 2 1 1 0 9 2 1 0 0 0 0
2 0 5 6 1 2 0 5 6 1 0 0 0 0
3 1 5 6 0 3 1 4 7 0 0 -1 1 0
4 1 5 5 1 4 1 2 7 2 0 -3 2 1
5 2 2 8 0 5 2 6 4 0 0 4 -4 0
6 2 3 3 4 6 1 5 4 2 -1 2 1 -2
7 2 7 3 0 7 4 2 5 1 2 -5 2 1
8 2 3 6 1 8 1 4 5 2 -1 1 -1 1
9 3 4 4 1 9 1 4 5 2 -2 0 1 1
10 1 0 8 3 10 1 4 7 0 0 4 -1 -3
Total 14 43 51 12 Total 12 45 52 11 -2 2 1 -1

As you can see, the first two rounds were identical for positional distribution. The third round mostly was the same, but once we made our way into Round 4, running backs took a hit. It didn’t last long, though, with four more backs going in the fifth than the July version. Overall, the positional variation was negligible. Quarterbacks regressed slightly in favor of running backs — really nothing of consequence to glean on the whole. It suggests you can wait a little longer on QBs, if nothing else.

Round-by-round picks

# Pick Player Tm Pos Drafter # Pick Player Tm Pos Drafter
1 1.1 Christian McCaffrey CAR RB Team 1 97 9.1 Jaylen Waddle MIA WR Team 1
2 1.2 Dalvin Cook MIN RB Team 2 98 9.2 DeVante Parker MIA WR Team 2
3 1.3 Ezekiel Elliott DAL RB Team 3 99 9.3 Nyheim Hines IND RB Team 3
4 1.4 Derrick Henry TEN RB Team 4 100 9.4 Antonio Brown TB WR Team 4
5 1.5 Alvin Kamara NO RB Team 5 101 9.5 Irv Smith Jr. MIN TE Team 5
6 1.6 Saquon Barkley NYG RB Team 6 102 9.6 Gus Edwards BAL RB Team 6
7 1.7 Aaron Jones GB RB Team 7 103 9.7 Ronald Jones II TB RB Team 7
8 1.8 Travis Kelce KC TE Team 8 104 9.8 AJ Dillon GB RB Team 8
9 1.9 Jonathan Taylor IND RB Team 9 105 9.9 Dallas Goedert PHI TE Team 9
10 1.10 Austin Ekeler LAC RB Team 10 106 9.10 Curtis Samuel WAS WR Team 10
11 1.11 Davante Adams GB WR Team 11 107 9.11 Jarvis Landry CLE WR Team 11
12 1.12 Tyreek Hill KC WR Team 12 108 9.12 Matt Ryan ATL QB Team 12
13 2.1 Stefon Diggs BUF WR Team 12 109 10.1 Jamaal Williams DET RB Team 12
14 2.2 Joe Mixon CIN RB Team 11 110 10.2 Tony Pollard DAL RB Team 11
15 2.3 Nick Chubb CLE RB Team 10 111 10.3 Will Fuller MIA WR Team 10
16 2.4 Antonio Gibson WAS RB Team 9 112 10.4 Darnell Mooney CHI WR Team 9
17 2.5 Najee Harris PIT RB Team 8 113 10.5 Jalen Hurts PHI QB Team 8
18 2.6 D.K. Metcalf SEA WR Team 7 114 10.6 Marquise Brown BAL WR Team 7
19 2.7 DeAndre Hopkins ARI WR Team 6 115 10.7 Corey Davis NYJ WR Team 6
20 2.8 Calvin Ridley ATL WR Team 5 116 10.8 Phillip Lindsay HOU RB Team 5
21 2.9 Clyde Edwards-Helaire KC RB Team 4 117 10.9 Laviska Shenault Jr. JAX WR Team 4
22 2.10 Darren Waller LV TE Team 3 118 10.10 Marvin Jones JAX WR Team 3
23 2.11 A.J. Brown TEN WR Team 2 119 10.11 Sterling Shepard NYG WR Team 2
24 2.12 Justin Jefferson MIN WR Team 1 120 10.12 David Johnson HOU RB Team 1
