Fantasy Football rookie only 2025 mock draft results and analysis: Colston Loveland hype train runs off track

On Tuesday, a friend asked me for advice about the rookie-only draft for his dynasty league. He has the No. 1 overall pick in a one-quarterback league, and his roster is already stacked at running back.

My advice to him was simple — don’t overthink it. You’re not passing on Ashton Jeanty.

The No. 6 overall pick in the NFL Draft from Boise State landed in a great destination with the Raiders, and Jeanty should be a star right away. He should thrive playing for Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, and Jeanty has the potential to be a top-three Fantasy running back for many years.

As expected, Jeanty was the No. 1 overall pick in this 12-team, one-quarterback, rookie-only mock draft featuring members of our CBS Sports staff. It’s No. 2 overall where the fun begins, and Fantasy managers might agonize over drafting Jaguars wide receiver Travis Hunter, Chargers running back Omarion Hampton or Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan.

I can make a case for all three with the second-overall pick, but let’s see how this mock draft unfolded. Just know that if you have the No. 1 pick then drafting Jeanty is a no-brainer.

Our draft order is as follows …

1. Robert Thomas, FFT Facebook Moderator

2. Dan Schneier, Senior Fantasy Editor

3. Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer

4. R.J. White, Managing Editor, SportsLine and CBS Fantasy

5. Heath Cummings, Senior Fantasy Writer

6. Adam Aizer, FFT Podcast Host

7. Brandon Howard, Fantasy Editor

8. Meron Berkson, CBS Sports HQ Producer

9. Jacob Gibbs, SportsLine Fantasy Analyst

10. Jake Ignaszewski, FFT Social Media Coordinator

11. Joel Cox, CBS Sports VP Business Development

12. Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer

Round 1

1. Ashton Jeanty, RB, Raiders

2. Travis Hunter, WR, Browns

3. Omarion Hampton, RB, Chargers

4. Tetairoa McMillan, WR, Panthers

5. TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Patriots

6. R.J. Harvey, RB, Broncos

7. Matthew Golden, WR, Packers

8. Quinshon Judkins, RB, Browns

9. Colston Loveland, TE, Bears

10. Kaleb Johnson, RB, Steelers

11. Emeka Egbuka, WR, Buccaneers

12. Tyler Warren, TE, Colts

Hunter went No. 2 overall here, and that’s the right choice — I think. We’re doing this rookie draft in April, which is the case for many dynasty leagues, and the expectation (hope) is Hunter will spend most of his time on offense in Jacksonville in 2025 and beyond.

But what if Hunter does become a full-time cornerback at some point, or it’s a 50-50 split. That’s a nightmare situation if you draft him at No. 2 overall. As a receiver, he could be a dominant Fantasy option, but we have no certainty — as of now — how this will all play out for Hunter and the Jaguars given his unique skillset as a two-way star out of Colorado.

Hampton should either be drafted at No. 2 or No. 3 overall in rookie drafts, and he’s the No. 2 running back in this class behind Jeanty. Hampton landed in a great spot with the Chargers coming out of North Carolina with the No. 22 overall pick in Round 1, even though Najee Harris will work in tandem with Hampton in 2025. Harris only signed a one-year deal in Los Angeles, so Hampton could dominate touches for the Chargers sooner rather than later.

I like McMillan as the No. 4 overall player in this class and No. 2 receiver behind Hunter. Hopefully, McMillan is the No. 1 receiver for the Panthers, but he’ll face competition for targets from Adam Thielen and Xavier Legette, at least in 2025. I’m also not sold on Bryce Young being the type of quarterback to elevate McMillan to stardom, but that’s a small negative for a receiver with plenty of upside coming out of Arizona with the No. 8 overall pick in the NFL Draft.

Henderson should be the No. 3 running back off the board, but Harvey vs. Judkins will be a fun debate for the No. 4 spot. I lean slightly toward Harvey given his landing spot in Denver, and he should be more involved in the passing game than Judkins in Cleveland.

