Welcome to the 2021 Fantasy Alarm Staff Mock Draft!

As we do with every NFL Draft Guide, we like to get the staff together for a mock draft in an effort to show you what we like to do in our own drafts, based on what our draft position might be. This isn’t an exercise to be copied, though. It is an exercise from which to learn. This draft took place on August 3, so we were all updated on the current news, position battles and recent ADP trends. When you study the draft board, understand that things will change between now and when your actual draft takes place, so be flexible. Also, understand that this is a 14-team draft so don’t just look at the grid and say, “Player X is a third-round guy? I thought he was more of a fourth or fifth-rounder.” We used 14 teams to expand the player pool you would be viewing.

Each analyst was asked five questions regarding the draft as a whole. Things like favorite and least-favorite picks, they were not allowed to select anything from their own team. And they were also asked to discuss one thing they’ve learned from drafting this offseason as well. The more we explain our thoughts, the better this tool serves you for research purposes.

Before we get to the individual breakdowns, here are the particulars of this draft:

  • 14-team snake-style draft
  • PPR scoring
  • Starting Rosters: 1 QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, 1 TE, 1 Flex, 1 K, 1 DEF w/ six bench players

Full Draft Board: https://www.rtsports.com/football/draft-board.php?LID=275818&UID=fantasyfootball

Now that everything is right in front of you, here’s what everyone had to say:

Pick 1: Justin Vreeland

Favorite pick:

Jim’s pick of Rashod Bateman at pick 131. Part of this stems from the fact that I have never liked Marquise Brown or viewed him as a #1 WR for an NFL team, but the other part is that I like Bateman. When you get to this point in the draft (in my opinion) you should be looking for home runs for your flex or for your bench and Bateman could be just that. I’d take him over any of the four WRs that were selected prior to him.

Least favorite pick:

Coop’s pick of A.J. Brown over Justin Jefferson. I just don’t really get it. Jefferson was better than Brown last season as a rookie and now Brown has to compete with Julio Jones for targets. It’s not that I am against Brown, but I just can’t get behind picking him before Jefferson. Bonus- The last six QBs who were taken over Lance and Fields as backups makes no sense to me.

Player I wanted but didn’t get:

I was hoping for Dobbins or Montgomery to be there for my second pick instead of having to reach a little on Gaskin (though I do love him too), but RBs were flying off the board. Outside of that, I would have liked for Etienne to make it to me and I would have gone Etienne/Pitts at 4/5 and waited on QB a bit, but ended up just taking my favorite QB (in fantasy) in Murray once again.

How does this team fare to others you’ve drafted?

I have to be honest; I love this team. For a 14-team draft, I couldn’t be happier with how this turned out. With my first seven picks I believe I have a very strong lineup with a ton of upside. The only thing I don’t like is how thin I am at RB, but again, with this being a 14-team league with backs flying off the board, there wasn’t much I could do that about that.

Regarding drafts, what is something you’ve learned this offseason?

Not a whole lot, for me it’s been business as usual with going RB early and waiting on WR. I think the biggest difference for me this season is that I have been consistently putting a lot of draft capital into TE as I have been landing Kelce, Pitts, or Hockenson in just about all my drafts thus far.

Pick 2: Ryan Hallam

Favorite pick:

George Kittle Colby Conway Round 4. He is generally going in the first two or three rounds but somehow Kittle fell to the fourth in this round. He is definitely a top two tight end even if the 49ers have a lot of weapons to throw to. Kittle is not only a red zone threat but he is also a yards after the catch beast and should be the number one option in a potent 49ers pass offense. 

Least favorite pick:

Mike Williams Round 8 – It isn’t a terrible pick but I am not a Mike Williams guy. He has never even had 50 catches and has only topped 800 yards once. He has just seven touchdowns in the last two seasons and as much as I like Justin Herbert as a quarterback, Mike Williams just isn’t a big-time fantasy wide receiver. 

Player I wanted but didn’t get:

Chase Claypool – Ronis went wide receiver in four straight rounds and grabbed Claypool in the sixth round. He had nearly 900 yards and 9 touchdowns in his rookie season and the Steelers should be a great passing offense again in 2021. The addition of Najee Harris at running back actually helps the passing game as defenses just can’t sit in nickel defenses with extra defensive backs. With JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson also great at wide receiver, defenses can’t key in on Claypool and he should continue to be a huge deep play threat in this offense. 

How does this team fare to others you’ve drafted?

