Tue Aug 26th 2025

My Final Rookie Draft

Last weekend was our annual Freek Weekend on Lake LBJ, where my oldest league and closest friends gather to catch up, relax, and talk a lot of football. We've gathered like this since 1998, making this our 28th annual weekend on the lake.

It's also my final rookie draft of the season. It's fun to have one rookie draft late in the year after hearing and seeing training camp reports and preseason games. This late rookie draft looked different than my rookie drafts back in May, especially with a few late-round players rising significantly over the last few months.

We had a great weekend on the lake. I made my oldest dynasty team better. Now we're ready for the season to begin.

Here is what our late rookie draft looked like.

Round One

• I really wanted Emeka Ebuka, but I know my buddy well enough to know he would select Ebuka ahead of me. Then my choice was between Loveland and R.J. Harvey. In May, I had Harvey ranked ahead of Loveland, but I moved Loveland ahead of Harvey in my final rookie rankings just before this rookie draft. I loved what I saw from Loveland in his few preseason snaps. Ben Johnson, who drafted Loveland with his first pick as a head coach, will make Loveland a focal point of the offense. The security that comes to a dynasty team when landing a young top-tier scoring tight end cannot be overrated. I am sure that's what Loveland will become. As for Harvey, my concerns for him have increased since the rookie drafts in May. The Broncos signed J.K. Dobbins since then, and Harvey did not look great in preseason games and has not proven trustworthy in pass protection. I'm still pleased to have drafted him in other leagues and think he will improve once given time, but I am now more confident in Loveland's long-term productivity than I am in Harvey's.

Round Two

• Skattebo's injury late in training camp caused him to fall further than he did in May's rookie drafts. I selected him with pick 17 in this late draft, whereas he was selected 15th, 14th, 14th, 13th, 13th, and 17th in my other leagues. It will take Skattebo some time, but I am convinced he will become the leading running back for the Giants by midseason. He's one of the most fun players to watch and root for, too. I am glad that he fell to me so late in the second round of this draft. The only other player I considered was Jayden Higgins, who was selected in the spot in front of me. Still, I had already decided that I would draft Skattebo even if Higgins were available. It's rare to get a starting running back in the second round of rookie drafts, but that's what I found in this late draft. 

Round Three

• Bech has rightly fallen far from where he was drafted back in May. His camp reports were bad, Tre Tucker's were great, and fellow rookie Dont'e Thornton has earned a starting role already. Still, in the third round, I considered Bech, a second-round draft pick by the Raiders, a value pick this late, even though I know I will have to wait on him.  Bech went 17th, 19th, 17th, 17th, 21st, and 23rd in my early rookie drafts, but he fell to me at 27th in this draft. I planned to draft Jacory Croskey-Merritt in the third round, but he was sniped ahead of me, so I decided to take another chance on Bech, a player I have traded up to get twice in rookie drafts in May. He's one of the players I'm betting on most in this year's class. Tre Tucker and Jakobi Meyers's contracts expire after this season, so Bech can earn a starting role next year if he can show some signs of production this year. Obviously, I am banking on it.

Round Four

Round Five

1. Phlegm - Isaiah Bond
2. Blight - Dont'e Thornton
3. Buzzards - Isaac Teslaa
4. Suede - Harold Fannin
5. Aardvarks - KeAndre Lambert-Smith
6. Monks - Tory Horton
7. Possums - Kyle Monangai

• In the fifth round, I hoped to draft Dont'e Thornton, KeAndre Lambert-Smith, or Tory Horton (who fell far too low), but I had to settle for Kyle Monangai. I have plenty of depth at quarterback, wide receiver, and tight end in this league, so I decided to draft the best running back available that has a better outside chance of earning a leading role than most in this fifth round. He received praise many times throughout training camp and has a modest depth chart to climb. I like his hard-nosed running style and his college production, even though he's an older prospect. Everything is new in Chicago, so they're an offense worth investing in to see what they become. I hoped that Jaylin Lane would go undrafted so I could target him on the waiver wire after the draft, but he was wisely taken two picks after I picked Monangai.

8. Crisp - Savion Williams
9. Plumbers - Jaylin Lane
10. Firedogs - Brashard Smith

My Team

Quarterbacks: Justin Herbert, Drake Maye, J.J. McCarthy, Sam Darnold

• I'm missing a top-tier quarterback, but I am content with Herbert as my starter and believe Maye will make a big jump this season and start many games for me. We're transitioning this league to superflex in 2027, so I am pleased with the youth I have at quarterback. If McCarthy develops well as a first-time starter this year, like Sam Darnold did in Minnesota last year, then my youth and depth at quarterback will be a strength once we move to superflex.

Running Backs: Jahmyr Gibbs, Kyren Williams, Jaylen Warren, Cam Skattebo, Rhamondre Stevenson, Tyjae Spears, Blake Courm, Kyle Monangai

• My top two running backs, Gibbs and Williams, make for a top tandem in the league, but my depth behind them is a concern. I'm pleased to have Corum as a handcuff to Williams. I believe that Warren will hold off on Kaleb Johnson for much of this season, but the same cannot be said of Stevenson, who will lose touches to TreVeyon Henderson immediately. Spears is a good depth piece, but his recent injury is a setback for my hopes for him this season. I need Skattebo or Monangai to earn significant roles this season to give me confidence in my running back depth for the future. Depth is a concern, but my top two starters will make my team strong as long as they stay healthy.

Wide Receivers: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Puca Nacua, AJ Brown, Jordan Addison, Jayden Reed, Xavier Legette, DeMario Douglas, Rashid Shaheed, Jack Bech, Dyami Brown

• My starting wide receivers, St. Brown, Nacua, and Brown, make my wide receiver starters among the best in the league, but my depth is questionable behind them, except Addison. Reed's dynasty stock has fallen every week since the very start of last season. He's become very unreliable, and the Packers' addition of Matthew Golden in the draft makes him even more questionable as a dynasty asset. I still believe in Legette and expect the Panthers' addition of Tetairoa McMillan to make him more productive in his second season. Douglas will become a startable player during bye weeks, as I am confident he will become one of Maye's top targets. As for Brown, Shaheed, and Bech, I doubt they will start games for me this year, and only Bech has room for growth, though Shaheed could build upon his hot start last season if the Saints get halfway decent quarterback play this season.  

Tight Ends: Colston Loveland, Tucker Kraft, David Njoku, Brenton Strange, Darren Waller

• My tight end room is very strong. The hardest part will be naming a starter each week. I expect to start a tight end at the flex position often this season, too. Njoku can stay hot so long as Joe Flacco is the Brown's starter. Loveland and Kraft are two excellent depth pieces that almost any team in the league would want as their starter. They are the future for my tight ends and will start many games for me this season. If Strange or Waller get off to hot starts, I will trade them for a modest price.

I'm a top-four team in this league, especially with my starting lineup. I finished in fourth place last season. I was the third highest scoring team last year but also had the third highest points scored against me. In the semi-finals, I would have beaten the two teams in the other side of the bracket, but I played head-to-head against the team with the highest score that week. That's how the ball bounces sometimes. I'm hoping more goes my way this season. Barring injury, I should make a deep playoff run again this year, but hopefully with more luck this time.

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