25 3.1 J.K. Dobbins BAL RB Team 1 121 11.1 Henry Ruggs III LV WR Team 1
26 3.2 Chris Carson SEA RB Team 2 122 11.2 Tevin Coleman NYJ RB Team 2
27 3.3 Miles Sanders PHI RB Team 3 123 11.3 Mike Williams LAC WR Team 3
28 3.4 Keenan Allen LAC WR Team 4 124 11.4 Kenyan Drake LV RB Team 4
29 3.5 Chris Godwin TB WR Team 5 125 11.5 Ryan Tannehill TEN QB Team 5
30 3.6 Terry McLaurin WAS WR Team 6 126 11.6 Chuba Hubbard CAR RB Team 6
31 3.7 Mike Evans TB WR Team 7 127 11.7 Cole Beasley BUF WR Team 7
32 3.8 CeeDee Lamb DAL WR Team 8 128 11.8 Elijah Moore NYJ WR Team 8
33 3.9 Patrick Mahomes KC QB Team 9 129 11.9 Tyler Higbee LAR TE Team 9
34 3.10 Allen Robinson CHI WR Team 10 130 11.10 J.D. McKissic WAS RB Team 10
35 3.11 Robert Woods LAR WR Team 11 131 11.11 Mecole Hardman KC WR Team 11
36 3.12 David Montgomery CHI RB Team 12 132 11.12 Joe Burrow CIN QB Team 12
37 4.1 George Kittle SF TE Team 12 133 12.1 Mike Gesicki MIA TE Team 12
38 4.2 Amari Cooper DAL WR Team 11 134 12.2 Trey Lance SF QB Team 11
39 4.3 Cooper Kupp LAR WR Team 10 135 12.3 Hunter Henry NE TE Team 10
40 4.4 Brandon Aiyuk SF WR Team 9 136 12.4 Kirk Cousins MIN QB Team 9
41 4.5 Tyler Lockett SEA WR Team 8 137 12.5 Justin Fields CHI QB Team 8
42 4.6 Josh Jacobs LV RB Team 7 138 12.6 Russell Gage ATL WR Team 7
43 4.7 Julio Jones TEN WR Team 6 139 12.7 Nelson Agholor NE WR Team 6
44 4.8 Josh Allen BUF QB Team 5 140 12.8 Los Angeles Rams LAR Def/ST Team 5
45 4.9 T.J. Hockenson DET TE Team 4 141 12.9 Trevor Lawrence JAX QB Team 4
46 4.10 Courtland Sutton DEN WR Team 3 142 12.10 T Y Hilton IND WR Team 3
47 4.11 D’Andre Swift DET RB Team 2 143 12.11 Latavius Murray NO RB Team 2
48 4.12 D.J. Moore CAR WR Team 1 144 12.12 Tua Tagovailoa MIA QB Team 1
49 5.1 Kyler Murray ARI QB Team 1 145 13.1 Evan Engram NYG TE Team 1
50 5.2 Kenny Golladay NYG WR Team 2 146 13.2 Jonnu Smith NE TE Team 2
51 5.3 Dak Prescott DAL QB Team 3 147 13.3 Derek Carr LV QB Team 3
52 5.4 Diontae Johnson PIT WR Team 4 148 13.4 Alexander Mattison MIN RB Team 4
53 5.5 Darrell Henderson LAR RB Team 5 149 13.5 Tre’Quan Smith NO WR Team 5
54 5.6 Chase Edmonds ARI RB Team 6 150 13.6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers TB Def/ST Team 6
55 5.7 Myles Gaskin MIA RB Team 7 151 13.7 Jared Cook LAC TE Team 7
56 5.8 Adam Thielen MIN WR Team 8 152 13.8 James White NE RB Team 8
57 5.9 Tee Higgins CIN WR Team 9 153 13.9 Christian Kirk ARI WR Team 9
58 5.10 Mike Davis ATL RB Team 10 154 13.10 Washington FB Team WAS Def/ST Team 10
59 5.11 Kareem Hunt CLE RB Team 11 155 13.11 Rashaad Penny SEA RB Team 11
60 5.12 Travis Etienne JAX RB Team 12 156 13.12 Justin Tucker BAL K Team 12
