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USATSI

We held our first 12-team, PPR mock draft following NFL free agency on Wednesday, and it was fun to see where the players who changed teams or were impacted by recent moves were selected. But first, we have to look at two busts from 2024 being drafted in Round 1.

Tyreek Hill went at No. 8 overall as the fifth receiver off the board. And Christian McCaffrey went at No. 11 overall as the fourth running back. I don't love either selection, but I'm hopeful both players will rebound in 2025.

Hill averaged 12.3 PPR points per game last season, which was his second-worst total since his rookie year in 2016. But he played through a wrist injury, along with Tua Tagovailoa missing six games. Hill still has immense upside, even at 31, but he should be considered a Round 2 pick this season in the majority of leagues.

McCaffrey is also better suited for Round 2 since he struggled with multiple injuries in 2024 and was limited to just four games. He also turns 29 in June. Now, if McCaffrey returns to form, he could be the best running back in the NFL. But that's a big if after what happened last season, which is why No. 11 overall seems a little soon.

We have several more months to talk about those veterans. Now, let's dive into what happened in free agency.

In Round 1, we saw Puka Nacua fall a little bit to No. 10 overall as the seventh receiver, which is likely the result of Davante Adams joining the Rams. I'm not worried about Adams being a significant downgrade for Nacua, and this is a great spot for him.

Jaxon Smith-Njigba was drafted at No. 16 overall, and I like that selection a lot. While the Seahawks changed quarterbacks (Geno Smith to Sam Darnold) and added Cooper Kupp, Smith-Njigba has the chance to be dominant entering his third season in the NFL.

Chuba Hubbard also got company in Carolina with the addition of Rico Dowdle. Prior to Dowdle's arrival, Hubbard was a potential Round 2 selection, but he fell to the last pick of Round 4 here. This is the right range for him, but he'll likely slip even further once the rookies are included.

Round 5 is when we finally saw some of the free agents get drafted, including Adams and Najee Harris. I was surprised Adams lasted this long, and I expect his Average Draft Position to be in Round 4 in August now that he's on the Rams.

As for Harris, Round 5 is the right range for him, but we'll see if the Chargers add another running back in the NFL Draft. If he's the featured back this season then Harris could be a steal in Round 5 since Los Angeles was a great landing spot for the former Steeler.

Speaking of the Steelers, Round 6 had some interesting selections tied to Pittsburgh. For starters, George Pickens was drafted ahead of new teammate DK Metcalf, which was a surprise. I would rather have Metcalf, and we'll see if Pickens stays with the Steelers or gets traded prior to the season. We also don't know who the quarterback in Pittsburgh is yet.

Jaylen Warren was also drafted in Round 6, and he could be the featured running back for the Steelers this season now that Harris is gone. Warren will be a breakout candidate if he doesn't get significant competition in the NFL Draft, and I love this spot for him -- which is why I drafted him.

In Round 7, we had the current and former 49ers receivers come off the board when Jauan Jennings, Brandon Aiyuk, and Ricky Pearsall (in that order) were all drafted ahead of Deebo Samuel, who was traded to Washington. I like Jennings and Pearsall more than Samuel this season, but Aiyuk makes me nervous coming off the torn ACL he suffered last year in Week 7 since we don't know when he'll be ready to play.

I like the move for Samuel to join the Commanders and play with Jayden Daniels, but I view Samuel as a low-end No. 3 Fantasy receiver. Jennings and Pearsall, especially if Aiyuk is slow in his recovery, have more upside with the 49ers.

Kupp also was drafted in Round 7 and, like Samuel, I view Kupp as a low-end No. 3 Fantasy receiver. He should get targets in Seattle, but he turns 32 in June and was miserable to close 2024 with the Rams.

The other players who changed teams of note who stand out were DeAndre Hopkins, Christian Kirk, and Evan Engram being selected in Round 8, Dowdle in Round 9, Jordan Mason in Round 9, Justin Fields in Round 11, Raheem Mostert in Round 13 and Elijah Mitchell in Round 13. Of these picks, my favorites were Kirk, Engram, Mason, Fields, and Mitchell.

Kirk should be the No. 2 receiver in Houston, and he could be a No. 3 Fantasy receiver as a go-to target for C.J. Stroud. Engram should be second in targets for the Broncos behind Courtland Sutton, and Engram has top-10 upside with his new team.

