X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

Way Too Early Mock Draft - Round 1 Analysis

The RotoBaller staff is conducting an early mock draft for the 2019 fantasy football season. Justin Carter recaps the first round results with analysis of each pick.

Is there such a thing as "too early" when it comes to mock drafting for next year in fantasy football? No!

I mean, mock drafting before the season even ends is maybe too early, but January isn't, which is why we here at RotoBaller decided to get together and do our Way Too Early Mock Draft for the 2019 NFL season. 12 of us were crazy enough to embark on the long, arduous process of a slow draft during the NFL playoffs.

Below, you'll find the first round of our draft, as well as my analysis of everyone's picks in that first round. To follow along as the draft progresses in real time, check out the draft board here.

Be sure to check all of our fantasy football rankings for 2025:

 

Way Too Early Mock Draft (Redraft) - Round 1

PICK PLAYER WRITER
1.01 Todd Gurley Justin Carter
1.02 Ezekiel Elliott Kyle Richardson
1.03 Christian McCaffrey Dom Petrillo
1.04 Saquon Barkley Richard King
1.05 Alvin Kamara Ben Rolfe
1.06 DeAndre Hopkins Matt Terelle
1.07 Tyreek Hill Jason Katz
1.08 Julio Jones Pierre Camus
1.09 Davante Adams Brendan Kennealy
1.10 Melvin Gordon Hamid Sandhu
1.11 Le'Veon Bell Cliff Clinton
1.12 Nick Chubb Phil Clark

There are the picks. Let's talk about them.

 

Quick Hit Analysis

1.01 - Todd Gurley - Running Back, Los Angeles Rams

I hate picking first. I'd gladly have the fourth or fifth pick in this mock draft, grab Barkley or Kamara, and smile because my second pick was coming faster, but I was stuck with the 1.01 in this one. I was debating between Gurley and McCaffrey but ultimately chose Gurley because I trust a healthy Gurley's workload and touchdown upside just a little more. McCaffrey had a great year, but it's always hard to shake some preconceived notions, including the one where I never trust that Ron Rivera isn't going to decide "oh, let's just go ahead and turn this into a committee."

1.02 - Ezekiel Elliott - Running Back, Dallas Cowboys

Zeke is a monster in the run game and was targeted at least four times in all but one game in 2018. He's the key to the Cowboys offense working, and he's probably the safest pick in this tier. His 77 receptions were more than double his numbers from his rookie season, the other time he played 15 games. (He hasn't played a full 16 because the Cowboys sat him in Week 17 in both of those seasons).

1.03 - Christian McCaffrey - Running Back, Carolina Panthers

I mentioned some thoughts on McCaffrey above, and I wouldn't be surprised at all to see McCaffrey finish as the RB1. Good pick.

1.04 - Saquon Barkley - Running Back, New York Giants

Barkley actually lived up to the preseason hype. You have to live with some of the short gains in order to get the long breakout runs that helped him have a strong rookie campaign, and while I might personally go Kamara over Barkley here, he's clearly in the top tier of running backs.

1.05 - Alvin Kamara - Running Back, New Orleans Saints

Kamara was in every discussion of players who wouldn't be worth their ADP last year, and he responded by finishing as the RB4 again. Getting him at five is a great start to any draft. With Mark Ingram likely heading out of New Orleans, Kamara should see his snap share move back toward the 80 percent range instead of staying in the 60s as it did once Ingram was back from suspension.

1.06 - DeAndre Hopkins - Wide Receiver, Houston Texans

Hopkins was the first wide receiver off the board. I get that. I'd probably also take him as the first receiver. He's good, and he's got a solid role with the Texans. But I also think this is the point where you really get some drop-off, because the five guys above, barring injury, are going to give you very consistent production, while Hopkins is also going to give you consistent production but with a caveat: there were times over the second half of the year where the Texans weren't getting the ball to Hopkins like they had in the past. While a healthy Will Fuller and Keke Coutee should open up space for Hopkins to see lighter coverage again, there's also only so many passes to go around in this offense. There's a 99 percent chance that I'm overreacting here, but I wouldn't be too shocked if Hopkins, a top-five fantasy receiver the last two years, drops down to the bottom of the top 10 by the end of the 2019 season.