This team is pretty similar to many that I have drafted. I have gone with running backs in the first two rounds and I have grabbed my third in the first five rounds. My wide receivers are not elite but very strong and I grab a quarterback in the fifth or sixth round with a tight end shortly after. I feel that this year running back is the shallowest position and I want to try to keep my running back situation fairly deep while the wide receivers are fairly strong as well. 

Regarding drafts, what is something you’ve learned this offseason?

I continued to learn to not only pick the guy that you want even regardless of ADP. Especially when you are close to a turn like I was with the second pick, but no matter where your draft position is just go get your guy. I also learned that you can wait on quarterback and tight end and still get a quality guy at both positions as I didn’t pick a quarterback until Round 6 and tight end until Week 9 and still got quality starters at both positions. 

Pick 3: Ray Kuhn

Favorite pick:

Darrell Henderson at pick 3.14 should accomplish the same thing I was looking to do with D’Andre Swift with my pick towards the end of the second round With Cam Akers out for the year, the Rams’ backfield belongs to Henderson and he has the better quarterback in Matthew Stafford. Both backs will be leaned on heavily, and while Swift is the better receiving option, I don’t see the difference between the two this season to be that vast to account for the difference in price. Henderson averaged 4.6 yards per carry last season while sharing time with Akers and this year he will be given all of the work he can handle.

Least favorite pick:

There is a lot of buzz in Jacksonville this season, but I don’t believe James Robinson should receive much of it. Taking him in the fifth round and leaning on what he did last year is too much of a risk to me. Robinson did come out of nowhere to rush for 1,070 yards but it really was because the Jaguars didn’t have any other options. We can’t ignore the presence of Travis Etienne who is far more explosive and I’m expecting Jacksonville to really have a short memory with Robinson whose value was really based on volume last season.

Player I wanted but didn’t get:

Running backs were going quickly early in the draft so perhaps I jumped the gun a few picks by taking D’Andre Swift towards the end of the second round. Of course if he lives up to his potential, my story will change, but the real referendum on that choice will be how D.J. Chark shakes out as my WR1. With that being said I truly was greedy hoping that Justin Jefferson would fall to me with the third pick of the third round and the same could be said to a lesser extent for Terry McLaurin.

How does this team fare to others you’ve drafted?

I generally wait on the tight end position so jumping the gun with Darren Waller in the third round was a deviation for me. At that point I already had two running backs and felt that there was a drop off to the next WR tier so I decided to take advantage of what I perceived to be some value and draft Darren Waller at 3.3. In most cases, I will have the advantage at the tight end position, but I felt like I was chasing WR (D.J. Chark, Tee Higgins, and Michael Pittman Jr. are my three starters) for the rest of the draft and banking on serious upside in a boom or bust environment. Allen Robinson who went the pick after I took Waller might have made more sense as I do have some level of risk at the receiver position along with that reward. Drafting with 14 teams also thinned some things out a little quicker than normal.

Regarding drafts, what is something you’ve learned this offseason?

I felt like perhaps more than other years I really was drafting more on upside than anything else. After the first few rounds, tiers and ranks become more blurred and I think it is important to make sure to draft “your guys” and not necessarily worry about ADP after about round six. At certain levels of the draft depending on your stance with the top tiers at the quarterback and tight end positions, it makes sense to really wait towards the end of your draft as there isn’t much differentiation between some of the options. I’m also not sure how many players I would necessarily think about as being “safe” as this draft season is all about upside for me.  

Pick 4: Andrew Cooper

Favorite pick:

Raheem Mostert.  He had the two fastest on field speeds recorded by NFL Next Gen Stats last year in weeks 1 and 2 and he’s running behind one of the best O-Lines in the league.  Jim somehow got him at pick 108 which is 20 picks past ADP.

Least favorite pick:

CeeDee Lamb.  Last year he was the odd man out in two WR sets so he only played 64% of the snaps.  He should see a boost this year but Amari Cooper and Gallup are still there along with two tight ends and two pass catching backs.  I’m just not ready to take him before some guys with guaranteed snap/target shares.

Player I wanted but didn’t get:

Adam Thielen.  Speaking of high snap and target shares, Thielen played 96% of the snaps and had a 100% route participation.  Howard took him the pick before me.  

How does this team fare to others you’ve drafted?

Drafting with folks from Fantasy Alarm is always a blood bath - I truly believe this group is one of the sharpest in the game right now.  I haven’t been doing many 14 man drafts so far so the end result feels extra painful.

