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[Dynasty] 2025 NFL Draft Class (2 Viewers)

sushinsky4tsar said:
joey said:
sushinsky4tsar said:
rockaction said:
Wigglytuff's Gruff said:
Tahj Brooks rated insanely high by Matt Waldman.

RB3 overall and a higher grade than any RB in the last 3 years outside of Jeanty, Bijan, Judkins.
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How's the RSP this year? I have no picks so I'm not sure what to do, but I almost always buy it. Any other surprises (don't necessarily need to tell me) that should push me over the edge? It's a great product; it's just that money's tight right now. I still think I'll swing it regardless.
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For the sake of protecting my dynasty team, I'm out this year. If I pay it, I think I'll be more likely to action his big opinions. Not a hater, just a frustrated dynasty owner that has put a lot of stock into his evaluations over the past 5 years, and it really hasn't worked out well in recent years. I was truly charmed early on by the depth and obvious amounts of effort that went into truly independent evaluations. If you want to learn about every prospect under the sun so that you have some frame of reference when an undrafted FA pops off for a big game two years into his career, then it's a great value and well worth its annual purchase.

In my case, if I'm honest, I'm ultimately buying the thing as a secret weapon for my fantasy rookie draft. The reality is that actioning some of his bigger opinions relative to consensus or NFL draft capital has done some damage, particularly at the top of rookie drafts. I'm still interested in his opinions and will be listening to his A-Z podcasts. You won't necessarily learn where he has these guys ranked like you will in the RSP, but you definitely get an idea of how in or out he is most players. Planning to largely take the hot takes with a true grain of salt this year. If I'm at a true 50/50 decision based on NFL draft capital or consensus, then it maybe helps make the decision.

I re-listened to his 2024 A-Z for the QB position. He was pretty spot on with Bo Nix. Penix was his big endorsement (tbd). Pretty lukewarm on Daniels, but acknowledged the potential to be a good fantasy qb. He was very clearly out on Maye. Pretty much where everyone else was on Caleb Williams.


Some of my notes that I jotted down from his 2023 A-Z for the RB position:

Christian Beal-Smith - Creative, split time with K Walker at Wake, some McCoy to his game, but probably more of an Eno Benjamin plus, one of the more intriguing prospects

DeShawn Fenwick - some Fournette, but not explosive enough, on the outskirts

Deuce Vaughn - Not CMC, but does things in the same way as Sproles, miniature version of Marshawn Lynch, gap runner, comfortable in high traffic, weaves through tight lanes, efficient on dynamic movements. Only issue is that he's small. Can he be more than just a gadget?

Achane - straight line, bend and cutting. First impression, not powerful or creative, but saw more of it the deeper he went. LaMIchael James comparison, from when the NFL was not spreading the field. Committee option like Gainwell, or a bigger role?

Very meh evaluations on McBride, Abanikanda, Gray [good calls].

Hull - Jeff Wilson vibes, better zone than gap, reserve, but might have enough to be more

Gibbs - needs to press blocks longer, to quick to cutback, needs to clean up pass protection

McLaughlin - Has the game that people think they're getting with Gibbs. A more explosive version of Gibbs, but not sure he can hold up at 183 lbs.

Keaton Mitchell - Doesn't press blocks well, dynamic with moves, can play in space, not good in traffic

Kendre Miller - Lamar Miller comp, smooth, power and vision, can be a starter, but wants to see how explosive

Roschon - Intrigued, reasons to believe he could be an nfl starter

Toa Taua (nevada) - footwork, acceleration, and power to contribute at next level, but want to see the acceleration test out, could be one of the most surprising RBs of the cleass

Tyjae Spears - Which NFL team will be charged with grand larceny within 24 months of the draft?
**Spears was the thumbnail and clearly seemed to be the RB he was most in on from this draft class based purely on this podcast. Not sure if he actually had him above Gibbs in the RSP ranking.

Charbonnet - Arian Foster starter kit after seeing the combine metric. Slow back with good feet.

Z Evans - As good, if not better at some facets of running the football than BIJAN



Some good evaluations in here, along with some that didn't work out so well. However, if you're a huge believer like I have been, I could definitely see actioning some of these opinions in a way that could do a lot of damage at the top of your draft. Maybe leveraging the 1.2 to let someone else select Gibbs. I could see passing on Achane to nab Spears, Kendre Miller, or even Roschon. Likewise, I could also see someone passing on Jayden Daniels early in a round 1 superflex last year, or punting on a prime spot to draft Maye.

At the end of the day, the lesson for me has been NFL draft capital is king, lacking any obvious reasons to the contrary. Waldman is nothing more than one more guy's opinion. I do value the fact that's it's truly an independent observation based on a lot of hard work. With that said, the days of blind faith where I'm passing on a chance to draft Rhamondre Stevenson in round 3 of a rookie draft because of Khalil Herbert's Dalvin Cook-like curvilinear lines are over. Also, won't have any hesitations about Hampton as RB9 if the NFL says he's worthy of a late 1st / early 2nd.
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Great post. Thanks.