1.07 - Tyreek Hill - Wide Receiver, Kansas City Chiefs

I'm not going to search back to find the receipts, but I'm pretty sure that Katz picked Hill really early in our mock draft last year and we all collectively were like "okay, man...," but this year Hill as the seventh pick doesn't really feel like a stretch. I don't know if I'd take him there, but Hill's third NFL season featured a finish as the top fantasy wide receiver. While in 2017 all of his touchdowns were 30 yards or more, Hill showed some more variety in his scoring this year, with 14 total touchdowns, including three receiving touchdowns inside the five-yard line. Patrick Mahomes loves looking for Hill -- he was targeted 137 times -- and while I'm worried that defenses will figure some things out about Mahomes next year and limit what Hill is able to do, he's still worth a first-round pick.

1.08 - Julio Jones - Wide Receiver, Atlanta Falcons

Julio Jones learned how to catch touchdowns this year! After catching just three in 2017, Julio Jones entered November of this season without a touchdown. He proceeded to get eight of them in nine games. A lot of the concerns about Jones in fantasy come from his failure to score, but if the connection between him and quarterback Matt Ryan over the last half of this season is indicative of anything, Jones belongs in the discussion for the first wide receiver taken in 2019.

1.09 - Davante Adams - Wide Receiver, Green Bay Packers

We obviously want to see who the Packers pick to be their head coach, but Adams is the unquestioned top option on this team entering 2019. He doesn't have the same track record as other receivers that you could take in this spot, but having Aaron Rodgers' top weapon on your fantasy roster is never a bad decision.

1.10 - Melvin Gordon - Running Back, Los Angeles Chargers

Melvin Gordon has three straight top-10 fantasy finishes at his position, and that's probably enough reason to pick him in 2019. Am I worried about the presence of Austin Ekeler and Justin Jackson? Yes. Of all the backs picked in the mock first round, none have to contend with the same internal challenges from other backs on their team's roster. I don't think this becomes a full committee or anything, but both players are capable of taking some carries from Gordon, especially if the Chargers want to limit his wear to keep him healthy down the stretch. He's still a safe option, but I agree that he's not in that top tier of backs that went off the board earlier.

1.11 - Le'Veon Bell - Running Back, ???

The most interesting choice by far, because we have no idea where Bell will wind up in 2019. Also, because he's bound to end up somewhere that grabbing him at 11 is a huge steal, right? Bell sat out the whole 2018 season, so while he does get a year older, he does so without any additional wear and tear on him. I expect Bell to bounce back next year and play more like the first five guys who were drafted.

1.12 - Nick Chubb - Running Back, Cleveland Browns

Chubb over James Conner? Over Michael Thomas? Hmm. It's probably a smart move and reflects where Chubb's value will be heading into draft season after an entire summer of "Is Nick Chubb going to be the story of 2019?" articles. An improved offense should get Chubb over the 1,000-yard barrier next season and he's likely to see more involvement in the passing game, so I'm not going to hate on this pick.

More Fantasy Football Analysis


Check out all of RotoBaller's fantasy football rankings. Staff rankings are updated regularly for all positions and include standard formats, PPR scoring, tiered rankings and dynasty leagues.




