What's up fantasy people?!?! Trav here, giving you the fallout from every fantasy relevant player taken in the first round of this year's NFL Draft. I'll talk about how they can win in the NFL, the environment they're entering, and what to expect both now and for the long-term.

1.01 - Las Vegas Raiders - QB Fernando Mendoza

LET'S FRIGGING GO!

We've known this was going to happen for nearly months at this point, so we've already had some time to process the impacts and think about what Fernando Mendoza can be in silver and black. Despite the Raiders' recent run of inadequacy, I think Mendoza enters a friendly environment with which he can succeed.

New Head Coach Klint Kubiak brings an efficient run-game that projects to put Mendoza in favorable positions much like he did with Sam Darnold and the Super Bowl winning Seahawks in 2025. While there is a gap in passing game weaponry in Las Vegas, particularly at Wide Receiver, it could be worse than having Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty as partners in.....purity(?)....for the incoming #1 overall pick.

I'll continue to make the case that in rebuild situations it's reasonable to take him over Jeremiyah Love with the 1.01 in rookie drafts. Heck, at first blush he might even flirt with top-12 in my darn dynasty rankings.

1.03 - Arizona Cardinals - RB Jeremiyah Love

The first real puzzler came early. While I didn't think it fathomable, Jax Falcone insisted that we consider this as a realistic landing spot for the top running back in the class.

I heard Hayden Winks describe it best on the Underdog Draft show. "Jeremiyah Love will be great for Fantasy Football, and this was a terrible draft pick for the Cardinals."

This was indeed draft malpractice by the Arizona Cardinals, who, with a botttom-10 roster, had no business taking a running back this high in the draft. That point is further hammered home after they re-signed James Conner and brought in Tyler Allgeier in free agency who played well last season and looked ready to take the mantle in Arizona. Allgeier might be have taken the biggest NFL Draft hit of any incumbent NFL player league-wide.

Love's outlook is pretty simple. He'll certainly be in the top-5 of my dynasty rankings when we add the rookies. His versatility and explosiveness needs no explanation. and we're optimistic that Mike Lafleur can re-create some of his running back friendly work with the Rams who were 7th in rush yards per game and 3rd in rush attempts inside the 5 yard line in 2025.

1.04 - Tennessee Titans - WR Carnell Tate

Look, I know the Titans are a difficult team to attach to in Fantasy Football.....but I LOVED this pick. Carnell Tate is a great fit for what Cam Ward likes to do. I mentioned on night 1 of the OTC Drafter Party that he progressed as a deep passer late in the 2025 season, as evidenced by Elic Ayomanor and Chimere Dike each having stints of relevance as rookies.

Tate will be a downfield monster for Cam Ward, who from weeks 13-18 of 2025 was 9th in deep throw rate at 12.0% with 20 attempts. I've also mentioned my concern for Carnell Tate's ability to do more than just downfield work as more than 50% of his receiving production at Ohio State last season was on deep targets. The pairing with Cam Ward helps to quell those concerns, as well as the presence of Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll, who's tutelage has recently gotten the most from alpha wide receivers such as Malik Nabers with the Giants and Stefon Diggs with the Bills. With some of the other landing spots I'll detail in this piece, Carnell Tate is in a tier of his own as the 1.03 in rookie drafts.

1.08 - New Orleans Saints - WR Jordyn Tyson

Feelings were mixed when the Saints selected Jordyn Tyson with the 8th overall pick on Thursday night.

There are multiple feathers in Tyson's cap with this landing spot. The Saints' confidence in taking him this high would seem to indicate his health concerns are no longer concerning. He also enters an up and coming offense with a young(ish) Quarterback, some other intriguing pieces, and a Head Coach we believe in with Kellen Moore at the helm.

Dents in the armor begin to show when you consider that the jury isn't fully in on Tyler Shough as the long-term future, or a guy who can support an upper-tier offense in the NFL. Tyson also enters a WR room alongside Chris Olave, who saw a major resurgence in 2025, and would seem to do a lot of the same things as Jordyn Tyson, and does them better.

