Mock drafts never go quite like the real thing, but they're a great exercise to keep your fantasy skills nimble.
Your season isn't made just by having a good-on-paper draft, and starting off poorly isn't the end of your season, but there's no reason not to get in some practice reps before the real thing.
It can also help just to view mock drafts done by other people to see how they're approaching their roster construction in a similar format to what you'll be drafting. Heck, sometimes it's just fun to see what other players come up with in a draft.
So I gathered up 11 other writers and editors for the site for a 12-team, half-PPR draft with one quarterback and one tight end, two running backs and two receivers, and one flex position (running back, wide receiver, or tight end). Here's what happened.
Draft Order
1. Neil Dutton, @ndutton13
2. Jim Sannes, @JimSannes
3. Kenyatta Storin, @KenyattaStorin
4. Austan Kas, @AustanKas
5. Tom Vecchio, @DFS_Tom
6. Sam Hoppen, @SamHoppen
7. Ryan McCrystal, @Ryan_McCrystal
8. Eli Weiner, @EWeinerFantasy
9. Jason Schandl, @JasonSchandl
10. Aidan McGrath, @ffaidanmcgrath
11. JJ Zachariason, @LateRoundQB
12. Brandon Gdula, @gdula13
Round 1
Overall | Team | Selection | Pos Code |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Neil Dutton | Ezekiel Elliott | RB1 |
2 | Jim Sannes | Saquon Barkley | RB2 |
3 | Kenyatta Storin | Christian McCaffrey | RB3 |
4 | Austan Kas | Alvin Kamara | RB4 |
5 | Tom Vecchio | David Johnson | RB5 |
6 | Sam Hoppen | DeAndre Hopkins | WR1 |
7 | Ryan McCrystal | Julio Jones | WR2 |
8 | Eli Weiner | Davante Adams | WR3 |
9 | Jason Schandl | Le'Veon Bell | RB6 |
10 | Aidan McGrath | Odell Beckham | WR4 |
11 | JJ Zachariason | Michael Thomas | WR5 |
12 | Brandon Gdula | JuJu Smith-Schuster | WR6 |
- The first round went about as expected, with the big four running backs going first off the board. The difficult decision always comes at pick five, and Tom Vecchio went with David Johnson in a bounce-back spot in 2019. With the top five backs off the board, just one other running back went: Le'Veon Bell to Jason Schandl. Jason is on record as a believer in Bell with the New York Jets.
- The back half of the first round is filled receivers, which is to be expected. Everyone has their preference. Even at pick 12 and after DeAndre Hopkins and some other studs went off the board, I was more than fine getting JuJu Smith-Schuster as my first pick. JuJu is my WR5.
Round 2
Overall | Team | Selection | Pos Code |
---|---|---|---|
13 | Brandon Gdula | Joe Mixon | RB7 |
14 | JJ Zachariason | Travis Kelce | TE1 |
15 | Aidan McGrath | Dalvin Cook | RB8 |
16 | Jason Schandl | James Conner | RB9 |
17 | Eli Weiner | Nick Chubb | RB10 |
18 | Ryan McCrystal | Mike Evans | WR7 |
19 | Sam Hoppen | Damien Williams | RB11 |
20 | Tom Vecchio | Aaron Jones | RB12 |
21 | Austan Kas | Melvin Gordon | RB13 |
22 | Kenyatta Storin | Antonio Brown | WR8 |
23 | Jim Sannes | T.Y. Hilton | WR9 |
24 | Neil Dutton | Keenan Allen | WR10 |
- Joe Mixon is really the only back outside the top six I feel confident in to maintain a full workhorse role, so pairing him with Smith-Schuster was kind of a no-brainer. Not taking him here meant a ZeroRB construction, which I'm never opposed to at the back half of the first round.
- JJ taking Travis Kelce might be surprising -- it's probably the most surprising pick in the second round -- but he's our consensus top tight end for a reason.
- Jason, Austan, and Tom each have two running backs through two rounds. Ryan has two receivers.
