Football Diehards Mock Draft Review 7 13 2022

By Tera Roberts
Tera Roberts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's that time of year! We're officially less than two months away from the 2022 season kickoff, which means your favorite fantasy analysts are neck deep in mock drafts. Mock drafts are a fantastic way to get the edge on your opponents, know what to expect come draft day, and prepare your strategy.

The Football Diehards hosted a 1 QB Full PPR mock draft with 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE and 1 Flex. In this type of format, I lean towards favoring high upside receivers and pass catching running backs with a minimum of two receivers taken in the first four rounds.

Draft Order
" jac3600 - Jamie Calandro
" KevOB
" Tanklin84
" Emilkadlec - Emil Kadlec
" Sjcobe01 - Scott Cobe
" Mattyphillip
" Brownsfan221
" ITLane
" MGutierrez
" Fantasydukes
" Footballdiehard - Bob Harris
" VoiceEnFuego
There were a few surprises in round one - most notably, Justin Jefferson as the first receiver drafted. Cooper Kupp is the consensus WR1 but I understand why some fantasy managers may lean towards Jefferson. Regression for Kupp is expected after a historic season. And with Kevin O'Connell making the move from LA to Minnesota, the Vikings' pass game will increase in volume and benefit Jefferson.

Another surprise receiver sneaking his way into the top-12 was CeeDee Lamb going at the 1.12 to VoiceEnFuego. When drafting at or close to the turn, you need to be more open to reaching for your guys. Lamb typically goes more towards the middle of round two but there's no realistic possibility of drafting him out of the 12th spot unless you reach. VoiceEnFuego leaned into the 3 WR lineup and took Lamb and Diggs early to secure two locks for WR1 numbers.

After Lamb and Diggs came off the board at the turn, Bob Harris made my favorite pick of round 2 grabbing D'Andre Swift. Swift is set up perfectly to be this year's Austin Ekeler. In 2021, weeks one through 11, Swift was the RB5 in PPR averaging 18.5 points per game. In round one, Bob drafted Travis Kelce, followed by Swift, David Montgomery, Michael Pittman, Chris Godwin and Kyler Murray. This was an overall fantastic start to the draft and great mix of floor and upside.

Rounds three through four were fairly standard outside of one surprising pick - Courtland Sutton at the 4.08 to Scott Cobe before Dionte Johnson, Jaylen Waddle, DK Metcalf, Chris Godwin and other notable receivers. The Denver receivers are tough to figure out and taking Sutton before other high-end receivers is a risk. But I like pick as a high upside play when combined with Scott's other receivers of Jefferson and Tee Higgins.
 

 

Favorite Team - MGutierrez

MGutierrez' first six picks were extremely solid with Dalvin Cook, Davante Adams, James Conner, Mike Williams, Marquise Brown and Lamar Jackson. But what separate's this team from the rest of the pack are the midround picks.

There's a possibility that the Jets offense is the Great Value version of the 2021 Cincinnati Bengals. Elijah Moore is being heavily discounted with Zach Wilson at quarterback and the addition of Garrett Wilson. Zach Wilson's struggles were immense last season but the Jets organization is surrounding him by ample talent. Moore and Garrett Wilson are a 1A/1B situation at wide receiver and Moore is a high upside play, averaging nearly 18 points per game weeks 7 through 13.

With other midround picks of Russell Gage, Rhamondre Stevenson, Kadarius Toney, and Jakobi Meyers, this team has solid depth and upside.

 

Honorable mention - Scott Cobe

Scott's team is league-winning right up to the 10th round pick of Derek Carr. While I like Carr as a QB1, this team already drafted Jalen Hurts and would've been better served taking a fourth receiver at that spot.

Favorite Picks - Christian Kirk at 9.04 and Dak Prescott at 8.03

I highly advise drafting Christian Kirk as much as humanly possible. The value is incredible. In a 3WR league, you'll likely need to invest in high upside receivers and Kirk is a lock to outperform his ADP.

I also love the value for Dak Prescott as QB10 off the board. 2021 wasn't the most compelling season for Prescott who finished as QB9 in average points per game. But Prescott is rumored to see an uptick in work on the ground this season that could push him up to 2019 numbers - where he finished as QB3.

Least Favorite Picks - Amari Cooper at 5.07, Dalton Schultz at 4.11 and TJ Hockenson at 5.06

Amari Cooper at the 5.07 is a major risk. Reports regarding Deshaun Watson's suspension are simply rumors at this point. It's possible Cooper plays the entire season with Jacoby Brissett, which would be catastrophic for his fantasy production.

Dalton Schultz at the 4.11 and TJ Hockenson at the 5.06 are unnecessary reaches. In a non-tight end premium league, there should be a multi-round gap between the first five tight ends off the board and the next five.