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Value Picks
Compare Any Players
News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Gunnar Henderson18 mins ago

Hits Solo Homer In Triple-A Rehab Game Tuesday
Marcelo Mayer30 mins ago

Hits First Home Run At Triple-A
Caleb Williams40 mins ago

To Spend More Time Working Under Center
Tom Hoge45 mins ago

Looking To Build Off Strong Performance At The PLAYERS Championship
Zebby Matthews50 mins ago

Twirls Five Shutout Innings At Triple-A
Daniel Jones54 mins ago

Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones To Split First-Team Reps This Offseason
Terry McLaurin1 hour ago

Commanders Interested In Extending Terry McLaurin
Rashee Rice1 hour ago

Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
Hurston Waldrep1 hour ago

Fans Seven In Win At Triple-A
Garrett Wilson1 hour ago

Jets Plan To Get Garrett Wilson The Ball "As Much As Possible"
Keaton Mitchell1 hour ago

Ravens Have High Hopes For Keaton Mitchell
Angel Genao2 hours ago

Dealing With Shoulder Injury
Derrick Henry2 hours ago

John Harbaugh Wants Ravens To Extend Derrick Henry
Christian McCaffrey2 hours ago

Is Healthy
Clarke Schmidt2 hours ago

To Return April 15 Or 16
Shane Baz2 hours ago

Strikes Out 10
Mike Tauchman3 hours ago

Begins Rehab Assignment
Wyatt Langford3 hours ago

Launches Another Homer
Nathan Eovaldi3 hours ago

Throws Complete Game Shutout
Michael Petersen3 hours ago

Traded To Atlanta
Matt Fitzpatrick3 hours ago

Looking For Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Corey Conners4 hours ago

Continues Strong Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Patrick Cantlay4 hours ago

Eyeing Victory At Valero Texas Open
Reynaldo López4 hours ago

Reynaldo Lopez To Undergo Right-Shoulder Surgery
Gary Woodland4 hours ago

Showing Great Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Akshay Bhatia4 hours ago

Aiming For Repeat At Valero Texas Open
Alejandro Tosti4 hours ago

A Volatile Choice At TPC San Antonio
NFL4 hours ago

Tush Push Unlikely To Be Banned For 2025 Season
Xavier Legette4 hours ago

Dave Canales Compares Xavier Legette To DK Metcalf
Brett de Geus5 hours ago

Phillies Claim Brett de Geus Off Waivers From Marlins
New York Giants5 hours ago

Ty Summers Re-Signs With New York
Nick Mears5 hours ago

Beginning Rehab Assignment At Triple-A
Aaron Civale5 hours ago

Plays Catch On Tuesday
Masataka Yoshida5 hours ago

Resumes Swinging
Sam Ehlinger5 hours ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Denver
Liam Hendriks5 hours ago

Resumes Throwing
Guerschon Yabusele5 hours ago

Out Against Knicks
Kutter Crawford5 hours ago

Hasn't Faced Hitters
Karl-Anthony Towns5 hours ago

Sits Out Tuesday's Game
Arizona Cardinals5 hours ago

Calais Campbell Returns To Arizona
Lucas Giolito5 hours ago

To Make A Rehab Start On Wednesday
Jevon Carter5 hours ago

Ruled Out Tuesday
Dalen Terry5 hours ago

Unavailable Against Raptors
Brayan Bello5 hours ago

To Make Rehab Start On Tuesday
Julian Phillips6 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Alexis Díaz6 hours ago

Alexis Diaz Throws Live BP On Tuesday
Jalen Smith6 hours ago

Available Against Raptors
Lonzo Ball6 hours ago

Still Out On Tuesday
Kevin Huerter6 hours ago

Cleared For Tuesday's Matchup
Josh Giddey6 hours ago

Will Play On Tuesday
Dalano Banton6 hours ago

Starting Against The Hawks
Royce O'Neale6 hours ago

Unavailable Against Bucks
Jerami Grant6 hours ago

Out Again On Tuesday
Bradley Beal6 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Ron Holland II6 hours ago

