2023 Superflex Rookie Mock Draft with NFL Landing Spots and Trades
In this article, I will give you my two-round Superflex rookie mock draft, including my prediction of landing spots for each player. I will go into detail about each player in the first round of this rookie mock as well as the landing spots of those players. In your upcoming dynasty rookie drafts, these are all players who will more than likely be in the first and second rounds. However, after landing spots are official, some players will move up and down draft boards. Let’s get right into this 2023 Superflex Rookie Mock Draft with NFL Landing Spots and Trades.
Round 1
1.01 Bijan Robinson (RB) – Arizona Cardinals
In this mock draft, the Arizona Cardinals trade back with the Carolina Panthers and select Bijan Robinson. Robinson is the consensus No. 1 pick in upcoming rookie drafts even in Superflex leagues. He has the size and speed along with the pass-catching skills to be a three-down back in the NFL. While he does need to work on his pass protection some I don’t see it being a long-term issue for him at all. Furthermore, it is not uncommon for running backs to struggle a little at pass protection coming into the NFL.
James Conner has never played a full season and will be 28 years old in May and has an “out” in his contract in 2024 of only $2 million in dead cap. This will give the Cardinals’ new coach a great young offensive weapon.
1.02 Bryce Young (QB) – Houston Texans
Bryce Young is considered by many to be the first quarterback off the board in Superflex rookie drafts. He is a Heisman winner who was phenomenal in college. He is very well-rounded with excellent accuracy. Additionally, he is good at moving in and out of the pocket. The main knock on Young is his height, and while that might prevent him from going on certain rides in Disney World it won’t affect his play on the football field. I’m not too worried about his height being an issue in the NFL.
The Texans get who they hope to be their franchise quarterback for many years to come. While the Texans don’t look like a great landing spot for a quarterback, they certainly have plenty of picks. They have an additional 1st Round pick, a 2nd Round pick, and two 3rd Round picks as well as the fifth-most cap space to add talent to the offense. Young to the Texans is a pretty realistic possibility, but he still should go after Robinson in your dynasty rookie drafts.
1.03 CJ Stroud (QB) – Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts traded with the Chicago Bears to move up to the No. 1 pick to get CJ Stroud. He has good size, accuracy, and arm strength as well as great ball placement. On top of that, he threw over 40 touchdowns and only six interceptions with over 65% completion rate in each of the last two seasons. In the playoff game against Georgia, he showed he has some rushing ability to his game.
A top quarterback is the missing piece to this Colts offense. They appear to be done going the veteran quarterback route after misses on Matt Ryan, Carson Wentz, and Philip Rivers. I believe they will draft a rookie quarterback this year fairly high. Going with a rookie will help them when it comes time to pay Jonathan Taylor and Michael Pittman Jr.
1.04 Quentin Johnston (WR) – Los Angeles Chargers
At 6’4 and 193 pounds, Quentin Johnston has an excellent combination of size and speed. His great speed and acceleration are what made him a great deep threat in college. In his last season, he had over 1,000 receiving yards with 17.8 yards per catch. While he has many great traits he did have some struggles with drops (8) in 2022 and was held to just one catch for three yards against Georgia in the National Championship game.
Keenan Allen is turning 31 in April and missed seven games in 2022. Their other top wide receiver, Mike Williams will turn 29 shortly after the start of the season. Additionally, he has dealt with multiple injuries to his back as well as his neck, knee, shoulder, hamstring, and ankle. The Chargers also have an “out” in William’s contract in 2024 of $7 million in dead cap. They need to continue to surround their young franchise quarterback with weapons and do it on the cheap as they are over the cap and need to prepare for Justin Herbert’s upcoming contract extension.
1.05 Jahmyr Gibbs (RB) – Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos trade up from the 3rd Round into the 2nd Round. Sean Payton is no stranger to trading up in the NFL Draft. With the Saints, he either traded up into or within the first three rounds of the draft more than 10 times.
Jahmyr Gibbs is a very shifty runner with quick feet and great speed. He excels as a pass catcher with over 400 receiving yards in each of the last two seasons and has been compared to Alvin Kamara by some. In Payton’s offense, he could be a dangerous weapon and great for fantasy football purposes. The Broncos don’t have much at running back aside from Javonte Williams who tore his ACL and LCL last season and likely won’t be back to pre-injury form until mid-season. Latavius Murray is 33 years old and Chase Edmonds has never rushed for 600 yards in a single season in his five-year career. This would be a fantastic combination in their backfield when Williams comes back healthy.
1.06 Jordan Addison (WR) – Houston Texans
With their second 1st Round pick, the Texans now grab a rookie wide receiver. Jordan Addison has great hands and attacks the ball. He has quick moves and great cutting ability that often makes the first defender miss. Addison had a monster Sophomore season where he had 100 receptions for 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns. While he is a little undersized at 6’0 and only 175 pounds, we have seen wide receivers his size succeed. The Texans need to surround their new quarterback with playmakers and Addison is a great start.