Round 3
Overall | Team | Selection | Pos Code |
---|---|---|---|
25 | Neil Dutton | Derrick Henry | RB14 |
26 | Jim Sannes | Leonard Fournette | RB15 |
27 | Kenyatta Storin | Todd Gurley | RB16 |
28 | Austan Kas | Devonta Freeman | RB17 |
29 | Tom Vecchio | Patrick Mahomes | QB1 |
30 | Sam Hoppen | Zach Ertz | TE2 |
31 | Ryan McCrystal | George Kittle | TE3 |
32 | Eli Weiner | A.J. Green | WR11 |
33 | Jason Schandl | Adam Thielen | WR12 |
34 | Aidan McGrath | Marlon Mack | RB18 |
35 | JJ Zachariason | Stefon Diggs | WR13 |
36 | Brandon Gdula | Amari Cooper | WR14 |
- Derrick Henry's half-PPR ADP is currently 32nd overall on FantasyFootballCalculator, but clearly, Neil is buying into the hype this season. Todd Gurley could be a huge value, as his ADP is 15th overall. Kenyatta snared him 27th.
- The first quarterback (Patrick Mahomes) and the other two top-three tight ends (Zach Ertz and George Kittle) all went in the third round, as expected.
Round 4
Overall | Team | Selection | Pos Code |
---|---|---|---|
37 | Brandon Gdula | Julian Edelman | WR15 |
38 | JJ Zachariason | Kerryon Johnson | RB19 |
39 | Aidan McGrath | Brandin Cooks | WR16 |
40 | Jason Schandl | Josh Jacobs | RB20 |
41 | Eli Weiner | Tyreek Hill | WR17 |
42 | Ryan McCrystal | Sony Michel | RB21 |
43 | Sam Hoppen | David Montgomery | RB22 |
44 | Tom Vecchio | Kenny Golladay | WR18 |
45 | Austan Kas | Robert Woods | WR19 |
46 | Kenyatta Storin | Chris Godwin | WR20 |
47 | Jim Sannes | Cooper Kupp | WR21 |
48 | Neil Dutton | Calvin Ridley | WR22 |
- I'm a fan of both Amari Cooper and Julian Edelman this season, so the turn was an easy one for me. Sniping JJ was also a fun time, but he added Kerryon Johnson to the mix. Even if Johnson doesn't take the next step, he grades out as a firm RB2. In this case, he's JJ's RB1 on a team with two stud receivers and Kelce.
- With the draft underway before the update on Tyreek Hill, he fell to Eli at 41st overall, compared to a current half-PPR ADP of 17th.
Round 5
Overall | Team | Selection | Pos Code |
---|---|---|---|
49 | Neil Dutton | Andrew Luck | QB2 |
50 | Jim Sannes | Chris Carson | RB23 |
51 | Kenyatta Storin | Mark Ingram | RB24 |
52 | Austan Kas | Phillip Lindsay | RB25 |
53 | Tom Vecchio | O.J. Howard | TE4 |
54 | Sam Hoppen | Kenyan Drake | RB26 |
55 | Ryan McCrystal | Tarik Cohen | RB27 |
56 | Eli Weiner | Tyler Lockett | WR23 |
57 | Jason Schandl | Hunter Henry | TE5 |
58 | Aidan McGrath | D.J. Moore | WR24 |
59 | JJ Zachariason | Allen Robinson | WR25 |
60 | Brandon Gdula | Lamar Miller | RB28 |
- Kenyatta keeps soaking up value, taking Mark Ingram 51st. His ADP is 42nd right now, and our algorithm puts him 45th overall.
- Two more tight ends came off the board in the fifth, and JJ planted his flag in Allen Robinson at 59th overall. Robinson's ADP is currently 77th. JJ has him ranked 51st overall, and Jim Sannes is even higher at 38th overall.
