This pick-by-pick series allows us to explore how our teams look with different builds. In this draft, I had picks 5 and 11. With the fifth pick, I went with an RB/RB build, and with this team at pick 11, I started WR/WR/WR. I loved my RB/RB team, so let's see if drafting WRs with each of my first three picks yields similarly awesome results!
If anything trips this team up, it could be Puka Nacua's knee. At the time of the draft, he was week-to-week with a knee injury, but the injury was not considered serious so I'm going to assume Nacua will have a great season (NOTE: You will like your team a lot more if you give the most optimistic outlooks for all of your players)! After taking A.J. Brown and Nacua, I selected George Pickens and Alvin Kamara. I continued with two more RBs with my next three picks. I went stud WRs early and solid RBs (Kamara, David Montgomery, and Tony Pollard) in the middle of my draft. To build out my RB depth, I waited on QB but was still able to get Kyle Pitts in Round 6.
I'm happy with this team because it is a 3-WR league. In a 2-WR league, I don't love going so WR-heavy with my early picks. I probably would have taken Travis Kelce or Patrick Mahomes over George Pickens in a 2-WR league.
Overall, I think this team has no major weaknesses. It is strong at WR. Fine at RB, TE, and potentially strong at QB with Jayden Daniels and Brock Purdy. If you are in the middle of your draft and you feel weak at RB or WR, just keep waiting on QB. Take advantage of the depth at that position.
Here is my team which will go 8-6, earn the 4 seed, and sadly lose on a fumble during Monday Night Football in the league semifinals:
1.11 A.J. Brown, WR, PHI
2.2 Puka Nacua, WR, LAR
3.11 George Pickens, WR, PIT
4.2 Alvin Kamara, RB, NO
5.11 David Montgomery, RB, DET
6.2 Kyle Pitts, TE, ATL
7.11 Tony Pollard, RB, TEN
8.2 Rome Odunze, WR, CHI
9.11 Zach Charbonnet, RB, SEA
10.2 Jayden Daniels, QB, WAS
11.11 Dallas Goedert, TE, PHI
12.2 Brock Purdy, QB, SF
13.11 Gabe Davis, WR, JAC
14.2 Khalil Herbert, RB, CHI
Daniels was more accomplished and a better prospect than Anthony Richardson coming out of college. If we're so excited about Richardson, why not just wait five rounds or so and take Daniels? He could rush for 1,000 yards this season! And in case Daniels fails, I backed him up with Brock Purdy in Round 12. If Purdy is not available in your drafts, you can look at Tua Tagovailoa and Jared Goff as great QBs to pair with Daniels.
| ||||||||||||||||
Aside from Nacua's injury concern, which is seemingly minor at this point, the resurgence of Cooper Kupp in training camp is giving me a little bit of pause on drafting Puka so early. I think you have to just trust that the guy who set rookie receiving records is going to back it up with a fantastic sophomore season. Perhaps he and Kupp can both be great. Still, you have to consider the possibility that Nacua isn't even the best WR on his own team.
| ||||||||||||||||
Passing up Malik Nabers, all of the elite QBs, and Travis Kelce to take Pickens might be nuts, especially if Justin Fields wins the Steelers QB job. I took Pickens over Nabers because they are both #1 WRs on their respective teams but I think Pickens has a better QB situation and he dazzled in four games without Diontae Johnson in 2023. As mentioned earlier, I don't think he would have been the pick here if this had been a 2-WR league instead of a 3-WR league.
| ||||||||||||||||