I love doing these early mock drafts, especially right after the season is over. You get to see how everyone feels about certain players based on what just happened in the regular season, as well as what you project to happen next season.
It's a fun exercise, and we held a 0.5-PPR mock draft Thursday with 12 members of our CBS Sports staff. Hopefully, you'll enjoy the results.
In this mock draft, some of the things that stood out in Round 1 were Bijan Robinson as the No. 2 running back, Amon-Ra St. Brown ahead of Ja'Marr Chase, Puka Nacua ahead of A.J. Brown and Kyren Williams being selected at No. 12 overall. In Round 2, De'Von Achane was selected ahead of Jonathan Taylor, Saquon Barkley went ahead of Travis Etienne, Rashee Rice went at No. 22 overall and Josh Allen went at No. 24 overall. And in Round 3, Sam LaPorta was the first tight end off the board, with Travis Kelce falling to Round 4.
As you can see, in just the first few rounds, a lot has changed since last season. And more changes are coming with free agency and the NFL Draft. We'll keep doing mock drafts to reflect these changes, and we already did a 12-team PPR mock draft last week.
For me, I had the No. 3 overall pick, and I went with CeeDee Lamb after Christian McCaffrey and Tyreek Hill were the first two selections. I was hoping for a receiver again in Round 2, and I love the upside for Rice, especially if he opens the 2024 campaign as the top target for Patrick Mahomes, which is how Rice is trending.
I went with another receiver in Round 3 with Michael Pittman, and we'll see where he ends up in 2024 since he's an impending free agent. It wouldn't be a surprise to see him stay in Indianapolis, but he's an excellent selection in Round 3 in this format.
I wasn't sure what direction I wanted to go in Round 4, but James Conner made sense in this spot as my No. 1 running back. He'll be 29 in May, but he proved during the past two seasons in Arizona that he can be highly productive, especially with a healthy Kyler Murray.
Round 5 was my favorite pick in the draft with Tee Higgins, and this is a steal no matter where he plays in 2024. He's an impending free agent, and he could leave Cincinnati and become the No. 1 option somewhere else. But even with the Bengals, Higgins still has top-20 upside, especially with a healthy Joe Burrow (wrist).
I also loved my pick in Round 6 with Kyle Pitts. He's been a bust the past two seasons, but I'm hopeful that a new coach and quarterback in 2024 will unleash his potential, which could help Pitts become a top-five tight end.
Running back was a priority now, and I spent my next four picks on the position with Brian Robinson Jr., Khalil Herbert, Chase Brown and Zamir White. I'm excited about Robinson with a new coach and quarterback in Washington, Hebert should remain the No. 1 running back in Chicago, Brown could be the No. 1 running back in Cincinnati if Joe Mixon isn't brought back and White could be the lead running back in Las Vegas if Josh Jacobs leaves as a free agent.
I waited on quarterback and selected Kyler Murray and Tua Tagovailoa in Rounds 11 and 12, and this will likely be my plan of attack for that position in 2024. Murray, in his second year after his torn ACL, could be amazing and should be a fantastic value on Draft Day in all leagues.
I finished my draft with a second tight end in Luke Musgrave, and I also took a flier on Tre Turner with my last pick. Turner could have a prominent role with the Raiders in 2024, especially if Davante Adams leaves Las Vegas.
In this league, 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 0.5 points 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. Heath Cummings, Senior Fantasy Writer
2. Zach Brook, FFT Social Media Coordinator
3. Jamey Eisenberg, Senior Fantasy Writer
4. Meron Berkson, CBS Sports HQ Producer
5. Rob Thomas, Fantasy Football Today Facebook Moderator
6. Adam Aizer, FFT Podcast Host
7. Dave Richard, Senior Fantasy Writer
8. R.J. White, Managing Editor, SportsLine and CBS Fantasy
9. Joel Cox, CBS Sports VP Business Development
10. Daniel Schneier, Senior Editor, CBS Fantasy
11. Brandon Howard, Fantasy Editor
12. Thomas Shafer, FFT Podcast Producer