Tagged With A One-Game Suspension Tuesday
Anfernee Simons6 hours ago

Ruled Out Versus The Hawks
Trae Young6 hours ago

Officially Available Tuesday
Marcus Sasser6 hours ago

Suspended For One Game On Tuesday
Giannis Antetokounmpo6 hours ago

Will Play On Tuesday
Jimmy Snuggerud6 hours ago

Ready For NHL Debut Tuesday
Isaiah Stewart7 hours ago

Suspended For Two Games On Tuesday
Jacob Trouba7 hours ago

Set To Rejoin Ducks Lineup Tuesday
Jonathan Kuminga7 hours ago

Ruled Out On Tuesday
Troy Terry7 hours ago

On Track To Play Tuesday
Jaylen Brown7 hours ago

Questionable Versus Miami
Jonathan Marchessault7 hours ago

Remains Out Against Blue Jackets
Alex Laferriere7 hours ago

Expected To Return On Tuesday
Luke Schenn7 hours ago

A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Dante Fabbro7 hours ago

Returns Against Predators
Detroit Lions9 hours ago

Alim McNeill Could Miss Start Of Regular Season
Tennessee Titans10 hours ago

Justin Hardee Sr. Returning To Titans
Washington Commanders10 hours ago

Brandon Coleman Moving To Right Tackle For Commanders
Raheem Blackshear10 hours ago

Returning To Carolina
Kirk Cousins10 hours ago

Not Expected To Attend Voluntary Offseason Training
NFL10 hours ago

NFL Ownership Votes To Move Kickoff Touchbacks To 35-Yard Line
Olli Määttä10 hours ago

Olli Maatta A Game-Time Call On Tuesday
Jordan Greenway10 hours ago

Remains Sidelined On Tuesday
Dallas Cowboys11 hours ago

Cowboys Willing To Make Micah Parsons The Highest-Paid Non-QB
Jordan Staal11 hours ago

Doubtful For Wednesday
Matt Roy11 hours ago

Not Traveling With Team
Geno Smith11 hours ago

Raiders Working On Extension With Geno Smith
Josh Norris11 hours ago

Not Traveling With The Team On Tuesday
Brady Tkachuk11 hours ago

Not Playing On Tuesday
Jordan Spieth13 hours ago

Needs To Find Consistency At TPC San Antonio
Jake Knapp13 hours ago

Making First Appearance At Valero Texas Open
Michael Kim13 hours ago

Looking To Find The Magic Again In San Antonio
Tommy Fleetwood13 hours ago

Is Nearly A Must-Play At Valero Texas Open
Tony Finau13 hours ago

Hoping For Better Approach Play In San Antonio
Eric Cole14 hours ago

Trending In Right Direction Ahead Of Valero
Casey DeSmith17 hours ago

Sharp In Monday's Victory
Mason Marchment17 hours ago

Tallies Two Helpers On Monday
Adam Klapka17 hours ago

Tallies Two Points In Shootout Victory
Ivan Fedotov18 hours ago

Sharp Against Nashville
Matvei Michkov18 hours ago

Continues Hot Stretch On Monday
Luke Hughes18 hours ago

Scores Goal, Adds Assist In Victory
Sam Stevens1 day ago

Enjoys Nice Result In Houston
PGA1 day ago

J.T. Poston Seeks To Contend At Valero Texas Open
Denny McCarthy1 day ago

Keeps Making Cuts But Needs To Make More Putts
Brian Harman1 day ago

Off To A Subpar 2025 So Far
Ilya Samsonov1 day ago

Nursing An Upper-Body Injury
Tomas Hertl1 day ago

To Sit Out At Least One More Week
Ryan Preece1 day ago

Has Three Straight Top-10 Finishes For First Time In His Career
NASCAR1 day ago

Bubba Wallace After Third-Place Finish At Martinsville: "What a Great Day"
Todd Gilliland1 day ago

Has Mistake-Free Day At Martinsville, Grabs Another Top-10 Finish
Brandon Moreno1 day ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Steve Erceg1 day ago

Losses Third Consecutive Fight
Drew Dober1 day ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres1 day ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Harry Hall1 day ago