61 6.1 Javonte Williams DEN RB Team 12 157 14.1 Pittsburgh Steelers PIT Def/ST Team 12
62 6.2 Kyle Pitts ATL TE Team 11 158 14.2 Baltimore Ravens BAL Def/ST Team 11
63 6.3 Mark Andrews BAL TE Team 10 159 14.3 Ben Roethlisberger PIT QB Team 10
64 6.4 JuJu Smith-Schuster PIT WR Team 9 160 14.4 Boston Scott PHI RB Team 9
65 6.5 Chase Claypool PIT WR Team 8 161 14.5 Damien Williams CHI RB Team 8
66 6.6 Michael Thomas NO WR Team 7 162 14.6 Anthony Firkser TEN TE Team 7
67 6.7 James Robinson JAX RB Team 6 163 14.7 Harrison Butker KC K Team 6
68 6.8 Odell Beckham Jr. CLE WR Team 5 164 14.8 Jalen Reagor PHI WR Team 5
69 6.9 Trey Sermon SF RB Team 4 165 14.9 Javian Hawkins ATL RB Team 4
70 6.10 Damien Harris NE RB Team 3 166 14.10 Gerald Everett SEA TE Team 3
71 6.11 Russell Wilson SEA QB Team 2 167 14.11 Devontae Booker NYG RB Team 2
72 6.12 Michael Carter NYJ RB Team 1 168 14.12 San Francisco 49ers SF Def/ST Team 1
73 7.1 Deebo Samuel SF WR Team 1 169 15.1 Amon-Ra St. Brown DET WR Team 1
74 7.2 Noah Fant DEN TE Team 2 170 15.2 Tyler Bass BUF K Team 2
75 7.3 Brandin Cooks HOU WR Team 3 171 15.3 New England Patriots NE Def/ST Team 3
76 7.4 Ja’Marr Chase CIN WR Team 4 172 15.4 Buffalo Bills BUF Def/ST Team 4
77 7.5 Jerry Jeudy DEN WR Team 5 173 15.5 Adam Trautman NO TE Team 5
78 7.6 Aaron Rodgers GB QB Team 6 174 15.6 Emmanuel Sanders BUF WR Team 6
79 7.7 Lamar Jackson BAL QB Team 7 175 15.7 Younghoe Koo ATL K Team 7
80 7.8 Raheem Mostert SF RB Team 8 176 15.8 Indianapolis Colts IND Def/ST Team 8
81 7.9 Melvin Gordon DEN RB Team 9 177 15.9 Jason Sanders MIA K Team 9
82 7.10 Justin Herbert LAC QB Team 10 178 15.10 Ryan Succop TB K Team 10
83 7.11 Tom Brady TB QB Team 11 179 15.11 Sammy Watkins BAL WR Team 11
84 7.12 D.J. Chark JAX WR Team 12 180 15.12 Rhamondre Stevenson NE RB Team 12
85 8.1 DeVonta Smith PHI WR Team 12 181 16.1 Rondale Moore ARI WR Team 12
86 8.2 Zack Moss BUF RB Team 11 182 16.2 Greg Zuerlein DAL K Team 11
87 8.3 Robby Anderson CAR WR Team 10 183 16.3 Austin Hooper CLE TE Team 10
88 8.4 Michael Pittman Jr. IND WR Team 9 184 16.4 Kansas City Chiefs KC Def/ST Team 9
89 8.5 Tyler Boyd CIN WR Team 8 185 16.5 Matt Prater ARI K Team 8
90 8.6 Leonard Fournette TB RB Team 7 186 16.6 Miami Dolphins MIA Def/ST Team 7
91 8.7 Robert Tonyan GB TE Team 6 187 16.7 Deshaun Watson HOU QB Team 6
92 8.8 Devin Singletary BUF RB Team 5 188 16.8 Rodrigo Blankenship IND K Team 5
93 8.9 Matthew Stafford LAR QB Team 4 189 16.9 Daniel Carlson LV K Team 4
94 8.10 James Conner ARI RB Team 3 190 16.10 Joey Slye CAR K Team 3
95 8.11 Michael Gallup DAL WR Team 2 191 16.11 Denver Broncos DEN Def/ST Team 2
96 8.12 Logan Thomas WAS TE Team 1 192 16.12 Mason Crosby GB K Team 1