Honestly, this is why I’ve moved to a more “consensus” approach for rookie rankings over the past decade. I look at a few key ranking (FBG, PFF, KTC) and just go with the Wisdom of the Crowds…especially since I watch ZERO tape or college ball on any of these rookies.

Some might say that this takes the fun out of it by following someone else’s advice, but I know my limitations and I know how much roster management, waiver moves and trades lead to overall success, so I don’t stress out worrying that I don’t know much about these rookies.
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I definitely loved the idea of having that one most trusted fantasy analyst that was going to help me "beat" the draft. In the long run, I definitely would have been better off drafting chalk. In theory, I still think he's a really great source to gather a list of deep sleepers that I can actually get excited about drafting in round 4 or 5 of the rookie draft. In practice, I have used my final roster roster spots on many of these Waldman favorites and I'm still waiting for one to actually pop and offer value.
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Also been a Waldman guy for many years now; before I even started coming to these boards. I will say, of all his evals over the years, I think RB has always been his weakest position to correlate to fantasy success. I think he leans with a huge bias towards what NFL teams are looking for over what will pop for fantasy; which makes sense considering the work he did as an actual NFL scout. Of course sometimes there is some correlation here. Obviously an NFL team friendly RB could be on the field more, get more touches, and result in more fantasy scoring. But he's said himself he doesn't care as much about long speed or big play ability (as the opportunities for such over the course of an NFL season are seriously low with how defensive schemes are and how much better NFL defenders are than college) and IMO, also does not give the pass catching boost to RB grades anyone who plays in a PPR league should be doing.

Even this year, he's been negging this entire RB class for over a month now. A few weeks ago Bob Harris brought up Henderson, and Waldman couldn't pronounce his name and seemed as though he'd never heard of him. Maybe that was a shtick, but his RB draft class review had him mispronouncing the names of a lot of the guys we'd consider backs in the 6-15 range for fantasy and again being very low on them compared to consensus. Meanwhile Tahj Brooks is his RB3 (likely because he's largely graded as the best pass blocking back in the draft).

Still love his content, and will continue to consume it. But over the years, I've come to pay more attention to his feedback on QBs, WRs, and TEs much more so than RBs. And like others have said; really I like cross referencing his stuff with information from a bunch of other analysts I enjoy. When Waldman is high on someone that JJ Zacharison is also high on and then I hear he is also high on Matt Harmons list... that's when I start underlining and circling the name on my draft sheets.
 
 
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Jordan Reid
Love sharing this list every year.

My all-underrated prospects list.

Offense:

• QB: Kyle McCord, Syracuse
• RB: Brashard Smith, SMU
• WR: Jalen Royals, Utah St
• TE Mitchell Evans, Notre Dame
• OT: Jalen Travis, Iowa State
• G: Miles Frazier, LSU
• C: Jake Majors, Texas
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DEF:

• NT: Vernon Broughton, Texas
• DT: Cam Horsley, Boston College
• EDGE: Fadil Diggs, Syracuse
• LB: Smael Mondon Jr, Georgia
• OLB: Josiah Stewart, Michigan
• CB: Nohl Williams, Cal
• CB: Zah Frazier, UTSA
• NCB: Jordan Hancock, Ohio St
• S: Malachi Moore, Alabama
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Jaime Eisner
Odds to be drafted in the 1st Round of the #NFLDraft (long list, please expand):

Jaxson Dart (-1000)
Nick Emmanwori (-1000)
Matthew Golden (-1000)
Mykel Williams (-1000)
Derrick Harmon (-1000)
Gray Zabel (-1000)
Omarion Hampton (-500)
Kenneth Grant (-500)
Malaki Starks (-400)
Mike Green (-335)
Walter Nolen (-225)
Donovan Ezeiruaku (-200)
Emeka Egbuka (-167)
Josh Simmons (-155)
Josh Conerly Jr. (-155)
Tyler Booker (-155)
Jalen Milroe (-139)
Luther Burden III (-121)
James Pearce Jr. (-110)
Donovan Jackson (+100)
Nic Scourton (+100)
Aireontae Ersery (+100)
Trey Amos (+125)
Shavon Revel Jr. (+150)
Xavier Watts (+175)
Tyler Shough (+200)
Charles Grant (+200)
TreVeyon Henderson (+225)
Jack Sawyer (+250)
Tyleik Williams (+250)
Elijah Arroyo (+300)
Mason Taylor (+300)
Harold Fannin Jr. (+300)
Benjamin Morrison (+300)
Jayden Higgins (+300)
Deone Walker (+350)
Isaiah Bond (+400)
Quinn Ewers (+400)
Quinshon Judkins (+500)
Kaleb Johnson (+500)

[odds via @BetRivers]
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Last edited:
Faust said:
Jordan Reid
Love sharing this list every year.