Bounces Back In Houston Last Week
CJ Vergara1 day ago

Gets Submitted
Ryan Fox1 day ago

Showing Improvement Heading Into The Valero Texas Open
Édgar Cháirez1 day ago

Edgar Chairez Gets Submission Win At UFC Mexico City
Vince Morales1 day ago

Drops Decision At UFC Mexico City
Raul Rosas Jr.1 day ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC Mexico City
Saimon Oliveira1 day ago

Still Winless In The UFC
David Martinez1 day ago

Wins His UFC Debut
Kevin Borjas1 day ago

Earns His First UFC Win
Ronaldo Rodríguez1 day ago

Ronaldo Rodriguez Suffers His First UFC Loss
Joel Dahmen1 day ago

Scores Top-20 Finish At Texas Children's Houston Open
Jacob Bridgeman1 day ago

Had Some Rest Heading Into The Valero
Christopher Bell2 days ago

Powers His Way To A Second-Place Finish At Martinsville
Chase Elliott2 days ago

Strong Martinsville Performance Ends With A Top-Five Finish
Kyle Larson2 days ago

Collects A Top-Five Finish At Martinsville
William Byron2 days ago

Places 22nd After Struggles At Martinsville
Joey Logano2 days ago

Claims His First 2025 Top-10 Finish After Up-And-Down Performance
Tyler Reddick2 days ago

Fails To Place In The Top 10 At Martinsville
Denny Hamlin2 days ago

Silences Doubters After Crew-Chief Change
Ty Gibbs2 days ago

Earns Best 2025 Finish At Martinsville Despite Failing Cool Suit
Ross Chastain2 days ago

Has A Great Day At Martinsville
Chase Briscoe2 days ago

Has Solid Run At Martinsville
Erik Jones2 days ago

Disqualified At Martinsville For Weight Violation
Josh Berry3 days ago

Has Top-10 Upside At Martinsville
Joey Logano3 days ago

Don't Overlook Joey Logano This Weekend
Ryan Preece3 days ago

Could Get First Three-Race Top-10 Streak Of His Career
Chase Elliott3 days ago

Looking To Continue Great Runs At Martinsville
Christopher Bell3 days ago

Wins Pole At Martinsville, But Can He Stay Up There?
Ryan Blaney3 days ago

Fast In Practice But Skeptical About Car
Denny Hamlin3 days ago

New Crew Chief Has Terrible Martinsville Record
Steve Erceg4 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Brandon Moreno4 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres4 days ago

Set For Co-Main Event
Drew Dober4 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Mexico City
Joe Pyfer4 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kelvin Gastelum5 days ago

Set For Middleweight Matchup
Vince Morales5 days ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
Raul Rosas Jr.5 days ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Saimon Oliveira5 days ago

Looks For His First UFC Win
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF

MORE RECENT ARTICLES

 
Tyreek Hill - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Three Aging Fantasy Football Players To Sell In Dynasty Leagues

It's hard to always know when to sell off your aging fantasy football players. Often, it's also difficult to accept that it's better to move on from a player when he's coming off a productive season and still has a lot left in the tank. But I believe it's better to be a year early […]


J.J. McCarthy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Draft Sleepers

Five Fantasy Football Superflex Quarterback Breakouts, Draft Targets (2025)

If you’ve ever played in a Superflex fantasy football league, then you know how important quarterbacks are in this format. The ability to start multiple stud quarterbacks can carry you to a Superflex title. Unfortunately, finding two such players isn’t so easy. All the top signal-callers come off draft boards first, and that makes it […]


Omarion Hampton - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks - NFL Draft

Ideal Landing Spots For The Top 12 Fantasy Football Rookies - 2025 NFL Draft

Then, the NFL Draft continues to inch closer and closer. This is a very interesting class, with a handful of players who could be stars in the NFL and reshape fantasy football leagues going forward. Here are the ideal landing spots for the top 12 fantasy football rookies. These picks exist in conversation with each […]


Jalen Coker - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, Waiver Wire Pickups

