7 Dynasty Rookies to Target Following the NFL Draft

The 2025 NFL Draft has come and gone, reshaping Dynasty rookie boards along the way. Between surprising landing spots, unexpected slides, and a few key depth chart openings, some players have either strengthened their case as must-draft targets —or emerged as new values worth chasing.

Below, we'll highlight seven rookies you should be targeting in your Dynasty drafts, factoring in both their NFL Draft capital and their current positional ranks from our friends over at Dynasty League Football.

Jalen Milroe, Seahawks

NFL Draft Capital: 3.28

DLF Rookie Rank: QB4

One calendar year after the NFL loaded up in a loaded Draft class, we have to dig a little deeper for rookie QBs who saw a big change in their pre-Draft value. And while Jalen Milroe can more or less be ignored in redraft leagues, that’s certainly not the case in Dynasty, where we have a prime dual-threat, athletic option finding himself behind Sam Darnold, who is currently on a three-year contract with the 17th-highest value at his position, directly ahead of Baker Mayfield and Geno Smith.

Drew Lock is still technically ahead of Milroe on the depth chart for now, but we should see the third-round Draft capital as a vote of confidence, not to mention the Seahawks have an easy out from Lock’s two-year, $5M contract if they want to move in that direction after 2025. A little bit of patience here could have a very nice return for those willing (or able) to stash Milroe away on taxi squads.

Kaleb Johnson, Steelers

NFL Draft Capital: 3.19

DLF Rookie Rank: RB5

Jaylen Warren dodged the first-round Draft capital backfield mate, but with Arthur Smith steering the offensive ship, we knew that wouldn’t last for long. With the Steelers’ second-round pick heading to Seattle for the services of DK Metcalf, they used their second selection on Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson, who should slide quite easily into the Najee Harris role. Per Smith on the selection,

“Really explosive running back that we spent some time with on a 30 visit here. One of the more instinctive backs that I've watched in a couple of years coming out of the draft. Perfect fit regardless of whatever run scheme you're running. He ran multiple at Iowa. Really impressive as a volume runner as the game went on, and one of the more impressive stats you've seen is the fourth quarter -- what he averaged in the fourth quarter. I believe it was over five yards per carry. Might have been closer to six.”

Iowa mainly used Johnson in the zone rushing game (376 career attempts) over gap runs (128) during his three college seasons. As Arthur Smith said, he truly is a perfect fit for a Pittsburgh offense that ran the second-most outside zone in the league last season. He is cut out for an immediate role with Warren, and could start to sneak in even more work if he’s able to flash his chunk-play ability. In his final season at Iowa, he accrued 28 runs of 15 or more yards, finishing behind only Ashton Jeanty and RJ Harvey in this entire FBS Draft class. Warren had only four such runs in ‘24, ranking behind 37 other NFL running backs.

DJ Giddens, Colts

NFL Draft Capital: 5.14

DLF Rookie Rank: RB13

There is no threat to Jonathan Taylor’s monstrous workload, but it won’t take too much to skip over Salvon Ahmed, Tyler Goodson, Khalil Herbert, and most other offseason additions to the running back room, should the Colts make any more moves in that regard. Herbert seems like the biggest on-paper threat to slot into that RB2 role, but let us not forget that the Bengals made the move to bring him in for the second half of last season, and he failed to top two carries in a single game before Chase Brown’s high ankle sprain in Week 17.

DJ Giddens profiles as someone who can add some explosiveness as a complementary back, and could end up taking at least some of the third-down role as a pass-catcher. The issue is that Anthony Richardson will obviously take off with the ball instead of checking it down more often than not, and even if he loses his job, that same issue will present itself with Daniel Jones. So we have someone who will cede a vast majority of the early-down work if Taylor stays healthy, and isn’t likely to get much consistent action as a receiver. Nevertheless, he should be our target if we’re looking for RB2 insurance in Indianapolis.

Tre Harris, Chargers

NFL Draft Capital: 2.23

DLF Rookie Rank: WR7

Another Draft cycle out of the new (ish) Chargers coaching staff, and we still have to squint a little bit to come away with positive feelings about their pass-catching group. Quentin Johnston bounced back from a miserable rookie season to post a 55-711-8 stat line, and the team did bring back Mike Williams after a year-long sabbatical to the East Coast, but we probably shouldn’t be too worried about their role in blocking a rookie’s playing time, particularly if we’re taking a long-term view. And then again, redraft and Dynasty managers who took the plunge on Ladd McConkey last season were more than happy with the overall WR12 output.

So can Tre Harris replicate that success with essentially the same second-round NFL Draft capital in 2025? It’s certainly not out of the question. Would we have preferred Harris landed in an offense that wasn’t so predicated on the run game; yes, but he can benefit from quick-hitters (screens, hitches), and the long ball when defenses cheat up to take away the new Omarion Hampton/Najee Harris pairing. You almost wonder if the team would have brought Williams back if they knew they could land their new X receiver of the future.

Kyle Williams, Patriots

NFL Draft Capital: 3.05

DLF Rookie Rank: WR10

The luck, or lack thereof, with the Patriots selecting rookie wide receivers is almost impossible to grasp at this point. It’s been a decades-long bit that New England doesn’t know how to draft (or implement) the position, but at this point, how can we argue? In their current WR room, they have DeMario Douglas, Kayshon Boutte, Ja’Lynn Polk, and Javon Baker, none of whom have ever been able to stay on fantasy radars for more than a fleeting moment. Might things be different for Kyle Williams?

With no young receiver on the roster performing in any sort of consistent manner, and Stefon Diggs still questionable for the beginning of the season, that is a strong possibility. Williams will offer a deep threat like Drake Maye has not had to this point in his career (sorry, Boutte), and we can trust that Josh McDaniels is going to want to get him in space early and often. Look for Williams to operate as more of an inside-outside option than he did in college, and target him on squads that need some more consistent, high-floor, moderate-ceiling players in your WR room.

Isaac TeSlaa, Lions

NFL Draft Capital: 3.06

DLF Rookie Rank: WR15

While we will have to see things fall perfectly for Isaac TeSlaa to come out of the gates swinging, there is a positive long-term view we can take when considering the Lions traded two third-round picks to come up and get the Arkansas product. The “big slot” (6’4”, 214, 79% slot rate in 2024) has plenty of target competition in Detroit, namely, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Sam LaPorta, Jameson Williams, and Jahmyr Gibbs, but that’s not guaranteed to be a hurdle when looking toward the future.

Not only is St. Brown freshly inked to a four-year, $120M extension, but Jared Goff is set to make (well) north of $60M in 2026, with Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker combining for another ~$50M. The four of them will be projected to account for 49.5% of the team’s cap next season, which could mean some movement could be happening behind them, including Jameson Williams, even after they claimed his fifth-year option.

When the third round of your rookie draft is such a crapshoot anyway, we may as well take a stab at a developmental prospect on a great offense, who the team essentially spent three real-life Draft picks to acquire.

Mason Taylor, Jets

NFL Draft Capital: 2.10

DLF Rookie Rank: TE3

Bloodlines, landing spot, and 129 career college receptions before the age of 21, what’s not to like? The raw targets in Year 1 might seem a little iffy with Justin Fields throwing the ball, but we’ve got the likes of Josh Reynolds, Allen Lazard, Malachi Corley, and Xavier Gipson slugging it out for usage behind Garrett Wilson, which could make Mason Taylor a legitimate contender as the No. 2 pass-catcher.

Taylor should operate as an every-down player right from the start, which makes him a TE2 option in 2025.