Results by position

Pos rank Pick Player Tm Pos Drafter Pos rank Pick Player Tm Pos Drafter
1 3.9 Patrick Mahomes KC QB Team 9 1 1.11 Davante Adams GB WR Team 11
2 4.8 Josh Allen BUF QB Team 5 2 1.12 Tyreek Hill KC WR Team 12
3 5.1 Kyler Murray ARI QB Team 1 3 2.1 Stefon Diggs BUF WR Team 12
4 5.3 Dak Prescott DAL QB Team 3 4 2.6 D.K. Metcalf SEA WR Team 7
5 6.11 Russell Wilson SEA QB Team 2 5 2.7 DeAndre Hopkins ARI WR Team 6
6 7.6 Aaron Rodgers GB QB Team 6 6 2.8 Calvin Ridley ATL WR Team 5
7 7.7 Lamar Jackson BAL QB Team 7 7 2.11 A.J. Brown TEN WR Team 2
8 7.10 Justin Herbert LAC QB Team 10 8 2.12 Justin Jefferson MIN WR Team 1
9 7.11 Tom Brady TB QB Team 11 9 3.4 Keenan Allen LAC WR Team 4
10 8.9 Matthew Stafford LAR QB Team 4 10 3.5 Chris Godwin TB WR Team 5
11 9.12 Matt Ryan ATL QB Team 12 11 3.6 Terry McLaurin WAS WR Team 6
12 10.5 Jalen Hurts PHI QB Team 8 12 3.7 Mike Evans TB WR Team 7
13 11.5 Ryan Tannehill TEN QB Team 5 13 3.8 CeeDee Lamb DAL WR Team 8
14 11.12 Joe Burrow CIN QB Team 12 14 3.10 Allen Robinson CHI WR Team 10
15 12.2 Trey Lance SF QB Team 11 15 3.11 Robert Woods LAR WR Team 11
16 12.4 Kirk Cousins MIN QB Team 9 16 4.2 Amari Cooper DAL WR Team 11
17 12.5 Justin Fields CHI QB Team 8 17 4.3 Cooper Kupp LAR WR Team 10
18 12.9 Trevor Lawrence JAX QB Team 4 18 4.4 Brandon Aiyuk SF WR Team 9
19 12.12 Tua Tagovailoa MIA QB Team 1 19 4.5 Tyler Lockett SEA WR Team 8
20 13.3 Derek Carr LV QB Team 3 20 4.7 Julio Jones TEN WR Team 6
21 14.3 Ben Roethlisberger PIT QB Team 10 21 4.10 Courtland Sutton DEN WR Team 3
22 16.7 Deshaun Watson HOU QB Team 6 22 4.12 D.J. Moore CAR WR Team 1
1 1.1 Christian McCaffrey CAR RB Team 1 23 5.2 Kenny Golladay NYG WR Team 2
2 1.2 Dalvin Cook MIN RB Team 2 24 5.4 Diontae Johnson PIT WR Team 4
3 1.3 Ezekiel Elliott DAL RB Team 3 25 5.8 Adam Thielen MIN WR Team 8
4 1.4 Derrick Henry TEN RB Team 4 26 5.9 Tee Higgins CIN WR Team 9
5 1.5 Alvin Kamara NO RB Team 5 27 6.4 JuJu Smith-Schuster PIT WR Team 9
6 1.6 Saquon Barkley NYG RB Team 6 28 6.5 Chase Claypool PIT WR Team 8
7 1.7 Aaron Jones GB RB Team 7 29 6.6 Michael Thomas NO WR Team 7
8 1.9 Jonathan Taylor IND RB Team 9 30 6.8 Odell Beckham Jr. CLE WR Team 5
9 1.10 Austin Ekeler LAC RB Team 10 31 7.1 Deebo Samuel SF WR Team 1
10 2.2 Joe Mixon CIN RB Team 11 32 7.3 Brandin Cooks HOU WR Team 3