1.07 Anthony Richardson (QB) – Washington Commanders
Coming out of Florida, Anthony Richardson is a big-bodied quarterback at 6’4 and 236 pounds. He has plenty of arm strength and great rushing upside that gives him an opportunity to be a Konami code at quarterback which will have some fantasy managers drooling. In his last season, Richardson had 654 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns. With that said, he is not without question marks and could take some time to develop.
Richardson was only a full-time starter for one season and in that season he only had 327 passing attempts with just a 53.8% completion percentage. There are also several times when he underthrew his receivers. Richardson has drawn comparisons to Cam Newton who was drafted by Ron Rivera. If Rivera doesn’t get the quarterback position going in the right direction soon he will be looking for a new job.
1.08 Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR) – New England Patriots
We all know the Patriots stink at drafting wide receivers, but they grab one of the best in the class in this mock draft. Jaxon Smith-Njigba has great hands and is an excellent route runner. He is great after the catch and has amazing moves that leave defenders looking stupid. In his one full season, he had 1,600 yards with at least 90 yards in 10 of the 13 games.
The Patriots are desperately in need of a playmaker to catch passes, that much is clear. Last year, their leading wide receiver was Jakobi Meyers, who finished 37th in receiving yards with just 804. Njigba can give the Patriots a difference-maker at wide receiver and give Mac Jones someone to lean on.
1.09 Will Levis (QB) – Carolina Panthers
Some positives for Will Levis are his great size and arm strength as well as some rushing ability. However, he has never thrown for 3,000 yards or more than 24 touchdowns in any college season. Levis had a terrible touchdown to interception rate that was significantly worse than both Stroud’s and Young’s. On top of that, he was sacked 36 times in 2022.
While many draft analysts and others around the NFL are pretty high on Levis, he seems to be somewhat disliked by the fantasy football community. For that reason, I have him as the fourth quarterback taken in this mock draft. Similar to the Colts, I believe Carolina is done bringing in veteran quarterbacks and will roll with a rookie next year.
1.10 Zach Charbonnet (RB) – Buffalo Bills
Zach Charbonnet is a powerful runner and has great size at 6’1 and 220 pounds. He has the ability to make some nice cuts and make guys miss at times. When he can’t make the defender miss he has the power and strength to break tackles or drag defenders for extra yards. Additionally, he has excellent yards after contact and is an above-average pass catcher out of the backfield.
Buffalo needs a consistent run game and a strong runner who can pick up tough yards. They can’t afford to keep having Josh Allen be such a huge part of their run game. Buffalo needs to protect Allen from himself and keep him healthy. Charbonnet will take some pressure off of Allen and allow him to hand the ball off and let Charbonnet do the work. He’d be a nice piece to pair with James Cook for the future.
1.11 Sean Tucker (RB) – Philadelphia Eagles
Sean Tucker has solid burst and is a great inside runner. He has the ability to bounce it outside when there is nothing inside as well. In each of his last two seasons, he rushed for over 1,000 yards with double-digit touchdowns.
While the Eagles have Miles Sanders, he is an unrestricted free agent and I am not sure they will re-sign him. The Eagles have very little cap space and still need to lock up Jalen Hurts and Chauncey Gardner-Johnson to long-term deals as well. Tucker would jump up rookie draft boards if he lands in Philadelphia and Sanders is in fact gone next year.
1.12 Kayshon Boutte (WR) – New York Giants
Wrapping up this first round is Kayshon Boutte, who is an interesting prospect, to say the least. It wasn’t that long ago that he was seen as the No. 1 wide receiver in this 2023 class by many. He had a great Freshman season and started out hot in his Sophomore season before it was cut short due to an ankle injury. Then in his Junior season, things didn’t go well and there seemed to be something going on behind the scenes. After the season there were some rumors regarding some off-the-field incidents.
Boutte doesn’t have the gaudy stats that some of the other wide receivers in this class have. However, there is no denying he is an immensely talented player with plenty of upside. He scored nine touchdowns in only six games as a Sophomore and averaged at least 11 yards per catch in all three years. He is fast and has the ability to take a 5-yard slant and go 50 yards to the house. This past season showed that the Giants need help at wide receiver badly and that the Kenny Golladay signing didn’t work out. Boutte would easily run away with the WR1 in New York if he landed there.
Round 2
2.01 Zach Evans (RB) – Miami Dolphins
2.02 Michael Mayer (TE) – Green Bay Packers
2.03 Josh Downs (WR) – Tennessee Titans
2.04 Tyjae Spears (RB) – Carolina Panthers
2.05 Jalin Hyatt (WR) – Dallas Cowboys
2.06 Zay Flowers (WR) – Seattle Seahawks
2.07 Kendre Miller (RB) – New Orleans Saints
2.08 Kenny McIntosh (RB) – Cincinnati Bengals
2.09 Rashee Rice (WR) – Chicago Bears
2.10 Devon Achane (RB) – Houston Texans
2.11 Darnell Washington (TE) – Cincinnati Bengals
2.12 Israel Abanikanda (RB) – Minnesota Vikings
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