After drawing number 11, I knew there was a zero percent chance of landing one of the top three wideouts or quarterbacks.
DRAFT STRATEGY FOR PICK 11 IN 2024 ROOKIE DRAFTS: MY PRE-DRAFT PLAN
The best-case scenario this far down would be if someone doesn’t like Rome Odunze sitting third on the depth chart or having Xavier Worthy landing in your lap. Neither happened, so I had a dilemma right out of the gate at pick 1.11.
Read more: “How to draft” from the… 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 spot
PICK 1.11: JONATHON BROOKS (RB-PANTHERS)
As stated above, the bluest of blue chips didn’t make it to 1.11, but Brooks is a nice consolation. There aren’t many years when the RB1 (or 1A if you’re a Trey Benson guy) of the class sits on the board this late. Yes, Carolina ranked dead last in offensive YPG last year. However, Brooks’ talent alone should give confidence in selecting him even over the likes of new Chargers wide receiver Ladd McConkey.
Brooks is coming off a 1,400 scrimmage-yard season, even with the torn ACL. If you’re picking this late in round 1, chances are your team is pretty good (or you’re a master trade negotiator landing multiple first-round picks). If you’re not relying on Brooks to slot into your RB1 or 2 slot to start the season, patience is key. By mid-season, you could look at a strong RB2 with weekly RB1 upside. I’d rather roll the dice on having the best running back in the class than maybe the fourth or so best receiver. There aren’t many years you can have this potential at 1.11 for running back in rookie drafts. Swing away with Brooks.
PICK 2.11: XAVIER LEGETTE (WR-PANTHERS)
I was less than thrilled when Roman Wilson didn’t return to me in the second round. It was also difficult to pass on Blake Corum in favor of ANOTHER Carolina Panthers player. I definitely hated myself after clicking “draft” next to Legette’s name since I don’t love having my premium draft pick eggs in the Bryce Young dependent basket, but here we are. There is a scenario, however, where XL is productive for fantasy. The corpse of Adam Thielen was able to go over 1,000 yards and 4 touchdowns last year for this Panthers squad while averaging a paltry 161.2 passing YPG.
Yes, Legette is a fifth-year player whose production didn’t spike until his final season at South Carolina, where he put up 71 catches for over 1,200 yards and seven touchdowns, but I will gamble on the talent. Anyone earning First-team all SEC and third team All-American honors is just fine in my book. Will it translate to the NFL level? Time will tell. Yet, with my dilemma being Legette vs. Corum, the tie went to the wideout, especially in dynasty, where their window is much longer, combined with the ability for receivers to hold value longer than running backs.
PICK 3.11: WILL SHIPLEY (RB-EAGLES)
The real dart throws begin at the end of round 3. I was eyeing a few players and made a tough call with Shipley over the likes of Issac Guerendo and Brendan Rice.
Shipley goes to an Eagles squad that signed Saquon Barkley this offseason but also lost De’Andre Swift and his 229 rush attempts and 39 receptions to free agency. There’s zero question about this being Barkley’s backfield, but in fantasy, you always want your dart throws tied to great offenses.
Shipley showed off his blazing speed at the combine, running a 4.39 40-yard dash. With a backfield also featuring Jalen Hurts, the defense has much to account for. Shipley has the speed to make a house call from anywhere on the field when his number is called. He is also a reliable pass catcher, nabbing 69 combined passes in his final 2 seasons at Clemson. I’ll take the shot on a guy in this offense this late in the draft.
PICK 4.11: LUKE MCCAFFREY (WR-COMMANDERS)
If I’m being totally honest, this was 100% a name pick. The other player considered here was Jordan Travis. However, with Travis sitting behind Aaron Rogers and Tyrod Taylor in New York, combined with my roster housing CJ Stroud, Joe Burrow, and Gardner Minshew, I passed on Travis instead of the household name, McCaffrey. “New” CMC pulled in 71 balls for 1,100 yards and 13 touchdowns at Rice last season.
With quarterback Jayden Daniels also going to Washington via the draft, I took a shot on these two building chemistry coming in as rookies together. This theory, combined with Terry McLaurin entering his age 29 season and Curtis Samuel going to Buffalo, creates an interesting window after the 2024 season in Washington for McCaffrey. Sometimes, you need to throw caution to the wind and grab a common football name, which I did in my final selection with “New” CMC.
SUMMARY: POST-DRAFT THOUGHTS AND PICK 11 STRATEGY RECAP
I had hoped to land Xavier Worthy at the 11 slot leading up to the draft. This did not come to fruition and presented me with a difficult choice between Brooks and McConkey right out of the gate. As I mentioned above, impact running backs are never available this late in round 1, so I closed my eyes and went for it. If Jaylen Wright hadn’t gotten sniped in the second round of the selection right before me, I would have felt much better, even though going RB-RB in a rookie draft is almost unheard of. I would have diversified some risk by getting away from the NFL’s worst offense in 2023 instead of investing in arguably the most electric one in Miami.
Drafts are about adapting and seeing what value comes your way. In PPR formats, I think Shipley will definitely have some sneaky flex appeal by the season’s end with his pass-catching ability. However, I’d be over the moon if I ended up with a Worthy/Wright start to the draft instead of Brooks/Legette. Hopefully, you have league-champ bragging rights for a few more months if you’re picking this low in round 1 while you wait to see if the Panthers continue to implode.
Cheers.
