First Rookie Draft Pick

[Pullo Vision]

Who was your first pick in a dynasty rookie draft? What lessons did you learn, from either that pick or the draft itself?

In my first rookie draft, I had 1.1 and 1.2 in a 12 team non PPR league starting 1 QB, 3 WRs, 1 TE, two RB/WR/TE flexes. No SF, and no RB starting requirements at all. So we could flex up to 2 RBs, or 5 WRs. I was a rebuilding team so I was thinking long term. It was an RB heavy draft but light on WRs- the most productive rookie became Eddie Royal, taken at 2.11. First WR was Devin Hester at 1.7.

With a great chance to jumpstart the rebuild, I put out trade feelers and evaluated the league's history. What'd I do with the picks?- take Darren McFadden and then Matt Ryan.

I don't think the McFadden pick was particularly bad. He had streaks of strong to elite play stretching up to a season over his career. The real opportunity for improvement was with a different RB- JStew went 1.3, while CJ2K, Forte and Rice went mid/late 1st.

I learned to regret that 1.2 pick, though. QBs were difficult to trade for (mostly because people were unresponsive), but taking a QB in a 12 team 1 QB was such a wasted opportunity. While Stewart would have been better, I didn't put much work into trading that 1.2. When the draft started, I picked back to back, without trying to capitalize on the OTC price hike. Three teams didn't even have a first and would've made great trade candidates.

While I came to regret going QB early in a 1 QB, and not working trade angles harder, my real problem was the league itself. The trading was limited and there were years I was involved in nearly half the deals. The other thing I never got used to was the funky "start zero RB" minimum requirement, and being able to flex up to two. That, combined with the non PPR and deep WR start requirements, threw me off. I almost wish the league hadn't folded, just so I could've figured it out.

So, how did your first dynasty rookie draft go, and what lessons did you learn from it?

[ericanadian]

The history is a bit of a mess in my CBS league. The first year with the rookies split out properly, I had moved my first to pick up Darren McFadden (along with Michael Turner, so oops…) In the second, I went heavy on defense as most of my league was new to IDP and didn’t value them properly. Got Earl Thomas, Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaun Merriweather.

[Jigga94]

I remember Yeldon going before him and thinking I got away with the RB3 falling to me (Gurley, MG3) in the mid 1st.

Then in his 1st game, on his 1st carry, he hits the hole, jukes ERIC WEDDLE to the ground and scores. Ameer Abdullah was my teams new RB1.

https://youtu.be/in0ibDqYPdY

I learned this is a much more nuanced game...

[j4pac]

I’d played in fantasy keepers for a long time, but 2014 was my first dynasty draft. I selected Brandin Cooks in the middle of the 1st round and Jeremy Hill in the 2nd. Worked out pretty well. Hill didn’t last long but he had a few pretty nice seasons

[murphysxm]

I don't exactly remember my first dynasty draft and how I faired. My lasting memory of my 1st season is making a bunch of "redraft" mentality trades in the off season from the team I took over. I don't remember the specifics, but I had young Russ and Rodgers (with some young prospect behind them) in a 1 QB and thought what is the point of having both. I basically gave Wilson away. Mistakes accelerate your learning curve......

[Gazzerk]

I made some horrendous mistakes in previous drafts. I had played redraft for over a decade but only started in a dynasty league about 4 years ago. Injuries killed my startup lineup and I came in last. I was very casual in my research and just followed projections and such. I wasn’t as into as I am now. In the 2020 draft, I was hoodwinked and took CEH over JT like many people did. Brutal. Then in 2021 I had 1.06 and was desperate for a serviceable RB and took Sermon even though I was all in on Waddle 🤮. I drafted for need and not talent. That one was the last straw for me. I knew I had to change what I was doing and learn a lot more if I didn’t want be a constant loser. I started learning a ton about making incremental value type trades. Saw a window to buy JT for CEH and my 22 and 23 1st. That was right before he popped big time last season. Then I flipped him for basically Gibson and 4 2023 1sts (one of which turned into 1.01). Made a bunch of other trades turning guys like Higgins into multiple good assets and building out my team. The firsts I sent away ended up pretty late or didn’t matter much and it was the best move I ever made as they didn’t turn into anything really (2022 was pick 7 which was Jameson but I jumped on that owner getting restless with him injured and got him back as a borderline throw in with the Higgins deal).