Round 6
Overall | Team | Selection | Pos Code |
---|---|---|---|
61 | Brandon Gdula | Deshaun Watson | QB3 |
62 | JJ Zachariason | James White | RB29 |
63 | Aidan McGrath | Christian Kirk | WR26 |
64 | Jason Schandl | Jarvis Landry | WR27 |
65 | Eli Weiner | Evan Engram | TE6 |
66 | Ryan McCrystal | Rashaad Penny | RB30 |
67 | Sam Hoppen | Robby Anderson | WR28 |
68 | Tom Vecchio | Mike Williams | WR29 |
69 | Austan Kas | Tyler Boyd | WR30 |
70 | Kenyatta Storin | Darrell Henderson | RB31 |
71 | Jim Sannes | Tevin Coleman | RB32 |
72 | Neil Dutton | Alshon Jeffery | WR31 |
- Typically someone who waits long on quarterback,I went with Deshaun Watson to kick off the sixth round. To me, Watson has legitimate QB1 upside, which shouldn't surprise anyone. I'd stake my claim on Watson being this year's QB1 overall, an in the sixth round, I can live with the opportunity cost.
- The best value pick relative to ADP here is Mike Williams to Tom at 68th overall. Williams is being taken 10 spots earlier, on average. However, our algorithm ranks him 75th overall.
Round 7
Overall | Team | Selection | Pos Code |
---|---|---|---|
73 | Neil Dutton | Dante Pettis | WR32 |
74 | Jim Sannes | Sammy Watkins | WR33 |
75 | Kenyatta Storin | Will Fuller | WR34 |
76 | Austan Kas | Miles Sanders | RB33 |
77 | Tom Vecchio | Baker Mayfield | QB4 |
78 | Sam Hoppen | Aaron Rodgers | QB5 |
79 | Ryan McCrystal | Derrius Guice | RB34 |
80 | Eli Weiner | Latavius Murray | RB35 |
81 | Jason Schandl | Matt Ryan | QB6 |
82 | Aidan McGrath | Corey Davis | WR35 |
83 | JJ Zachariason | Royce Freeman | RB36 |
84 | Brandon Gdula | Vance McDonald | TE7 |
- Corey Davis is a polarizing pick, going 100th overall on average. Aidan jumped 18 spots overall from that ADP to select the Tennessee Titans' wide receiver. Davis actually ranks 82nd overall in our projections. Further, JJ, Jim, and I all have Davis 81st or better in our rankings.
Round 8
Overall | Team | Selection | Pos Code |
---|---|---|---|
85 | Brandon Gdula | Sterling Shepard | WR36 |
86 | JJ Zachariason | Curtis Samuel | WR37 |
87 | Aidan McGrath | Ronald Jones | RB37 |
88 | Jason Schandl | Jordan Howard | RB38 |
89 | Eli Weiner | Carlos Hyde | RB39 |
90 | Ryan McCrystal | Dede Westbrook | WR38 |
91 | Sam Hoppen | Marvin Jones | WR39 |
92 | Tom Vecchio | Geronimo Allison | WR40 |
93 | Austan Kas | Kyler Murray | QB7 |
94 | Kenyatta Storin | Courtland Sutton | WR41 |
95 | Jim Sannes | Jared Cook | TE8 |
96 | Neil Dutton | Austin Ekeler | RB40 |
- Curtis Samuel has breakout appeal this season, and JJ took advantage of it, taking Samuel 86th (his ADP is 115th). Both JJ and I have Samuel in our top 90 overall.
- Similar to Samuel, Ryan took Dede Westbrook well ahead of his ADP (116th). Westbrook ranks top-90 for JJ, Jim and I, and he's 104th per numberFire's algorithm.
- Neil may have gotten a steal with Austin Ekeler 96th overall. Given the uncertain status of Melvin Gordon, Ekeler's ADP has climbed a full round over the past week.
