Early 2025 Dynasty Rookie Draft Rankings (Single QB) (2 Viewers)

[Wigglytuff's Gruff]

It appears they may be targeting FA Nick Chubb, but would he push Swift out or just complement him?

I'd be a lot happier as a Swift owner if Chubb was their choice over Dobbins.

 

[socrates]

Agree on Burden vs Golden. How I viewed the prospects coming in, compared to the actual draft capital and immediate opportunity. I'm still holding Burden ahead for now, but that's going to be a very spicy take to execute on the clock.

This was a terribly difficult decision between these two. Burden has been ahead of Golden in my rankings right along (although I had them in the same tier). I tend to be slow to adjust my rankings when I feel they were based on a solid foundation. However, Golden gets the Rd. 1 Draft capital and the clearer path to a significant role, so I feel compelled to rank him ahead of Burden. Even so, I might still select Burden if I am on the clock with this decision. I keep reminding myself that this is a Ben Johnson-led offense, with Caleb Williams at QB. Luther Burden was arguably the best after-the-catch receiver in this class, something Ben Johnson prioritizes and schemes for. But for it being a crowded receiver room, this is a perfect fit. Burden is an Alpha, and I will gamble on him rising to the top, but his path is not going to be easy.

However . . . this may also be an ideal fit for Golden in Green Bay, he gets a more established QB in Jordan Love, and he does not have to contend with other WR1 talents the level of DJ Moore and Rome Odunze. It is a GOLDEN opportunity. Golden did not have the college production I prefer to see, but I really like his skillset. This is arguably the trifecta: Talent + Scheme + Opportunity/Clear Path. I have seen a lot of negativity about Golden in Green Bay, and I believe it is mostly due to a lack of confidence in Green Bay's ability to develop and commit to any receiver as an Alpha. Perhaps they just have not had that Alpha in the room, which is why they finally invested a Rd. 1 pick in a receiver.

 

[socrates]

It appears they may be targeting FA Nick Chubb, but would he push Swift out or just complement him?

I'd be a lot happier as a Swift owner if Chubb was their choice over Dobbins.

Exactly what I was thinking. Swifties will be breathing a sigh of relief if this is who they bring in.

 

[massraider]

First instinct is Ayomanor is my 3rd round target.

 

[massraider]

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Taking Travis Hunter's lunch money. 294 yards in this game

 

[socrates]

First instinct is Ayomanor is my 3rd round target.

I like that call. I believe Ayomanor fits in well with what the Titans appear to be building, and Cam Ward is an enticing pairing. That said, he fell to the tail end of Round 4, the Titans prioritized drafting Chimere Dike 33 picks earlier and they added Tyler Lockett this offseason. These factors are what may make Ayomanor available in Round 3 of rookie drafts, but also what puts a bit of a cloud over his potential role for Tennessee. Honestly though, neither Lockett nor Dike really scare me away. If Ayomanor can harness that bully who punked Hunter, he will be a steal where he is being drafted.

 

[eighsse2]

I'm a little bit higher on the Giddens landing spot, even behind JT. Really, one the guys from this group that catches my eye the most as I scroll through. Maybe I'm just too traumatized from years of rostering Herbert to give him the respect he deserves.

You may be right. I am not completely sold on Herbert, so this may not be such a bad destination for Giddens. Still, even if he leapfrogs Herbert, Giddens is mostly just a handcuff to JT.

Chicago.... this was really one of the disappointing teams that I was hoping would step up earlier. I was really getting psyched for Henderson landing in Burden's spot. I'm not sure if they were sniped by NE. Probably not if they waited until round 7. It feels like Etienne or Cook could be in play if things go sideways, but maybe they just like Swift and/or Roschon a lot more than I think they should.

I really thought Chicago would make a play for a speedy back. Once they missed out on Henderson, I wondered if they might target either Tuten or Sampson. This may be a win for Swift.

There should be some other plan in place besides relying on Swift. Swift was bounced from Detroit while Ben Johnson was there and he was bounced from Philly after one year there.
I would suggest that the Bears sign one of the remaining FAs, Dobbins might work better. Don’t see how they can stick with Swift for the whole season.

I absolutely agree with you. I was certain they were going to draft a RB to challenge Swift. It appears they may be targeting FA Nick Chubb, but would he push Swift out or just complement him?