I love Mason as the No. 2 running back in Minnesota, especially since he's backing up a 30-year-old Aaron Jones. Fields could be a top-10 Fantasy quarterback as the new starter for the Jets. And Mitchell is a potential lottery ticket if he can be second on the depth chart for the Chiefs behind Isiah Pacheco.

It was interesting to see how free agency impacted this 12-team, PPR mock draft. And the Fantasy landscape will change again with the NFL Draft. We're starting to see how NFL rosters will look in 2025, and it's exciting because that means we're closer to doing Fantasy drafts for real.

As a reference point for this mock draft, all touchdowns are worth six points, and we award one point for every 10 yards rushing and receiving and one point for every 25 yards passing. We also award one point for every reception. We feature a starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE, and FLEX (RB/WR/TE) with six reserves for a 14-round draft.

Our draft order is as follows:

1. Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer
2. Adam Aizer, FFT Podcast Host
3. Robert Thomas, FFT Facebook Moderator
4. R.J. White, Managing Editor, SportsLine and CBS Fantasy
5. Thomas Shafer, FFT Podcast Producer
6. Jake Ignaszewski, FFT Social Media Coordinator
7. Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer
8. Brandon Howard, Fantasy Editor
9. Jacob Gibbs, SportsLine Fantasy Analyst
10. Heath Cummings, Senior Fantasy Writer
11. Dan Schneier, Senior Fantasy Editor
12. Joel Cox, CBS Sports VP Business Development