Round 9
Overall | Team | Selection | Pos Code |
---|---|---|---|
97 | Neil Dutton | Keke Coutee | WR42 |
98 | Jim Sannes | Cam Newton | QB8 |
99 | Kenyatta Storin | Eric Ebron | TE9 |
100 | Austan Kas | David Njoku | TE10 |
101 | Tom Vecchio | N'Keal Harry | WR43 |
102 | Sam Hoppen | Marquez Valdes-Scantling | WR44 |
103 | Ryan McCrystal | Drew Brees | QB9 |
104 | Eli Weiner | Carson Wentz | QB10 |
105 | Jason Schandl | Golden Tate | WR45 |
106 | Aidan McGrath | Damien Harris | RB41 |
107 | JJ Zachariason | Larry Fitzgerald | WR46 |
108 | Brandon Gdula | Ito Smith | RB42 |
- Kenyatta got Eric Ebron 99th overall, yet his ADP is 73rd. Our algorithm puts him 105th, more in line with where Kenyatta drafted him but well off the pace of his ADP. He was a value in this draft by being taken at his more correct cost.
- Drew Brees and Carson Wentz both have top-90 ADPs but were taken a full round later, typical of a mock draft with a de-emphasis on quarterbacks.
- I reached for Ito Smith, but to this point, I had just Mixon and Lamar Miller. I like Ito as a spell back, and in the off chance Devonta Freeman gets hurt, Smith could handle a full workload. However, he's not the type of "handcuff" who should only have value in case of an injury. I could be wrong there, but Ito has standalone merit to me.
Round 10
Overall | Team | Selection | Pos Code |
---|---|---|---|
109 | Brandon Gdula | Jaylen Samuels | RB43 |
110 | JJ Zachariason | D'Onta Foreman | RB44 |
111 | Aidan McGrath | Austin Hooper | TE11 |
112 | Jason Schandl | Devin Funchess | WR47 |
113 | Eli Weiner | Peyton Barber | RB45 |
114 | Ryan McCrystal | LeSean McCoy | RB46 |
115 | Sam Hoppen | Devin Singletary | RB47 |
116 | Tom Vecchio | Jerick McKinnon | RB48 |
117 | Austan Kas | Kareem Hunt | RB49 |
118 | Kenyatta Storin | Adrian Peterson | RB50 |
119 | Jim Sannes | Donte Moncrief | WR48 |
120 | Neil Dutton | Noah Fant | TE12 |
Round 11
Overall | Team | Selection | Pos Code |
---|---|---|---|
121 | Neil Dutton | Nyheim Hines | RB51 |
122 | Jim Sannes | Kenny Stills | WR49 |
123 | Kenyatta Storin | James Washington | WR50 |
124 | Austan Kas | D.K. Metcalf | WR51 |
125 | Tom Vecchio | Anthony Miller | WR52 |
126 | Sam Hoppen | Dion Lewis | RB52 |
127 | Ryan McCrystal | Marquise Brown | WR53 |
128 | Eli Weiner | Alexander Mattison | RB53 |
129 | Jason Schandl | DeSean Jackson | WR54 |
130 | Aidan McGrath | Justice Hill | RB54 |
131 | JJ Zachariason | Justin Jackson | RB55 |
132 | Brandon Gdula | Emmanuel Sanders | WR55 |
Round 12
Overall | Team | Selection | Pos Code |
---|---|---|---|
133 | Brandon Gdula | Kalen Ballage | RB56 |
134 | JJ Zachariason | Tre'Quan Smith | WR56 |
135 | Aidan McGrath | Jared Goff | QB11 |
136 | Jason Schandl | Albert Wilson | WR57 |
137 | Eli Weiner | DaeSean Hamilton | WR58 |
138 | Ryan McCrystal | John Brown | WR59 |
139 | Sam Hoppen | Tyrell Williams | WR60 |