I lean toward the positives out-weighing the negatives with the reasonable expectation that Tyler Shough progresses and Kellen Moore's effectiveness as a play caller remains. There's no doubt that we have to look a little further down the road to see Jordyn Tyson reach his ceiling, but I believe in the talent.

1.13 - LA Rams - QB Ty Simpson

The Rams were looking at this as a luxury pick after trading their original 29th overall selection for former Chiefs' cornerback Trent McDuffie. GM Les Snead's connections to Simpson's family were surfaced earlier in the week, but it seemed rich for them to actually pull that trigger with the 13th overall pick.

Initially, my reaction of surprise was met with caution in betting against a track record like that of Sean McVay. I did see his less than impressed demeanor when reflecting on the pick. And I did see his subsequent backtrack the following day. Moreso than his confidence in Ty Simpson, it made me start to question whether Sean McVay is long for the Rams once Matthew Stafford rides into the California sunset.

While that could be up to 2 more years away, all that would mean is that we haven't seen much tape, or tangible improvement, from Ty Simpson. Further to that we have to form our Ty Simpson opinions around a future in a non-McVay scheme. That's not something I'm willing to use my 1st round pick on. Even a de-valued 1st such as we're seeing in 2026 drafts.

1.16 - NY Jets - Kenyon Sadiq

I get it. The thought of inserting an exciting athletic profile into a Frank Reich run offense doesn't make you want to shout from the rooftops, but I think in they same vein as Jeremiyah Love, this can both be a bad process pick, while also giving us a productive player. I project the Jets to be a sneaky serviceable offense with Geno Smith at the helm. The playmakers are there with incumbent Breece Hall and Garret Wilson joined by Sadiq and Omar Cooper Jr., who I write about later in this piece. There are little positives to be drawn from Geno's 2025 season in Las Vegas, but the upgrade in weaponry should be a big help.

Sadiq's ceiling case would see him easily step into the #2 spot on the target totem pole this season. At the very least we expect the Jets to play from behind their fair share, forcing them to throw the ball more than they might like. If there's any efficiency that comes along with that, there could be some ceiling realized. For historical reference, only 12 rookie Tight Ends in history have ever eclipsed 700 yards in their rookie season. Half of those have been within the last 6 seasons, and 4 of those 6 were first round draft picks.

Rookie Tight Ends to reach 700+ Receiving Yards

The realistic trajectory, is that we just have to wait longer for Sadiq to see upside. Honestly though, that should be our baseline from rookie Tight Ends anyway, and Sadiq is the archetype of player who if he hits, he's going to hit big. I think we can afford to be patient in that the Jets project to be in line for a top Quarterback in the 2026 draft. A move that could instantly turn this franchise 180 degrees into a very intriguing offense. Sadiq is currently the 8th ranked player in my rookie Superflex rankings, and I think 1.08 is a reasonable selection in rookie drafts in a lackluster draft where he's one of the few high-ceiling players. For the short-term, I wouldn't go into 2026 expecting Kenyon Sadiq to be your full-time fantasy starter from the jump. If that's the case I've shared some affordable Tight Ends you could trade for to fill that gap. After that, we exercise patience and optimism.

Jake Ferguson

TJ Hockenson

Hunter Henry

1.20 - Philadelphia Eagles - WR Makai Lemon

We'll get to Lemon's outlook in a second, but this may have been one of the best talent for draft cost picks of the first round. Makai Lemon entered the NFL Draft as my rookie WR1, and while he may not remain there due to Carnell Tate and Jordyn Tyson's respective landings. I think the disappointment for this pick might be misplaced.

Lemon's arrival would seem to sign, seal and deliver AJ Brown's eventual departure. Pairing the former USC standout with former 10th overall pick DeVonta Smith gives the Eagles a versatile combination where Jalen Hurts can work both short areas and down the field. He might start slow, but I expect at least strong WR 2 seasons becoming the norm for Lemon within 3 to 5 years, and that could be conservative with his ability to separate and work after the catch.