Regarding drafts, what is something you’ve learned this offseason?

If you are like me and you prefer to have two rock solid running backs that you can count on, you need to take them early.  Especially if you like a running back at the flex.  This draft perfectly illustrated that.  By the time it got back to me at the 2-3 turn, I didn’t like what was there. And it only got uglier after that. 

Pick 5: Howard Bender

Favorite pick:

Anytime you’ve got an RB-heavy draft in the early rounds, seeing Mike Davis last to the fourth round of a 14-teamer is gold. People are underestimating this guy and his workload this season.

Least favorite pick:

I’m just not into Brandon Aiyuk this season, so seeing him go in the early fourth round seems like an overshoot. He saw great target numbers last year but wasn’t that more about both George Kittle and Deebo Samuel being hurt?

Player I wanted but didn’t get:

I thought Justin Herbert might slip one more round to me, so I passed on him for a wide receiver in Round 5 and hoped to land him in the sixth. Ryan Hallam had other plans, it seems.

How does this team fare to others you’ve drafted?

Looked like a textbook Bender draft through the first five rounds but then the wheels started to fall off the wagon. I’ve been grabbing my QB a little earlier than normal this year and I didn’t here. Dure, I like my receivers a little more, but I don’t like Jalen Hurts as my starting QB. I also made the mistake – likely because I wasn’t 100% focused like I should have been – and stacked Eagles here with Miles Sanders, Dallas Goedert and Hurts. That’s fine if it’s a league with an overall prize, but I’m not about stacking in regular re-draft leagues.

Regarding drafts, what is something you’ve learned this offseason?

Too many people rely on both ADP and default rankings on a draft platform. You should always have your own rankings. Even if you use the ones we provide here in the Draft Guide, you should print them out and make any adjustments you like. Guys slip through the cracks all the time when everyone stares at the default site rankings in a draft room.

Pick 6: Colby Conway

Favorite pick:

Jon Impemba getting Mark Andrews as the sixth tight end is exceptional. Andrews is my number four tight end this year, and with Baltimore likely trying to throw it more, Andrews should be line for added volume. He’s Lamar Jackson’s end zone guy, so touchdowns will be there yet again for Andrews, and while Marquise Brown (pre-injury) and Rashod Bateman have gotten a lot of hype this offseason, Andrews is the team’s WR1 dressed up as a tight end.

Least favorite pick:

James Grande is going to have his work cut out at running back. I understand the mentality, and waiting on running back forces you to do this, but Chase Edmonds as the team’s RB1 is going to cause Grande some headaches. He’s yet to top 100 carries in a season, and if passing volume isn’t there for him, he’s going to struggle to return RB2 numbers. I get what he’s going for, but I would have preferred some running backs that went after Edmonds. I don’t hate Edmonds, but there’s guys I would have preferred afterwards.

Player I wanted but didn’t get:

In Round 7, I was debating taking Mike Williams and I wish I would have taken him there over Jaylen Waddle. In Joe Lombardi’s offense, Williams is poised for volume he’s yet to have in his career, and his red zone upside just sweetens the pot. I was hoping he’d fall to me in the eighth round, but James Grande didn’t want to see me happy.

How does this team fare to others you’ve drafted?

It’s fine, but I’m not jumping over the moon. I have two reliable weekly starters in Lamb and Cooks at wide receiver, but after that, it’s a lot of youngsters with big potential, but not a lot of proven production at the game’s highest level. Kittle isn’t a tight end I’m actively targeting, but in the fourth round of a 14-team setup, I’ll take that leap. However, his injury history and the fact he’s never scored more than five touchdowns in a season is a bit concerning for my fourth-round pick. However, health willing, Kittle’s receiving numbers will help play up this receiving core. I would much rather draft in the first three or last three picks of the draft, as I tend to like those teams more.

Regarding drafts, what is something you’ve learned this offseason?

There is safety in security folks. Not every rookie is going to come in and set the world on fire, so buy the dips in the “boring” players. Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins are exciting, but Tyler Boyd is going to be just as valuable, and he was Joe Burrow’s guy last year. The Texans stink, but they have to throw the ball, and receiver Brandin Cooks is locked in for a massive target share. Don’t fall for the flashy new toy every time. You don’t always need the newest car off the lot.