140 | Tom Vecchio | Marquise Goodwin | WR61 |
141 | Austan Kas | Parris Campbell | WR62 |
142 | Kenyatta Storin | Michael Gallup | WR63 |
143 | Jim Sannes | Matt Breida | RB57 |
144 | Neil Dutton | Duke Johnson | RB58 |
Round 13
Overall | Team | Selection | Pos Code |
---|---|---|---|
145 | Neil Dutton | Robert Foster | WR64 |
146 | Jim Sannes | Deebo Samuel | WR65 |
147 | Kenyatta Storin | Devante Parker | WR66 |
148 | Austan Kas | Andy Isabella | WR67 |
149 | Tom Vecchio | T.J. Hockenson | TE13 |
150 | Sam Hoppen | Darwin Thompson | RB59 |
151 | Ryan McCrystal | Malcolm Brown | RB60 |
152 | Eli Weiner | Russell Wilson | QB12 |
153 | Jason Schandl | Jamaal Williams | RB61 |
154 | Aidan McGrath | Tony Pollard | RB62 |
155 | JJ Zachariason | Jamison Crowder | WR68 |
156 | Brandon Gdula | A.J. Brown | WR69 |
Round 14
Overall | Team | Selection | Pos Code |
---|---|---|---|
157 | Brandon Gdula | Randall Cobb | WR70 |
158 | JJ Zachariason | Lamar Jackson | QB13 |
159 | Aidan McGrath | Mark Andrews | TE14 |
160 | Jason Schandl | Josh Doctson | WR71 |
161 | Eli Weiner | Trey Quinn | WR72 |
162 | Ryan McCrystal | Zay Jones | WR73 |
163 | Sam Hoppen | Ryquell Armstead | RB63 |
164 | Tom Vecchio | Giovani Bernard | RB64 |
165 | Austan Kas | Chris Thompson | RB65 |
166 | Kenyatta Storin | Jameis Winston | QB14 |
167 | Jim Sannes | Chase Edmonds | RB66 |
168 | Neil Dutton | Ted Ginn Jr. | WR74 |
Team-by-Team Results
Round | Neil Dutton | Jim Sannes | Kenyatta Storin |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Ezekiel Elliott, RB1 | Saquon Barkley, RB2 | Christian Mccaffrey, RB3 |
2 | Keenan Allen, WR10 | T.Y. Hilton, WR9 | Antonio Brown, WR8 |
3 | Derrick Henry, RB14 | Leonard Fournette, RB15 | Todd Gurley, RB16 |
4 | Calvin Ridley, WR22 | Cooper Kupp, WR21 | Chris Godwin, WR20 |
5 | Andrew Luck, QB2 | Chris Carson, RB23 | Mark Ingram, RB24 |
6 | Alshon Jeffery, WR31 | Tevin Coleman, RB32 | Darrell Henderson, RB31 |
7 | Dante Pettis, WR32 | Sammy Watkins, WR33 | Will Fuller, WR34 |
8 | Austin Ekeler, RB40 | Jared Cook, TE8 | Courtland Sutton, WR41 |
9 | Keke Coutee, WR42 | Cam Newton, QB8 | Eric Ebron, TE9 |
10 | Noah Fant, TE12 | Donte Moncrief, WR48 | Adrian Peterson, RB50 |
11 | Nyheim Hines, RB51 | Kenny Stills, WR49 | James Washington, WR50 |
12 | Duke Johnson, RB58 | Matt Breida, RB57 | Michael Gallup, WR63 |
13 | Robert Foster, WR64 | Deebo Samuel, WR65 | Devante Parker, WR66 |
14 | Ted Ginn Jr., WR74 | Chase Edmonds, RB66 | Jameis Winston, QB14 |
Round | Austan Kas | Tom Vecchio | Sam Hoppen |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Alvin Kamara, RB4 | David Johnson, RB5 | DeAndre Hopkins, WR1 |
2 | Melvin Gordon, RB13 | Aaron Jones, RB12 | Damien Williams, RB11 |
3 | Devonta Freeman, RB17 | Patrick Mahomes, QB1 | Zach Ertz, TE2 |
4 | Robert Woods, WR19 | Kenny Golladay, WR18 | David Montgomery, RB22 |