11 2.3 Nick Chubb CLE RB Team 10 33 7.4 Ja’Marr Chase CIN WR Team 4
12 2.4 Antonio Gibson WAS RB Team 9 34 7.5 Jerry Jeudy DEN WR Team 5
13 2.5 Najee Harris PIT RB Team 8 35 7.12 D.J. Chark JAX WR Team 12
14 2.9 Clyde Edwards-Helaire KC RB Team 4 36 8.1 DeVonta Smith PHI WR Team 12
15 3.1 J.K. Dobbins BAL RB Team 1 37 8.3 Robby Anderson CAR WR Team 10
16 3.2 Chris Carson SEA RB Team 2 38 8.4 Michael Pittman Jr. IND WR Team 9
17 3.3 Miles Sanders PHI RB Team 3 39 8.5 Tyler Boyd CIN WR Team 8
18 3.12 David Montgomery CHI RB Team 12 40 8.11 Michael Gallup DAL WR Team 2
19 4.6 Josh Jacobs LV RB Team 7 41 9.1 Jaylen Waddle MIA WR Team 1
20 4.11 D’Andre Swift DET RB Team 2 42 9.2 DeVante Parker MIA WR Team 2
21 5.5 Darrell Henderson LAR RB Team 5 43 9.4 Antonio Brown TB WR Team 4
22 5.6 Chase Edmonds ARI RB Team 6 44 9.10 Curtis Samuel WAS WR Team 10
23 5.7 Myles Gaskin MIA RB Team 7 45 9.11 Jarvis Landry CLE WR Team 11
24 5.10 Mike Davis ATL RB Team 10 46 10.3 Will Fuller MIA WR Team 10
25 5.11 Kareem Hunt CLE RB Team 11 47 10.4 Darnell Mooney CHI WR Team 9
26 5.12 Travis Etienne JAX RB Team 12 48 10.6 Marquise Brown BAL WR Team 7
27 6.1 Javonte Williams DEN RB Team 12 49 10.7 Corey Davis NYJ WR Team 6
28 6.7 James Robinson JAX RB Team 6 50 10.9 Laviska Shenault Jr. JAX WR Team 4
29 6.9 Trey Sermon SF RB Team 4 51 10.10 Marvin Jones JAX WR Team 3
30 6.10 Damien Harris NE RB Team 3 52 10.11 Sterling Shepard NYG WR Team 2
31 6.12 Michael Carter NYJ RB Team 1 53 11.1 Henry Ruggs III LV WR Team 1
32 7.8 Raheem Mostert SF RB Team 8 54 11.3 Mike Williams LAC WR Team 3
33 7.9 Melvin Gordon DEN RB Team 9 55 11.7 Cole Beasley BUF WR Team 7
34 8.2 Zack Moss BUF RB Team 11 56 11.8 Elijah Moore NYJ WR Team 8
35 8.6 Leonard Fournette TB RB Team 7 57 11.11 Mecole Hardman KC WR Team 11
36 8.8 Devin Singletary BUF RB Team 5 58 12.6 Russell Gage ATL WR Team 7
37 8.10 James Conner ARI RB Team 3 59 12.7 Nelson Agholor NE WR Team 6
38 9.3 Nyheim Hines IND RB Team 3 60 12.10 T Y Hilton IND WR Team 3
39 9.6 Gus Edwards BAL RB Team 6 61 13.5 Tre’Quan Smith NO WR Team 5
40 9.7 Ronald Jones II TB RB Team 7 62 13.9 Christian Kirk ARI WR Team 9
41 9.8 AJ Dillon GB RB Team 8 63 14.8 Jalen Reagor PHI WR Team 5
42 10.1 Jamaal Williams DET RB Team 12 64 15.1 Amon-Ra St. Brown DET WR Team 1
43 10.2 Tony Pollard DAL RB Team 11 65 15.6 Emmanuel Sanders BUF WR Team 6