My all-underrated prospects list.

Offense:

• QB: Kyle McCord, Syracuse
• RB: Brashard Smith, SMU
• WR: Jalen Royals, Utah St
• TE Mitchell Evans, Notre Dame
• OT: Jalen Travis, Iowa State
• G: Miles Frazier, LSU
• C: Jake Majors, Texas
Click to expand...

DEF:

• NT: Vernon Broughton, Texas
• DT: Cam Horsley, Boston College
• EDGE: Fadil Diggs, Syracuse
• LB: Smael Mondon Jr, Georgia
• OLB: Josiah Stewart, Michigan
• CB: Nohl Williams, Cal
• CB: Zah Frazier, UTSA
• NCB: Jordan Hancock, Ohio St
• S: Malachi Moore, Alabama
Click to expand...
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Just to tag along with my own most underrated list:
QB-Riley Leonard, Notre Dame (feels like a Tyrod Taylor type, where he's a long-term quality backup/bridge guy)
RB-Dylan Sampson, Tennessee (I could argue him as high as RB2 in the class depending on what you want a RB to do)
WR-Kyle Williams, Washington State
TE-Elijah Arroyo, Miami
T-Ozzy Trapilo, Boston College
G-Tate Ratledge, Georgia
C-Seth McLaughlin, Ohio State (was best Center in the class before Achilles tear)
EDGE-David Walker, Central Arkansas
DL-CJ West, Indiana
LB-Jeffrey Bassa, Oregon
CB-Jahdae Barron, Texas (I think he might be a top 5 overall player in this draft)
S-Kevin Winston, Penn State (Was a 1st rounder before the ACL tear)
 
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Hayden Winks
.@SportsInfo_SIS did a study that on-target rate on intermediate throws translates to the NFL more than short throws and a lot more than deep throws. Here are throws between 5-20 air yards:

2024: Dart (83%), Shedeur (79%), Ward (74%), Shough (70%), Milroe (70%)

2023: Nix (78%), Jayden (76%), J.J. (70%), Caleb (70%), Penix (66%), Maye (60%)

Link: sportsinfosolutions.com/2025/04/08/stu…
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travdogg said:
Faust said:
Jordan Reid
Love sharing this list every year.

My all-underrated prospects list.

Offense:

• QB: Kyle McCord, Syracuse
• RB: Brashard Smith, SMU
• WR: Jalen Royals, Utah St
• TE Mitchell Evans, Notre Dame
• OT: Jalen Travis, Iowa State
• G: Miles Frazier, LSU
• C: Jake Majors, Texas
Click to expand...

DEF:

• NT: Vernon Broughton, Texas
• DT: Cam Horsley, Boston College
• EDGE: Fadil Diggs, Syracuse
• LB: Smael Mondon Jr, Georgia
• OLB: Josiah Stewart, Michigan
• CB: Nohl Williams, Cal
• CB: Zah Frazier, UTSA
• NCB: Jordan Hancock, Ohio St
• S: Malachi Moore, Alabama
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Just to tag along with my own most underrated list:
QB-Riley Leonard, Notre Dame (feels like a Tyrod Taylor type, where he's a long-term quality backup/bridge guy)
RB-Dylan Sampson, Tennessee (I could argue him as high as RB2 in the class depending on what you want a RB to do)
WR-Kyle Williams, Washington State
TE-Elijah Arroyo, Miami
T-Ozzy Trapilo, Boston College
G-Tate Ratledge, Georgia
C-Seth McLaughlin, Ohio State (was best Center in the class before Achilles tear)
EDGE-David Walker, Central Arkansas
DL-CJ West, Indiana
LB-Jeffrey Bassa, Oregon
CB-Jahdae Barron, Texas (I think he might be a top 5 overall player in this draft)
S-Kevin Winston, Penn State (Was a 1st rounder before the ACL tear)
Click to expand...
To expand on this, my most overrated list:
QB-Jaxson Dart, Mississippi (I don't know how anyone sees a top talent here, offense was as gimmicky as it gets in 2024)
RB-Ollie Gordon, Oklahoma State (wouldn't even be on my board, no vision, plus off field issues, plus no speed)
WR-Tez Johnson, Oregon
TE-Mason Taylor, LSU (just see him as an ok prospect, in the Dalton Schultz/Tyler Higbee range. I swear I don't have an LSU bias despite 3 guys on this list)
T-Jalen Travis, Iowa State
G-Miles Frazier, LSU
C-Drew Kendall, Boston College
EDGE-Sai'vion Jones, LSU
DL-Ty Hamilton, Ohio State (liability who got carried by being on a DL with 3 other guys who could go top 50, I see nothing from him, yet round 3 in mocks)
LB-Smael Mondon, Georgia
CB-Justin Walley, Minnesota
S-Jaylen Reed, Penn State (gigantic coverage issues, probably would be better off putting on 20 pounds and playing LB)
 
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