5 | Phillip Lindsay, RB25 | O.J. Howard, TE4 | Kenyan Drake, RB26 |
6 | Tyler Boyd, WR30 | Mike Williams, WR29 | Robby Anderson, WR28 |
7 | Miles Sanders, RB33 | Baker Mayfield, QB4 | Aaron Rodgers, QB5 |
8 | Kyler Murray, QB7 | Geronimo Allison, WR40 | Marvin Jones, WR39 |
9 | David Njoku, TE10 | N'Keal Harry, WR43 | Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR44 |
10 | Kareem Hunt, RB49 | Jerick Mckinnon, RB48 | Devin Singletary, RB47 |
11 | D.K. Metcalf, WR51 | Anthony Miller, WR52 | Dion Lewis, RB52 |
12 | Parris Campbell, WR62 | Marquise Goodwin, WR61 | Tyrell Williams, WR60 |
13 | Andy Isabella, WR67 | T.J. Hockenson, TE13 | Darwin Thompson, RB59 |
14 | Chris Thompson, RB65 | Giovani Bernard, RB64 | Ryquell Armstead, RB63 |
Round | Ryan McCrystal | Eli Wiener | Jason Schandl |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Julio Jones, WR2 | Davante Adams, WR3 | Le'Veon Bell, RB6 |
2 | Mike Evans, WR7 | Nick Chubb, RB10 | James Conner, RB9 |
3 | George Kittle, TE3 | A.J. Green, WR11 | Adam Thielen, WR12 |
4 | Sony Michel, RB21 | Tyreek Hill, WR17 | Josh Jacobs, RB20 |
5 | Tarik Cohen, RB27 | Tyler Lockett, WR23 | Hunter Henry, TE5 |
6 | Rashaad Penny, RB30 | Evan Engram, TE6 | Jarvis Landry, WR27 |
7 | Derrius Guice, RB34 | Latavius Murray, RB35 | Matt Ryan, QB6 |
8 | Dede Westbrook, WR38 | Carlos Hyde, RB39 | Jordan Howard, RB38 |
9 | Drew Brees, QB9 | Carson Wentz, QB10 | Golden Tate, WR45 |
10 | Lesean Mccoy, RB46 | Peyton Barber, RB45 | Devin Funchess, WR47 |
11 | Marquise Brown, WR53 | Alexander Mattison, RB53 | Desean Jackson, WR54 |
12 | John Brown, WR59 | Daesean Hamilton, WR58 | Albert Wilson, WR57 |
13 | Malcolm Brown, RB60 | Russell Wilson, QB12 | Jamaal Williams, RB61 |
14 | Zay Jones, WR73 | Trey Quinn, WR72 | Josh Doctson, WR71 |
Round | Aidan McGrath | JJ Zachariason | Brandon Gdula |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Odell Beckham, WR4 | Michael Thomas, WR5 | Juju Smith-Schuster, WR6 |
2 | Dalvin Cook, RB8 | Travis Kelce, TE1 | Joe Mixon, RB7 |
3 | Marlon Mack, RB18 | Stefon Diggs, WR13 | Amari Cooper, WR14 |
4 | Brandin Cooks, WR16 | Kerryon Johnson, RB19 | Julian Edelman, WR15 |
5 | D.J. Moore, WR24 | Allen Robinson, WR25 | Lamar Miller, RB28 |
6 | Christian Kirk, WR26 | James White, RB29 | Deshaun Watson, QB3 |
7 | Corey Davis, WR35 | Royce Freeman, RB36 | Vance Mcdonald, TE7 |
8 | Ronald Jones, RB37 | Curtis Samuel, WR37 | Sterling Shepard, WR36 |
9 | Damien Harris, RB41 | Larry Fitzgerald, WR46 | Ito Smith, RB42 |
10 | Austin Hooper, TE11 | D'Onta Foreman, RB44 | Jaylen Samuels, RB43 |
11 | Justice Hill, RB54 | Justin Jackson, RB55 | Emmanuel Sanders, WR55 |
12 | Jared Goff, QB11 | Tre'Quan Smith, WR56 | Kalen Ballage, RB56 |
13 | Tony Pollard, RB62 | Jamison Crowder, WR68 | A.J. Brown, WR69 |
14 | Mark Andrews, TE14 | Lamar Jackson, QB13 | Randall Cobb, WR70 |