Pick 7: Joe Gallina

Favorite pick:

Colby Conway’s pick of Bears WR Darnell Mooney with the sixth pick in the ninth round. I love him as Conway’s fifth WR. Mooney’s got big play potential and with the Bears trading Anthony Miller to the Texans, he’s locked in as their WR2. He should thrive in the Bears’ pass first offense, especially if Justin Fields eventually takes over as the teams’ starting QB.

Least favorite pick:

Texans RB David Johnson with the seventh pick of the sixth round. The Texans are going to be playing from behind for much of the season, and they’ll probably have to abandon the run early on in a bunch of their games. Johnson’s ability to catch the ball out of the backfield might help him salvage some of his season, but other than Brandin Cooks and possibly QB TyRod Taylor in superflex leagues, I’m avoiding the Texans offense in fantasy this season.

Player I wanted but didn’t get:

CeeDee Lamb. He had an excellent rookie season and should be even better in year two with Dak Prescott under center for a full season. Lamb averaged 25 more receiving yards per game with Prescott throwing him the ball.

How does this team fare to others you’ve drafted?

I took some chances when it came to my third WR with this team. I drafted more riskier high upside WRs than usual. I need Will Fuller to stay healthy, or a breakout season from either Mecole Hardman, Marques Valdes-Scantling or Hunter Renfrow. 

Regarding drafts, what is something you’ve learned this offseason?

If you really want to roster a specific player, trust in your draft prep and player evaluation, forget ADPs, and go get your guy.

Pick 8: Matt Selz

Favorite pick:

Chase Claypool as Adam Ronis’ WR4 in the sixth round

Least favorite pick:

Michael Pittman Jr. as Ray’s WR3 in round 7 was my least favorite pick since Antonio Brown, Michael Gallup, Curtis Samuel, and Mike Williams all went in the next 10-14 picks.

Player I wanted but didn’t get:

I was sniped three times in the draft with Mike Evans, Chase Claypool, and Rashod Bateman all being taken a pick or two in front of me.

How does this team fare to others you’ve drafted?

I haven’t drafted any other teams this year yet.

Regarding drafts, what is something you’ve learned this offseason?

The one thing that’s been hammered home to me this year about drafting is that you don’t need everyone on your team to be top-5-10 at their position to win, you just need guys who will see consistent volume to have a shot.

Pick 9: Adam Ronis

Favorite pick:

Elijah Moore had 10.1 was an excellent pick. This is the area of the draft where you can shoot for potential and talent and Moore has been drawing rave reviews all off-season and in training camp.

Least favorite pick:

I was stunned to see Myles Gaskin go at pick 28. While he was good last season, there's no way he should be taken over all the receivers that followed. This is an example of overpaying for a running back.

Player I wanted but didn’t get:

I didn't expect CeeDee Lamb to fall as far as he did. He went three picks before me in round 3 at pick 34. I doubt we see him this low in the next few weeks.

How does this team fare to others you’ve drafted?

Considering this is a 14-team league, it stacks up well. This is the first time I went tight end in the first round and wanted to see if I could build a competitive team and I did. If I am going to have a weakness in a 14-team league, I don't mind it being the RB2 since the waiver wire can fix it if the backs on the roster don't work out.

Regarding drafts, what is something you’ve learned this offseason?

While wide receiver has depth, the sweet spot is rounds 3-6. There is a lot of talent in those rounds and if you start with two running backs, those are the rounds to hammer wide receivers.

Pick 10: Jim Bowden

Favorite pick:

JaMarr Chase round 5 by Adam Ronis...sniped him right in front of me. I think he's going to have a huge year for the Bengals.

Least favorite pick:

AJ Green round 11 he could have waited for four more rounds at least. Plus I know it'll drive Howard bonkers.

Player I wanted but didn’t get:

CeeDee Lamb round 3

How does this team fare to others you’ve drafted?

A step below because of my lack of quality wide receivers due to taking Mahomes in round 3.

Regarding drafts, what is something you’ve learned this offseason?

Pay attention to injured players, its embarrassing when someone drafts a player not knowing he is injured and going to be out for weeks. Do your homework.

Pick 11: Dan Malin

Favorite pick:

The best pick of the draft was probably Vreeland getting Justin Jefferson at 29th overall. He’s arguably a top eight wide receiver and given the run on running backs (20 of the first 28 picks), Vreeland was gifted an easy WR1 in a 14-team league.