44 10.8 Phillip Lindsay HOU RB Team 5 66 15.11 Sammy Watkins BAL WR Team 11
45 10.12 David Johnson HOU RB Team 1 67 16.1 Rondale Moore ARI WR Team 12
46 11.2 Tevin Coleman NYJ RB Team 2 1 13.12 Justin Tucker BAL K Team 12
47 11.4 Kenyan Drake LV RB Team 4 2 14.7 Harrison Butker KC K Team 6
48 11.6 Chuba Hubbard CAR RB Team 6 3 15.2 Tyler Bass BUF K Team 2
49 11.10 J.D. McKissic WAS RB Team 10 4 15.7 Younghoe Koo ATL K Team 7
50 12.11 Latavius Murray NO RB Team 2 5 15.9 Jason Sanders MIA K Team 9
51 13.4 Alexander Mattison MIN RB Team 4 6 15.10 Ryan Succop TB K Team 10
52 13.8 James White NE RB Team 8 7 16.2 Greg Zuerlein DAL K Team 11
53 13.11 Rashaad Penny SEA RB Team 11 8 16.5 Matt Prater ARI K Team 8
54 14.4 Boston Scott PHI RB Team 9 9 16.8 Rodrigo Blankenship IND K Team 5
55 14.5 Damien Williams CHI RB Team 8 10 16.9 Daniel Carlson LV K Team 4
56 14.9 Javian Hawkins ATL RB Team 4 11 16.10 Joey Slye CAR K Team 3
57 14.11 Devontae Booker NYG RB Team 2 12 16.12 Mason Crosby GB K Team 1
58 15.12 Rhamondre Stevenson NE RB Team 12 1 12.8 Los Angeles Rams LAR Def/ST Team 5
1 1.8 Travis Kelce KC TE Team 8 2 13.6 Tampa Bay Buccaneers TB Def/ST Team 6
2 2.10 Darren Waller LV TE Team 3 3 13.10 Washington FB Team WAS Def/ST Team 10
3 4.1 George Kittle SF TE Team 12 4 14.1 Pittsburgh Steelers PIT Def/ST Team 12
4 4.9 T.J. Hockenson DET TE Team 4 5 14.2 Baltimore Ravens BAL Def/ST Team 11
5 6.2 Kyle Pitts ATL TE Team 11 6 14.12 San Francisco 49ers SF Def/ST Team 1
6 6.3 Mark Andrews BAL TE Team 10 7 15.3 New England Patriots NE Def/ST Team 3
7 7.2 Noah Fant DEN TE Team 2 8 15.4 Buffalo Bills BUF Def/ST Team 4
8 8.7 Robert Tonyan GB TE Team 6 9 15.8 Indianapolis Colts IND Def/ST Team 8
9 8.12 Logan Thomas WAS TE Team 1 10 16.4 Kansas City Chiefs KC Def/ST Team 9
10 9.5 Irv Smith Jr. MIN TE Team 5 11 16.6 Miami Dolphins MIA Def/ST Team 7
11 9.9 Dallas Goedert PHI TE Team 9 12 16.11 Denver Broncos DEN Def/ST Team 2
12 11.9 Tyler Higbee LAR TE Team 9
13 12.1 Mike Gesicki MIA TE Team 12
14 12.3 Hunter Henry NE TE Team 10
15 13.1 Evan Engram NYG TE Team 1
16 13.2 Jonnu Smith NE TE Team 2
17 13.7 Jared Cook LAC TE Team 7
18 14.6 Anthony Firkser TEN TE Team 7
19 14.10 Gerald Everett SEA TE Team 3
20 15.5 Adam Trautman NO TE Team 5
21 16.3 Austin Hooper CLE TE Team 10