Never understood so many people's displeasure with Swift over the years. First it was "he's always injured 3 games a year", then "he doesn't play through injury" and "he's playing but he's questionable every game" (the previous two statements seem to conflict anyway), now it's "he doesn't run with the right style". Dude is a career 4.4yd/att, 5.9yd/target guy. His rushing success% is better than Saquon. (Succ% is an arbitrary stat, but it seems really hard to say he's a below-average starting RB based on pretty much any numbers you want to pull up.)

 

[sushinsky4tsar]

I'm a little bit higher on the Giddens landing spot, even behind JT. Really, one the guys from this group that catches my eye the most as I scroll through. Maybe I'm just too traumatized from years of rostering Herbert to give him the respect he deserves.

You may be right. I am not completely sold on Herbert, so this may not be such a bad destination for Giddens. Still, even if he leapfrogs Herbert, Giddens is mostly just a handcuff to JT.

I think the first "staging area" for all of these backs that we're trying to get to is the #2 spot on their depth chart. Most will have company and are probably in a split (at best) or committee in the event of the starter going down. However, if we're thinking of any of them as the guy that would hold the most value if the #1 goes down, we're on the right track. Those are the guys gaining value.

Ultimately, they only really matter if they have the profile to run away with the job if the starter goes down or to make some serious noise in a backup role. Taylor would obviously be a huge hurdle that Giddens couldn't hope to clear and could only wait out. However, given the age and previous contract spat, it might be a situation where the Colts are willing to move on a year too early than keeping him a year too long out of loyalty. The contract only has him locked in for 2025, with $13M cap savings in 2026. If there was an injury and Giddens killed it, stranger things have happened. With that said, all of these guys are long shots for a reason.

Easier path to the #2 spot... maybe Ollie Gordon in Miami, depending on how they feel about Wright? He would seem to fit as a big back complement to Achane.

Maybe Tahj Brooks in Cincy depending on where we're at with Moss. Maybe Woody Marks in Houston as much as they seem to hate Dameon Pierce as a RB. In these cases, I don't like the profile as much as a Giddens or Gordon to run away with the top job some day. But there is one analyst that really likes Brooks and another that was trumpeting Marks going into '24. For the latter, top half of round 4 capital might indicate some perceived upside from the team beyond a career backup.

 

[socrates]

I'm a little bit higher on the Giddens landing spot, even behind JT. Really, one the guys from this group that catches my eye the most as I scroll through. Maybe I'm just too traumatized from years of rostering Herbert to give him the respect he deserves.

You may be right. I am not completely sold on Herbert, so this may not be such a bad destination for Giddens. Still, even if he leapfrogs Herbert, Giddens is mostly just a handcuff to JT.

I think the first "staging area" for all of these backs that we're trying to get to is the #2 spot on their depth chart. Most will have company and are probably in a split (at best) or committee in the event of the starter going down. However, if we're thinking of any of them as the guy that would hold the most value if the #1 goes down, we're on the right track. Those are the guys gaining value.

Ultimately, they only really matter if they have the profile to run away with the job if the starter goes down or to make some serious noise in a backup role. Taylor would obviously be a huge hurdle that Giddens couldn't hope to clear and could only wait out. However, given the age and previous contract spat, it might be a situation where the Colts are willing to move on a year too early than keeping him a year too long out of loyalty. The contract only has him locked in for 2025, with $13M cap savings in 2026. If there was an injury and Giddens killed it, stranger things have happened. With that said, all of these guys are long shots for a reason.

Easier path to the #2 spot... maybe Ollie Gordon in Miami, depending on how they feel about Wright? He would seem to fit as a big back complement to Achane.

Maybe Tahj Brooks in Cincy depending on where we're at with Moss. Maybe Woody Marks in Houston as much as they seem to hate Dameon Pierce as a RB. In these cases, I don't like the profile as much as a Giddens or Gordon to run away with the top job some day. But there is one analyst that really likes Brooks and another that was trumpeting Marks going into '24. For the latter, top half of round 4 capital might indicate some perceived upside from the team beyond a career backup.

Thank you. Great points.

 

[Max Power]

I'm a little bit higher on the Giddens landing spot, even behind JT. Really, one the guys from this group that catches my eye the most as I scroll through. Maybe I'm just too traumatized from years of rostering Herbert to give him the respect he deserves.

