It was not a fun draft to watch if you were sitting on a bunch of rookie draft picks. Outside of Ashton Jeanty and Travis Hunter, the first round rookie picks didn't go up in value, and the vaunted running back class was a big dud, with most of the third tier lasting until the third day and giving us little hope of the extra large class of future contributors that was promised going into the draft. More than ever, your directive is to trade down, or even trade out of your picks completely for veterans that can help right now or future picks in what is hopefully a better fantasy rookie draft class next year.

The Bloom 100 is ranked with the following type of dynasty fantasy football league in mind:

• Full IDP lineups including DT and CB
• PPR, start 3 WR
• Deep lineups and rosters

(Pre-draft Ranking in Parenthesis)

1(1). Ashton Jeanty (RB-LV) - As the draft drew near, Jeanty going to the Jaguars at #5 seemed likely, unless the Bears were able to trade up to Jacksonville's pick. Instead, the Jags moved up to #2 for Travis Hunter, the Browns stayed put at #5 to take DT Mason Graham, and Jeanty went to Las Vegas. The #1 pick in rookie drafts might have gotten even more valuable, as Pete Carroll will have no qualms about feeding Jeanty and harnessing the incredible stamina he shows over the course of a play and a game. Congrats if you traded up to #1.

**Tier Break**

2(2). Travis Hunter (WR/CB-JAX) - The Jaguars obviously were smitten with Hunter, and they are going to play him primarily at wide receiver. Hunter was primarily prepared for games as a corner at Colorado, so the sky is the limit with him concentrating on offense now. The team has the coaching staff and quarterback to create two strong fantasy wide receivers, so we shouldn't worry about Brian Thomas Jr.'s effect on Hunter's upside (or vice versa). Hunter should be the #2 pick, whether in IDP or offense-only leagues. You won't be getting him later than the fourth pick, even though he was falling past that in pre-draft dynasty rookie mocks.

**Tier Break**

3(3). Tetairoa McMillan (WR-CAR) - McMillan went top 10 and wasn't going to fall past Dallas at #12 in any scenario, so his value was solidified on Thursday night. He should become Bryce Young's #1 target right away, as the Panthers don't really have another receiver who can win the ball in the air downfield outside the numbers. It's reasonable to consider McMillan over Hunter, but Hunter has a higher ceiling.

4(4). Luther Burden III (WR-CHI) - Burden's early second-round draft capital is reassuring, and he landed on a team with good offense. But the near-term outlook with DJ Moore, Rome Odunze, and #10 overall pick Colston Loveland in the pass offense is cloudy for Burden to emerge. Moore has the same quality game after the catch, while Loveland can line up in the slot, so it will be interesting to see what kind of role Burden can earn in his rookie year. He's still a solid first-round rookie pick, but it will take patience to reap the rewards.

5(5). Emeka Egbuka (WR-TB) - Egbuka got a big vote of confidence as a top 20 pick. He could start the season as the primary slot receiver, with Chris Godwin's return to play timeline from a dislocated ankle still uncertain. It will be difficult for Egbuka to hit his ceiling as long as Godwin and Mike Evans are around, and some of his high draft capital is because of his strong character and run blocking (great for Bucky Irving!). However, he's still a solid use of a pick in the middle of the first round.

6(6). TreVeyon Henderson (RB-NE) - Teams that might have been more attractive fantasy destinations like Washington and Denver passed on Henderson, but landing in New England in the early second is still a good enough outcome to keep Henderson in the top 5-6 of rookie drafts. The lack of established pass catchers other than Stefon Diggs, who is coming off an ACL tear, could set Henderson up to be a very strong PPR running back from day one.

7(7). Omarion Hampton (RB-LAC) - Hampton went off the board as the #2 running back, as expected, and he landed on a team that wants to establish the run. It's not clear that he'll be decisively better than Najee Harris in the one-two punch approach the team will take in the backfield, although we should project Hampton to lead the backfield in touches in 2026 when Harris becomes a free agent again. Hampton will go off the board in rookie drafts earlier than I would take him.

8(8). Kaleb Johnson (RB-PIT) - Johnson fell to the mid-third, so the NFL didn't like him nearly as much as Hampton/Henderson/Judkins, even though he was right on their heels in pre-draft rankings. Expect Johnson to take over the Najee Harris role in the Steelers offense, so there's instant fantasy relevance, but if Mason Rudolph is the quarterback (and maybe even if Aaron Rodgers is the quarterback), this offense will be no place to look for fantasy overachievers. Johnson, like Hampton, should be projected for a larger role in year two, but there is some danger that he'll never be more than a 1A.

9(9). Quinshon Judkins (RB-CLE) - Judkins was set up in a better spot for instant fantasy value than Hampton for a day, and then the Browns took another rookie back, Dylan Sampson, in the fourth round. The team says they see him as a workhorse, so that should raise his long-term ceiling. However, for Judkins to hit, the Browns will need to improve from their 2024 league-worst scoring offense ignominy. It's hard to get excited about this landing spot, but Judkins is still a solid first-round rookie pick.