My team

1:04) RB Derrick Henry, Tennessee Titans: At No. 4, I was fully expecting to take Ezekiel Elliott, so King Henry was a pleasant surprise. He will see a significant statistical decline from last year’s ridiculous numbers, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t fully worthy of the No. 4 selection. It is, though, a reason why I went deeper at RB than usual in a draft of this size.

2:09) RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire, Kansas City Chiefs: CEH was a darling last year and didn’t quite get it clicking as most had hoped to see. In 2021, with another year of learning and a more practical offseason program to aid his maturation, Edwards-Helaire has low-end RB1 upside. Nice value here, if I do say so myself.

3:04) WR Keenan Allen, Los Angeles Chargers: Basically a lock to near 100 receptions, Allen is a PPR powerhouse and should once again thrive. Quarterback Justin Herbert has benefited from more time to polish his skills and knowledge of the game, making his top receiver a safe buy as my lead guy.

4:09) TE T.J. Hockenson, Detroit Lions: While Hockenson may have been a touch on the early side here, I wasn’t enamored with any of the options at wide receiver and was already off to a strong start at RB. I pivoted in a way not normal to my drafting preferences and chose the tight end — effectively Detroit’s No. 1 receiver — and decided to punt on the position the rest of the way.

5:04) WR Diontae Johnson, Pittsburgh Steelers: Landing Hock a round ago actually worked out pretty well. Johnson is an ascending talent in an offense that should keep him plenty busy underneath. He rarely will see double-teams, and I strongly believe we didn’t see his ceiling last year.

6:09) RB Trey Sermon, San Francisco 49ers: There is no running back I rather gamble on in 2021 drafts than the rookie. I’m not convinced Raheem Mostert will be even the “1a” of the backfield, and his durability concerns could make Sermon as close to a workhorse as possible in a Kyle Shanahan offense.

7:04) WR Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals: I’ve been lukewarm on Chase’s draft placement much of the offseason, so this choice was a slight gamble on his chemistry with Joe Burrow. I have stability with Allen as my WR1 and a player whose weekly returns may wildly fluctuate with Johnson as my second. Chase could bring that “wow” factor to my receiving corps, although it means wideout depth must remain a focus over the next few rounds.

8:09) QB Matthew Stafford, Los Angeles Rams: The weaponry and system are in place for Stafford to be dominant. Even though Round 8 may be a hair on the early side for my usual QB-drafting tastes, I wasn’t going to miss out on him after nine other QBs had been chosen.

9:04) WR Antonio Brown, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Still not terribly satisfied with my receivers and seeing a reasonable number of remaining RB4 targets on the board, AB is an intriguing risk-reward option. There’s clearly a chemistry between he and Tom Brady, and the veteran receiver was on pace for 90 grabs a year ago after having to come in cold from a lengthy layoff. I tend to prefer him in best-ball formats, but Brown would be a strong starter if something were to happen to Mike Evans or Chris Godwin.

10:09) WR Laviska Shenault Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars: Shenault was debated when I took Brown in the last round, so even though I still felt the need to add running back depth, the calculated decision to wait on the position brought the second-year Jaguar onto my roster. I’m not crazy about DJ Chark Jr.’s durability at this point, and we saw enough from the versatile Shenault as a rookie to expect a notable leap in Year 2.

11:04) RB Kenyan Drake, Las Vegas Raiders: I was expecting one of Drake, Chuba Hubbard, J.D. McKissic and Latavius Murray to be available for me. All of them were waiting for me. While McKissic was ranked the highest on my board, Drake’s situation appealed more to me based on my roster composition. If (when?) Josh Jacobs gets hurt, I have a proven back in a run-heavy system getting thrust into a starting role. I love McKissic’s receiving chops, though he’s not going to be much more than that if Antonio Gibson were to miss time.

12:09) QB Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville Jaguars: Tua Tagovailoa and Ben Roethlisberger were the other targets here. It really was a coin flip between Big Ben and Lawrence, though. I feel pretty good about betting Lawrence will safely finish inside the top 15, which is probably Roethlisberger’s ceiling.

13:04) RB Alexander Mattison, Minnesota Vikings: Even though I didn’t draft Dalvin Cook, seeing Mattison here this late made me excited about my RB5 — not something that usually happens in a competitive draft. All it takes is one significant injury to Minnesota’s workhorse and I have a weekly RB2 or better ready for deployment.

14:09) RB Javian Hawkins, Atlanta Falcons: Just as the July mock draft saw me take Hawkins, yet again I couldn’t pass on his upside in PPR. This time, I snagged him two rounds later and as my RB6 instead of fifth. Hawkins has enjoyed a productive offseason and will be in the mix.

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