My team is in a much better spot now and I feel like I actually know what I’m doing. It’s a totally different experience when you pay attention and actually get into it. The biggest thing I learned is to always draft for talent and not just team need. Trade for team need later. The other is to always do your homework and don’t just take a player for their landing spot. If I wasn’t so blinded by the Chiefs elite offense then I would have seen that CEH was a far inferior talent. Situations change, talent does not.

[Needalife]

1.11 startup pick and had the 1.02 rookie pick. First guy took Adrian Peterson and I went Calvin Megatron Johnson. Had a lot of great years out of that one. Marshawn Lynch went 3rd and Greg Olsen made the top 10. LOADED draft at the top.

[halfbaked88]

Waddle with the 1.11

[Tvols]

2010 I believe had the 1-03 and traded it for pick 1-12 and 1-16. I drafted DT and Golden tate. I would have taken Dez Bryant there but felt the 2 for one was too good to give up. Dez was a stud and DT( I liked him more than Dez) took a couple of years to get there but was very good and golden had to wait until he moved from the giants I believe before he broke out overall grade B+. My first year in Dynasty quickly learnt you dont give up drafting potential studs. My reasoning being a 16 teamer it is hard to get depth and full team of good starters.

[Shankopotamus]

Zay Jones at 1.07 🫣

Over Kamara

This place has taught me so much. Gator basically helped me learn dynasty in the advice tab

[meineymoe]

My first few rookie drafts were pre-MFL, so a little fuzzy on those. The earliest recorded rookie draft I could find was in 2007 in our DLF Charter league on this site
viewtopic.php?t=1152

I took Marshawn Lynch at 1.02. Also got Sidney Rice at 2.02 (12 team league), and Paul Posluszny at 3.02 - still one of my strongest rookie drafts.

In a local 16 team dynasty startup in 2008, we had a rookie draft and I took McFadden at 1.01. I was an instant contender in that league.

-oo-

[Pullo Vision]

2010 I believe had the 1-03 and traded it for pick 1-12 and 1-16. I drafted DT and Golden tate. I would have taken Dez Bryant there but felt the 2 for one was too good to give up. Dez was a stud and DT( I liked him more than Dez) took a couple of years to get there but was very good and golden had to wait until he moved from the giants I believe before he broke out overall grade B+. My first year in Dynasty quickly learnt you dont give up drafting potential studs. My reasoning being a 16 teamer it is hard to get depth and full team of good starters.

That is solid reasoning, imo. A 16 team league with deep starting requirements and potentially SF puts alot of value on the depth. Thomas and Tate were similar prospects in at least one regard- limited route running displayed in college. At the beginning of their NFL career, the gameplan would be the same- get them the ball near the LOS and let them YAC. Where I drafted them, I saw them as slow burn gambles, hoping they developed that route running. Dez was different, since he was getting dropped into a starting maybe WR1 role, with Romo at QB. That argument sounds very situation based, so I can see bailing on him for two guys you liked, even if you thought they'd take a while to pan out.

[spotxc]

2012 Draft, 1.07 I took Coby Fleener and AJ Jenkins with 2.07. Not good picks as I had no idea what I was doing in dynasty but that draft overall was very week. Trich was 1.01.

Edit: next year 2013 might have been my best draft. 1.06 DHop and 2.07 Keenan Allen

[Ice]

First Dynasty rookie player picked was Emmitt Smith. No regrets although I quickly learned loading up too much on one team wasn't the best strategy.

I remember more in the early years of scouring the stat pages in the paper on Monday trying to figure out who won and lost.

[Hankybro21]

Took Davante adams 1.08 in my first rookie draft. Passed up on obj who went right after me. Was kicking myself that off-season (hindsight it’s adams easily) and finally dug into rookies for the next draft.

Had it all figured out that next draft. So much so that I wouldn’t trade away the draft rights to jay ajayi for Keenan Allen.

Gotta find the happy medium in the pendulum swing of keeping or trading rookie picks