Least favorite pick:

My least favorite pick of the draft was Patrick Mahomes in the third round by Jim Bowden. I know I could be dragged over hot coals on air for saying this, but Howard tried to remind everyone ahead of the draft that we needed to treat this as if we were starting three wide receivers. While Jim would have a significant positional advantage at quarterback each week, his projected starting wide receivers would be Mike Evans, Jerry Jeudy, and either Marvin Jones, Rashod Bateman, or T.Y. Hilton. Evans is an easy starter, but I don’t trust the consistency in any of the other four whether it’s opportunity or the quarterback delivering them the ball.

Player I wanted but didn’t get:

I’ll give Jim credit because he did snipe me in round seven. Raheem Mostert is a guy a like targeting in the mid rounds and Jim got him right before I picked at 7.11 so Mostert is the one that got away from me in this particular draft. Kyle Shanahan loves to run the ball and Mostert has looked great when healthy behind this offensive line.

How does this team fare to others you’ve drafted?

N/A

Regarding drafts, what is something you’ve learned this offseason?

One thing I’ve learned this offseason is that it feels like the industry is overvaluing rookies once again. In deeper leagues, you have to take some gambles on certain positions, but I don’t want to be too reliant on rookies. Najee Harris is just too risky for my liking behind a bad offensive line. I’d rather go with Montgomery, Swift, or Carson who went after Harris in this draft. Similarly, I can’t trust Travis Etienne in the fourth round of a draft this deep and I don’t trust Javonte Williams earning a majority of the carries outright in Denver. That’s a situation where a slow start for him could result in fantasy owners entertaining dropping him four-to-five weeks into the season if the coaching staff can’t get away from giving Melvin Gordon the ball in the final year of his contract. Rookies represent the great unknown every season and we overvalue them annually. I’m trying not to put myself in position where I need to gamble on rookies at their current ADP.

Pick 12: James Grande

Favorite pick:

Justin Vreeland grabbing Justin Jefferson to pair with Christian McCaffrey is incredible in a 14-team league. Getting him in the third round is a steal.

Least favorite pick:

I see why Zero-RB truthers are out in full force this year. Zack Moss going in the fifth round in an offense that doesn’t have a clear-cut RB role and a QB that doesn’t throw to his RB’s. I’ll pass 10/10 times.

Player I wanted but didn’t get:

After starting Zero-RB, I had a few targets in Travis Etienne, Javonte Williams, and Trey Sermon but missed out on all of them. I wasn’t going to reach for any of them.

How does this team fare to others you’ve drafted?

I tired Zero-RB for the first time this off-season, so it’s a weird comparison. I’m usually a RB heavy drafter, but this isn’t a RB class you need to force.

Regarding drafts, what is something you’ve learned this offseason?

Circling back to my thoughts on running backs above. Don’t reach. Why reach on a running back without guaranteed volume or any specific role when you can draft an elite WR or top QB instead. After years of waiting on QB, I’d love to own one of the top six and I’m willing to take them early.

Pick 13: Ivar Anderson

Favorite pick:

5.5 Javonte Williams RB DEN by Howard

Least favorite pick:

7.3 Michael Pittman, Jr. WR IND by Ray Kuhn

Player I wanted but didn’t get:

8.12 Leonard Fournette RB TB by Ray Kuhn

How does this team fare to others you’ve drafted?

I have mostly picked in dynasty leagues so far this draft season, so redraft experience so far limited save for Scott Fish Bowl. Prefer the results here to the SFB draft, mostly due to more information and some (limited admittedly) training camp tidbits. Prolly went to early on QB but picking at 13th slot made some choices necessary due to not being able to plan on targeted guys sticking around for 24 picks. Overall, satisfied with the mix, pending some battles for targets/touches/role on offense.

Regarding drafts, what is something you’ve learned this offseason?

Re-learned the ability to wait on QB and WR, and the concern that RB depth is fleeting after the first three rounds. Not going to pursue even a modified no-RB strategy this season.

Pick 14: Jon Impemba

Favorite pick:

DeVonta Smith Round 7 Justin Vreeland, going to be top receiving option in Philly. Great talent upside.

Least favorite pick:

Alexander Mattison Rd 11 Dan Malin. Doesn't have Cook, is a zero on his bench barring injury.

Player I wanted but didn’t get:

Tyler Lockett, one of my favorite values this season given the concentrated target share in Seattle

How does this team fare to others you’ve drafted?

Pretty much on brand with my draft so far. Going WR heavy early in leagues where you need to start three wide receivers. 

Regarding drafts, what is something you’ve learned this offseason?

There is a lot of uncertainty at the running back position after the few rounds that the investment in the position feels less important.