The Eagles' passing volume could once again be a problem. It's important to remember that in most cases, when a team changes Offensive Coordinators, the scheme and play volume can change drastically. New OC Sean Mannion comes from Green Bay, most recently as their Quarterbacks Coach in 2025. With Matt LaFleur's tutelage, we can reasonably expect Mannion, a former NFL Quarterback, to bring a bump in passing game efficiency, if not volume. I'm willing to bet on Lemon moving to a good offense that doesn't employ a traditional target hog. If the passing volume increases, you'll almost certainly see returns on spending a top-5 pick on Makai Lemon. If it doesn't, we may just need to set new expectations as to whether he can be a set and forget fantasy option.

1.24 - Cleveland Browns - WR KC Concepcion

Eco-system aside, I thought this was a solid selection for the Browns. While a different archetype, KC Concepcion can come in and do everything the Browns have wanted from Jerry Jeudy, but with some explosiveness attached. Concepcion injects even more after the catch juice alongside rookie standout Harold Fannin Jr. and sophomore running backs Quinshon Judkins and Dylan Sampson. His short and intermediate work projects to be an anchor for whoever plays Quarterback in Cleveland for years to come.

I'm betting on the talent to win out, despite the perceptual lack luster landing spot. The Browns need fresh faces to come in and produce, and what they did in the draft, selecting Denzel Boston with the 39th overall pick, would indicate that new Head Coach Todd Monken wants to compile weaponry as the Browns work to figure out their QB Situation.

I'm still bullish even with the presence of Denzel Boston as Concepcion is my 7th ranked player in Superflex Rookie drafts.

1.30 - New York Jets - WR Omar Cooper Jr.

You can't say the Jets aren't at least trying to excite their fanbase. Omar Cooper is an OTC favorite with his dog mentality both after the catch and at the point of attack. There's no doubt the Jets got a great player here, we just have to wonder if Geno Smith at Quarterback and their offensive philosophy can support the pass catchers they have. Similar to the Browns, the Jets doubled up, taking Kenyon Sadiq. The issue for the Jets is they're not as starved for talent with Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall on the roster so it begs the question can new OC Frank Reich enable all of these guys to produce.

In my opinion there are some reasons to believe that Reich can see better results than his most recent tenure with the Panthers and Colts, but ultimately the runway of expectation for Omar Cooper Jr. needs to be extended. Until the quarterback situation is figured out, Cooper's avenue for upside is narrowed to creating on his own after the catch. While that could play out in garbage time situations, I think the Jets' current make up better suite the superior separator in Garrett Wilson, or the seam mismatch in Kenyon Sadiq.

I'm not saying to stay away entirely though. Cooper is still my 10th overall rookie, largely due to this lackluster class, but also the potential that the Jets find their QB of the future who's able to attack the tight windows and middle of the field better than what they have now.

1.32 - Seattle Seahawks - RB Jadarian Price

As the lone OTC wolf saying "I think this guy is good!" this draft pick was everything I needed. My stance was that we were knocking him for things he didn't do, but that doesn't mean he can't do those things. I give him a bit of a pass on that considering he was in the same backfield as Jeremiyah Love who went 3rd overall in this very draft. I've also heard people who are plugged in on Notre Dame football that Price's workload wasn't just in garbage time, and that he was more of a 1b who they trusted in high leverage situations. I think Price is the type of fluid athlete who you can create space for, and who can be an adequate pass catcher. If the Seahawks plan to run Price up the middle repeatedly, they've wasted this pick. Once Zac Charbonnet is healthy, I think Price compliments him to perfection, and despite sharing a workload, I think Price's explosiveness in space can give us RB2 results as early as this season.

There's no question that the Seahawks reached to fill a need on their roster. Below I've shared the running backs drafted between picks 20 and 32 over the past 10 seasons. We're holding out hope that we catch a Josh Jacobs or even a Travis Etienne type producer, but the cautionary tale of Clyde Edwards-Helaire looms large. Jadarian Price is a far better runner than CEH was, and that's where he'll be relied upon with the pass catching being a cherry on top.

All RBs Drafted between picks 20 and 32 from 2016 to 2025

The instant opportunity is the driving force here, and I'll confidently take price as early as 1.06 in rookie drafts.

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~ Trav