You may be right. I am not completely sold on Herbert, so this may not be such a bad destination for Giddens. Still, even if he leapfrogs Herbert, Giddens is mostly just a handcuff to JT.

Chicago.... this was really one of the disappointing teams that I was hoping would step up earlier. I was really getting psyched for Henderson landing in Burden's spot. I'm not sure if they were sniped by NE. Probably not if they waited until round 7. It feels like Etienne or Cook could be in play if things go sideways, but maybe they just like Swift and/or Roschon a lot more than I think they should.

I really thought Chicago would make a play for a speedy back. Once they missed out on Henderson, I wondered if they might target either Tuten or Sampson. This may be a win for Swift.

There should be some other plan in place besides relying on Swift. Swift was bounced from Detroit while Ben Johnson was there and he was bounced from Philly after one year there.
I would suggest that the Bears sign one of the remaining FAs, Dobbins might work better. Don’t see how they can stick with Swift for the whole season.

I absolutely agree with you. I was certain they were going to draft a RB to challenge Swift. It appears they may be targeting FA Nick Chubb, but would he push Swift out or just complement him?

Never understood so many people's displeasure with Swift over the years. First it was "he's always injured 3 games a year", then "he doesn't play through injury" and "he's playing but he's questionable every game" (the previous two statements seem to conflict anyway), now it's "he doesn't run with the right style". Dude is a career 4.4yd/att, 5.9yd/target guy. His rushing success% is better than Saquon. (Succ% is an arbitrary stat, but it seems really hard to say he's a below-average starting RB based on pretty much any numbers you want to pull up.)

I didn't watch a lot of early years Swift, but watching every Bears game last year he was an average RB at best. He is frustrating because you can see the yards he was leaving on the field. It's clear his vision isn't great, and he tends to look for the homerun vs getting the easy yards. Top 4 in the league in tackles for loss (second in yards lost), Tied for 79th in yards after contact and one of the worst broken tackle rates in the league with 36 rush attempts per broken tackle.

 

[eighsse2]

I'm a little bit higher on the Giddens landing spot, even behind JT. Really, one the guys from this group that catches my eye the most as I scroll through. Maybe I'm just too traumatized from years of rostering Herbert to give him the respect he deserves.

You may be right. I am not completely sold on Herbert, so this may not be such a bad destination for Giddens. Still, even if he leapfrogs Herbert, Giddens is mostly just a handcuff to JT.

Chicago.... this was really one of the disappointing teams that I was hoping would step up earlier. I was really getting psyched for Henderson landing in Burden's spot. I'm not sure if they were sniped by NE. Probably not if they waited until round 7. It feels like Etienne or Cook could be in play if things go sideways, but maybe they just like Swift and/or Roschon a lot more than I think they should.

I really thought Chicago would make a play for a speedy back. Once they missed out on Henderson, I wondered if they might target either Tuten or Sampson. This may be a win for Swift.

There should be some other plan in place besides relying on Swift. Swift was bounced from Detroit while Ben Johnson was there and he was bounced from Philly after one year there.
I would suggest that the Bears sign one of the remaining FAs, Dobbins might work better. Don’t see how they can stick with Swift for the whole season.

I absolutely agree with you. I was certain they were going to draft a RB to challenge Swift. It appears they may be targeting FA Nick Chubb, but would he push Swift out or just complement him?

Never understood so many people's displeasure with Swift over the years. First it was "he's always injured 3 games a year", then "he doesn't play through injury" and "he's playing but he's questionable every game" (the previous two statements seem to conflict anyway), now it's "he doesn't run with the right style". Dude is a career 4.4yd/att, 5.9yd/target guy. His rushing success% is better than Saquon. (Succ% is an arbitrary stat, but it seems really hard to say he's a below-average starting RB based on pretty much any numbers you want to pull up.)

I didn't watch a lot of early years Swift, but watching every Bears game last year he was an average RB at best. He is frustrating because you can see the yards he was leaving on the field. It's clear his vision isn't great, and he tends to look for the homerun vs getting the easy yards. Top 4 in the league in tackles for loss (second in yards lost), Tied for 79th in yards after contact and one of the worst broken tackle rates in the league with 36 rush attempts per broken tackle.

Yeah, his yards per carry were down last year. Good points on the yards after contact and broken tackle rates.