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An Early Look at Some Top 2023 Draft Picks
By: Nate Christian (@NateNFL)
Over the course of the next two months as we lead up to the NFL regular season, you should take a good look at your Dynasty Owner team. Do you have two solid quarterbacks? Do you have enough running backs to feel comfortable about the ones you’re starting on your Bench? Are you deep at wide receiver? Do you have a productive tight end or two? If you answered yes to all of these questions, congratulations, you probably have a contending team. If you answered “no” to one, then you may need to make a move to strengthen your team. If you found yourself answering “no” to more than one of these questions, you may need to think more about 2023, than 2022.
In dynasty fantasy football you need to always be moving forward. It doesn’t matter if you’re the worst team in the league or if you are the reigning champion. With the amount of talent that comes into the league every year through the rookie draft, you need to make sure your team is improving just to keep up! The 2022 draft class is full of good wide receivers, but struggles a bit with the quarterback position and at the top with running backs outside of Breece Hall ($2,253,963). However, this will be the cheapest you will ever be able to acquire some of these players before they hit their prime. Players like Jonathan Taylor ($1,957,287), CeeDee Lamb ($3,502,503), and Ja’Marr Chase ($7,704,910) had their best price point during the rookie draft. Now everyone doesn’t always hit, but the risk is often worth the reward with the rookie draft.
If you are already starting to look at 2023 as a more competitive season than 2022, it may help to acquire some 2023 1st and 2nd round rookie draft picks throughout the season to set yourself up nicely a year from now. The 2023 class is being heralded as one of the better classes to come out of college in recent years and is loaded at multiple positions. Let’s take a look below at some of the exciting players you can expect to make it to your Dynasty Owner team next year.
QB: Bryce Young, Alabama
The 2021 Heisman winner, you may already be familiar with this quarterback. He proved his toughness last year with an impressive game-winning drive against Auburn and dominated the SEC for most of the season. In his first year as a starter, he threw for 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns, with only 7 interceptions. While there are concerns about his size (listed at 6’ 0”), Young offers mobility in and around the pocket that already reminds scouts of Russell Wilson ($35,000,000), especially when you combine that with his big arm to get the ball down the field. Young has competition for the QB1 spot from Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, but has a chance to be a fantasy stud with his ability to use his legs, when needed, to extend plays. Young will likely come into the league as a Top 15 quarterback in dynasty.
RB: Bijan Robinson, Texas
Likely to be considered one of the best running back prospects to come out since Ezekiel Elliot, Robinson is a true stud. After a high school senior season that saw him eclipse 2,000 rushing yards and find the end zone 38 times, he went to Texas as a 5-star recruit. He offers elite athleticism, the ability to win between the tackles, and also the upside as a pass-catcher that could see his fantasy stock rise to the top tier of workhorse running backs. Last year, Robinson ran for 1,127 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns before an arm injury cut his season short. He also caught 26 passes for 295 yards and four touchdowns. Not only is he one of the best backs in the Big 12, but all of college football right now. When Bijan is available in your rookie drafts he will probably already be considered a Top-10 option at his position.
WR: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Ohio State
The consensus WR1 for the 2023 class, Smith-Njigba put on a masterclass last year while being behind both Garrett Wilson ($5,138,502) and Chris Olave ($4,817,969). He outproduced both first round picks with 95 receptions for 1,606 yards and 9 touchdowns. What makes Smith-Njigba so great? He’s listed at 6’ 0” and 197 pounds, so he doesn’t scream “Alpha” right away at that height, but he does have good size with being nearly 200 pounds. What makes Smith-Njigba such an intriguing prospect is his ability to get open and then find green grass with the ball in his hands. He isn’t the fastest player out there, but his stop-start ability is near elite and gives him the ability to find separation against just about any corner he lines up against. A very technical player already, he is set up for a huge year with C.J. Stroud as his quarterback and Wilson plus Olave moving on to the NFL. When it is all said and done, there is a chance Smith-Njigba could hear his name called in the first ten picks of next year’s NFL Draft. With how quickly we expect Smith-Njigba’s talents to translate to the NFL, he will be looked at as a Top-20 dynasty asset at the wide receiver position.
TE: Michael Mayer, Notre Dame
Adding his name to a long list of Notre Dame tight end prospects such as Kyle Rudolph ($6,000,000), Tyler Eifert ($4,750,000), and Cole Kmet ($1,894,445), Mayer should be next year’s top tight end prospect and offers enough upside to possibly hear his name called in the first round of the NFL Draft. While not a Kyle Pitts-level athlete, Mayer is expected to run in the 4.6-4.7 range next off-season at the NFL Combine, which at 6’ 5” and 250 pounds is more than enough to hold his own at the next level. He’s a smooth athlete who knows how to get open with his route running and he was able to handle a large workload for an offense and produce with that opportunity. Last year, he finished with 71 receptions for 840 yards and seven touchdowns, incredible numbers for a college tight end. Mayer is able to make an impact in the run game as well as a blocker on the end of the line, which gives him Week 1 NFL upside. He’s a player who you can plan on taking a look at early in next year’s Dynasty Owner rookie drafts. The position may be a little thin and top heavy, so Mayer will be a TE1 in dynasty fantasy football as soon as he gets drafted.
You can follow Nate on Twitter @NateNFL