Eight Best Ball Late Round Value Fantasy Football Players To Target For 2025

Fantasy football is the most popular game in all of sports. It has gone from a paper-and-pen game to a multi-million dollar-a-year one. While redraft leagues are the most popular form of fantasy football, best ball leagues are quickly gaining steam. The best part of best ball leagues is the ability to draft thousands of […]


Abdul Carter - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 NFL Draft Rankings: Top 10 Fantasy Football Edge Rusher Prospects

Edge rusher is the most important, most coveted, and most highly-paid position on defense in the NFL. It stands to reason that the most important position in the entire game being quarterback, and by a wide margin, means the most important position on defense are the players that are tasked with disrupting opposing QBs as […]


Brock Purdy - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Picks

Brock Purdy Dynasty Fantasy Football Outlook and Trade Value

Despite becoming the all-time leading passer for the Iowa State Cyclones, Brock Purdy wasn't a highly touted prospect due to his perceived lack of athleticism. The 49ers picked him with the final pick of the 2022 NFL Draft, but Mr. Irrelevant quickly proved everyone wrong. In his first two years, he started in back-to-back NFC […]


Michael Florio's Football Show - Podcast RotoBaller Network

Florio's Football Show: Scouting NFL Draft Prospects!

Michael F Florio goes over some of the top prospects from this years NFL Draft. Florio talks about what he looks for when watching prospect tape and explains what traits translate best to the NFL level. Be sure to also tune into RotoBaller Radio on SiriusXM (SiriusXM channel 87) on Sundays from 6-7 am. You can […]


Najee Harris - Fantasy Football Rankings, NFL Injury News, DFS Lineup Picks

Dynasty Fantasy Football Buy or Sell: Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, Jordan Mason

One year ago, we discussed the futures of Josh Jacobs, Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Aaron Jones as those free agents found new homes. This year's headliners are Najee Harris, Rico Dowdle, and Jordan Mason. Not quite the same. Still, with every transaction come implications for dynasty fantasy football rosters across the globe. Below, we […]


Romeo Doubs - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

Early 2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Undervalued NFC Draft Targets

While the 2025 fantasy football redraft season is still several months away, there is no such thing as being too prepared for your fantasy draft. Fantasy football is year-round, even for those who only play in redraft leagues. The landscape of fantasy football will change between today and the start of redraft season, with the […]


Detroit Lions Defense, Aidan Hutchinson - Fantasy Football DST Rankings, Streamers, IDP Sleepers

2025 Fantasy Football IDP Sleepers: Five Draft Targets

It's notably difficult to identify sleepers in fantasy football IDP leagues. The skill of the players in question is very important, but situation also plays a large factor, as does a recent history of injuries. Rather than bucketing them into groups, it's better to analyze each one individually, look at where they are in terms […]


Ashton Jeanty - College Football Rankings, NCAA CFB DFS Lineup Picks

Ashton Jeanty's Top Potential Landing Spots For 2025: Fantasy Football NFL Draft Outlook

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty will enter the 2025 NFL Draft as one of the best prospects in the class. Jeanty just ran for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns across 14 games this past college season. Those 2,601 rush yards were the second-most of all-time in FBS history, only behind Barry Sanders's 2,628 rush yards […]


Bhaysul Tuten - NFL Draft Prospects, Rookie Rankings

2025 Fantasy Football Rookie Mock Draft: 12-Team, Single QB

The 2025 NFL Combine has now been completed, so it's worth doing another mock draft to see where everyone stands after the league's pre-draft testing event. Overall, there were a few surprises, but the order of many players will remain the same. The mental domain of the original rankings, which have been fairly set in […]


Rashid Shaheed - Fantasy Football Rankings, Draft Sleepers, NFL Injury News

2025 Fantasy Football Sleepers: Later-Career Breakout Candidates

Typically, most NFL players break out in the early parts of their careers. Between the ages of 20 and 25 is when you expect to see the majority of players have their first big season. Some waste no time and put together excellent years while they're rookies, while some need more time to develop. These […]