Round By Round
Round 1
Pos Team Player
1 Rob Thomas
2 R.J. White
3 Dave Richard
4 Thomas Shafer
5 Dan Schneier
6 Joel Cox
7 Heath Cummings
8 Adam Aizer
9 Jamey Eisenberg
10 Jacob Gibbs
11 Brandon Howard
12 Jake Ignaszewski
Round 2
Pos Team Player
13 Jake Ignaszewski
14 Brandon Howard
15 Jacob Gibbs
16 Jamey Eisenberg
17 Adam Aizer
18 Heath Cummings
19 Joel Cox
20 Dan Schneier
21 Thomas Shafer
22 Dave Richard
23 R.J. White
24 Rob Thomas
Round 3
Pos Team Player
25 Rob Thomas
26 R.J. White
27 Dave Richard
28 Thomas Shafer
29 Dan Schneier
30 Joel Cox
31 Heath Cummings
32 Adam Aizer
33 Jamey Eisenberg
34 Jacob Gibbs
35 Brandon Howard
36 Jake Ignaszewski
Round 4
Pos Team Player
37 Jake Ignaszewski
38 Brandon Howard
39 Jacob Gibbs
40 Jamey Eisenberg
41 Adam Aizer
42 Heath Cummings
43 Joel Cox
44 Dan Schneier
45 Thomas Shafer
46 Dave Richard
47 R.J. White
48 Rob Thomas
Round 5
Pos Team Player
49 Rob Thomas
50 R.J. White
51 Dave Richard
52 Thomas Shafer
53 Dan Schneier
54 Joel Cox
55 Heath Cummings
56 Adam Aizer
57 Jamey Eisenberg
58 Jacob Gibbs
59 Brandon Howard
60 Jake Ignaszewski
Round 6
Pos Team Player
61 Jake Ignaszewski
62 Brandon Howard
63 Jacob Gibbs
64 Jamey Eisenberg
65 Adam Aizer
66 Heath Cummings
67 Joel Cox
68 Dan Schneier
69 Thomas Shafer
70 Dave Richard
71 R.J. White
72 Rob Thomas
Round 7
Pos Team Player
73 Rob Thomas
74 R.J. White
75 Dave Richard
76 Thomas Shafer
77 Dan Schneier
78 Joel Cox
79 Heath Cummings
80 Adam Aizer
81 Jamey Eisenberg
82 Jacob Gibbs
83 Brandon Howard
84 Jake Ignaszewski
Round 8
Pos Team Player
85 Jake Ignaszewski
86 Brandon Howard
87 Jacob Gibbs
88 Jamey Eisenberg
89 Adam Aizer
90 Heath Cummings
91 Joel Cox
92 Dan Schneier
93 Thomas Shafer
94 Dave Richard
95 R.J. White
96 Rob Thomas
Round 9
Pos Team Player
97 Rob Thomas
98 R.J. White
99 Dave Richard
100 Thomas Shafer
101 Dan Schneier
102 Joel Cox
103 Heath Cummings
104 Adam Aizer
105 Jamey Eisenberg
106 Jacob Gibbs
107 Brandon Howard
108 Jake Ignaszewski
Round 10
Pos Team Player
109 Jake Ignaszewski
110 Brandon Howard
111 Jacob Gibbs
112 Jamey Eisenberg
113 Adam Aizer
114 Heath Cummings
115 Joel Cox
116 Dan Schneier
117 Thomas Shafer
118 Dave Richard
119 R.J. White
120 Rob Thomas
Round 11
Pos Team Player
121 Rob Thomas
122 R.J. White
123 Dave Richard
124 Thomas Shafer
125 Dan Schneier
126 Joel Cox
127 Heath Cummings
128 Adam Aizer
129 Jamey Eisenberg
130 Jacob Gibbs
131 Brandon Howard
132 Jake Ignaszewski
Round 12
Pos Team Player
133 Jake Ignaszewski
134 Brandon Howard
135 Jacob Gibbs
136 Jamey Eisenberg
137 Adam Aizer
138 Heath Cummings
139 Joel Cox
140 Dan Schneier
141 Thomas Shafer
142 Dave Richard
143 R.J. White
144 Rob Thomas
Round 13
Pos Team Player
145 Rob Thomas
146 R.J. White
147 Dave Richard
148 Thomas Shafer
149 Dan Schneier
150 Joel Cox
151 Heath Cummings
152 Adam Aizer
153 Jamey Eisenberg
154 Jacob Gibbs
155 Brandon Howard
156 Jake Ignaszewski
Round 14
Pos Team Player
157 Jake Ignaszewski
158 Brandon Howard
159 Jacob Gibbs
160 Jamey Eisenberg
161 Adam Aizer
162 Heath Cummings
163 Joel Cox
164 Dan Schneier
165 Thomas Shafer
166 Dave Richard
167 R.J. White
168 Rob Thomas
Team by Team
Rob Thomas
Rd Pk Player
1 1
2 24
3 25
4 48
5 49
6 72
7 73
8 96
9 97
10 120
11 121
12 144
13 145
14 168
R.J. White
Rd Pk Player
1 2
2 23
3 26
4 47
5 50
6 71
7 74
8 95
9 98
10 119
11 122
12 143
13 146
14 167
Dave Richard
Rd Pk Player
1 3
2 22
3 27
4 46
5 51
6 70
7 75
8 94
9 99
10 118
11 123
12 142
13 147
14 166
Thomas Shafer
Rd Pk Player
1 4
2 21
3 28
4 45
5 52
6 69
7 76
8 93
9 100
10 117
11 124
12 141
13 148
14 165
Dan Schneier
Rd Pk Player
1 5
2 20
3 29
4 44
5 53
6 68
7 77
8 92
9 101
10 116
11 125
12 140
13 149
14 164
Joel Cox
Rd Pk Player
1 6
2 19
3 30
4 43
5 54
6 67
7 78
8 91
9 102
10 115
11 126
12 139
13 150
14 163
Heath Cummings
Rd Pk Player
1 7
2 18
3 31
4 42
5 55
6 66
7 79
8 90
9 103
10 114
11 127
12 138
13 151
14 162
Adam Aizer
Rd Pk Player
1 8
2 17
3 32
4 41
5 56
6 65
7 80
8 89
9 104
10 113
11 128
12 137
13 152
14 161
Jamey Eisenberg
Rd Pk Player
1 9
2 16
3 33
4 40
5 57
6 64
7 81
8 88
9 105
10 112
11 129
12 136
13 153
14 160
Jacob Gibbs
Rd Pk Player
1 10
2 15
3 34
4 39
5 58
6 63
7 82
8 87
9 106
10 111
11 130
12 135
13 154
14 159
Brandon Howard
Rd Pk Player
1 11
2 14
3 35
4 38
5 59
6 62
7 83
8 86
9 107
10 110
11 131
12 134
13 155
14 158
Jake Ignaszewski
Rd Pk Player
1 12
2 13
3 36
4 37
5 60
6 61
7 84
8 85
9 108
10 109
11 132
12 133
13 156
14 157