10(10). Cam Ward (QB-TEN) - There was no suspense when Ward went at #1 overall to Tennessee. We'll see if he is elevated by Brian Callahan's coaching. The supporting cast in the passing game is underwhelming outside of Calvin Ridley and the offensive line is still coming together under Bill Callahan. Ward should still be drafted as a low QB1 in redraft and considered similar to Kyler Murray in both short and long term fantasy outlook projections, with a chance to be better than Murray as a passer. Ward probably won't ever crash the top 3 fantasy quarterbacks, but he could settle into the top 5-6 in a best-case scenario, and there's an argument to take him #1 in superflex drafts.

11(14). Colston Loveland (TE-CHI) - The combination of top 10 draft capital and being paired with Ben Johnson is very promising for Loveland, and he was going to be a lot higher on this list - maybe even top 5 - if the Bears didn't draft Luther Burden III early on the second draft. You still have to like how aggressive the team is about building the offense, and Johnson created an instant hit in Sam LaPorta at tight end. There's an argument for Loveland in the top 5 in tight end premium drafts, and he could easily end up being more valuable than any of the running backs and all but the most valuable wide receiver or two from this draft. Usually, when we like the player and situation, but "too many mouths to feed" lowers value, we feel like we overthought the rookie draft outlook in hindsight.

12(11). Abdul Carter (EDGE-NYG) - Rushing on the other side of Myles Garrett would have been more fun for fantasy, but it was clear by Monday before the draft that Carter was more likely going to the Giants. Brian Burns and Kayvon Thibodeaux are an already formidable edge rush duo, so Carter may start out more as a rotational player, and the Giants aren't going to give him a lot of pass-rush-friendly game scripts. Still, his upside is #1 edge in IDP leagues, and he shouldn't fall out of the first round, especially in big-play scoring IDP leagues.

13(12). Jalen Milroe (QB-SEA) - Milroe getting invited to the draft was a little ambitious in hindsight, but not as ill-informed as Shedeur Sanders' draft projections. While Milroe did fall into the late third round and Seattle didn't trade up to get him, he still landed on a team that could give him a chance to start in 2026. Sam Darnold's deal is basically year-to-year after 2025, and if you think Darnold bombs outside of Minnesota, then Milroe's immense fantasy upside could be unlocked. He's still a viable late first-round pick in superflex leagues and has as much upside as anyone going outside of the first in 1QB leagues.

14(13). Tyler Warren (TE-IND) - Warren to the Colts was expected, if not likely, but many didn't see Colston Loveland going ahead of him. Whether Loveland went ahead of him or not, the Colts have to be seen as a mediocre fantasy destination at best, and one that could have big changes coming at both head coach and quarterback in the near future. Jonathan Taylor's presence also puts a damper on Warren becoming a rich man's Taysom Hill. Instead, we are staring at an outlook closer to Tucker Kraft, which isn't terrible, but a sign of the lack of excitement when it's time to use your late first in rookie drafts.

15(50). RJ Harvey (RB-DEN) - Harvey was the only member of the deep third tier of running backs to emerge as a second-day pick with a clear path to lead his backfield in touches. The history of Sean Payton's backfield shenanigans in Denver looms, but he also hasn't had a hand-picked back that he selected in the second round.

16(18). Jayden Higgins (WR-HOU) - Higgins got expected strong early second draft capital, and he landed with a team that has an ascending young quarterback and vacancy at WR2. While Nico Collins will remain the more compelling downfield option for C.J. Stroud, it's not hard to picture Higgins as a middle-class version of Tee (no relation) Higgins as long as the Texans offense bounces back after a down 2024.

17(20). Carson Schwesinger (LB-CLE) - Schwesinger is going to hoover up tackles opportunities playing behind #5 overall pick Mason Graham, and he should get a lot playing for a team that could be picking #1 overall next year. We'll be watching the camp battle between the early second round pick and Jordan Hicks, Mohamoud Diabate, and Jerome Baker, but long term value-wise this is a great spot for Schwesinger, especially in tackle-heavy leagues with the off-ball linebacker pool dwindling in leagues that classify 3-4 outside linebackers as defensive end since the change to "true position".

18(15). Jack Bech (WR-LV) - Bech's late second draft capital and landing spot with the Raiders wasn't a disaster, but going earlier in the second to a McVay or McVay disciple offense was the more attractive possibility before the draft. Bech has some overlap with Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers, so like Egbuka and Burden, it's hard to see him maximizing his upside in the next 2-3 years in this spot. The addition of Bech's blocking ability is a win for Ashton Jeanty.

19(17). Matthew Golden (WR-GB) - Golden wasn't the first wide receiver off the board, and while he did go in the first round, he went to the pass offense that notoriously does not have a WR1. The Packers also drafted Cordarrelle Patterson clone Savion Williams on the second day to further complicate the picture. Golden could step right into Christian Watson's role and have similar boom/bust weekly value right away, but he'll need to hit his best-case scenario as an NFL receiver to be more than that during his rookie contract.

20(21). Bhayshul Tuten (RB-JAX) - After Liam Coen pronounced his admiration of Bucky Irving's running style and turned Irving into a fantasy RB1 in his rookie year, we should be looking more at destination than the early fourth-round draft capital (slightly better than Irving!) for Tuten. Tuten's high-end range of outcomes includes being the second most valuable running back in this rookie class.

**Tier Break**