I also prefer Loveland to Warren at tight end because of the quarterback situation in Chicago compared to Indianapolis, as well as Ben Johnson being the head coach of the Bears. Chicago also chose Loveland over Warren, but both have immense upside and could be starting Fantasy tight ends for a long time.

Round 2

1. Luther Burden III, WR, Bears

2. Tre Harris, WR, Chargers

3. Cam Ward, QB, Titans

4. Jayden Higgins, WR, Texans

5. Cam Skattebo, RB, Giants

6. Jack Bech, WR, Raiders

7. Savion Williams, WR, Packers

8. Kyle Williams, WR, Patriots

9. Bhayshul Tuten, RB, Jaguars

10. Jaxson Dart, QB, Giants

11. Devin Neal, RB, Saints

12. Jaylin Noel, WR, Texans

Burden could easily be a first-round pick, especially if he becomes a playmaker for the Bears right away. Chicago has a crowded receiving corps with D.J. Moore, Rome Odunze, Loveland and Cole Kmet, but new coach Ben Johnson will hopefully feature Burden enough — especially if he sees time in the slot — to make him a standout Fantasy receiver for many years.

Burden is one of several receivers drafted in this round that I’m excited about, including Bech, Harris, Higgins and Kyle Williams. All of them should be primary targets in their rookie campaign, and these are guys I also plan to invest heavily in for redraft leagues.

We finally saw the quarterbacks come off the board in Round 2 with Ward and Dart, and this is where they belong. Ward is the only potential starter in Week 1 for this rookie class, but he doesn’t profile as a standout Fantasy option, at least in 2025 for the Titans. And Dart is more of a long-term project who isn’t guaranteed to start at all in his rookie campaign if Russell Wilson plays well for the Giants.

Skattebo and Tuten are two running backs with immense upside, and both could lead their backfields in 2025. Skattebo could easily beat out Tyrone Tracy Jr. for the starting job, and new Jacksonville coach Liam Coen might prefer Tuten ahead of Travis Etienne and Tank Bigsby.

Round 3

1. Jalen Royals, WR, Chiefs

2. Jaydon Blue, RB, Cowboys

3. Mason Taylor, TE, Jets

4. Elijah Arroyo, TE, Seahawks

5. Harold Fannin Jr., TE, Browns

6. Terrance Ferguson, TE, Rams

7. Shedeur Sanders, QB, Browns

8. Dylan Sampson, RB, Browns

9. Jalen Milroe, QB, Seahawks

10. Elic Ayomanor, WR, Titans

11. Tory Horton, WR, Seahawks

12. Jordan James, RB, 49ers

I love the tight end run that we had in Round 3, and one or two of these guys might have better rookie seasons than Loveland or Warren. Taylor ended up in a great spot with the Jets, Ferguson could be the starter for the Rams and Arroyo might be the No. 1 tight end for the Seahawks. Long-term, Fannin could be a star, but he will start his rookie campaign playing behind David Njoku in Cleveland.

Blue could be a steal in this round, and he should be an immediate factor in Dallas’ backfield with Javonte Williams currently the No. 1 running back on the depth chart. I’m also excited to see what Sampson can do in Cleveland as the change-of-pace running back behind Judkins. And I like the flier on James with the 49ers. Given the history of their backfield, especially since Christian McCaffrey is 29 and coming off an injury-riddled 2024, James could be a key factor for Fantasy managers in the future.

Sanders and Milroe are good picks in Round 3, and we’ll see if either one could eventually become starting NFL quarterbacks. The path for Sanders is easier in 2025 since Joe Flacco, who is 40, is the expected starter for the Browns. Milroe is behind Sam Darnold in Seattle, and Milroe is more of a long-term project. That said, if he ever starts and has success, he could be a top-10 Fantasy quarterback given his potential as a runner.