Many picks in this year’s NFL draft were surprising. Michael Penix Jr. to the Atlanta Falcons was… weird. However, some rookies had the opposite experience as Penix. They were lucky enough to be drafted by a team where they can showcase their talent in a premium role. These three NFL rookies found the best landing spots for their fantasy football value.

Ladd McConkey, Los Angeles Chargers

Before the Chargers made this pick, Quentin Johnston and Josh Palmer were set to be Justin Herbert’s top options in the passing game. In other words, McConkey has very little competition to be an elite quarterback’s WR1.

McConkey wasn’t a high-end producer during his time at Georgia. However, his 4.39 40 certainly caught the attention of scouts who already liked his smart, smooth route running. Palmer and Johnston are not known as great route-runners, so McConkey can easily fill a role that this team needs. It would not be a surprise to see him surpass his collegiate-best yardage total of 762.

Troy Franklin, Denver Broncos

Courtland Sutton and Jerry Jeudy were the only Denver receivers to surpass 700 yards a year ago, and Jeudy is now a member of the Cleveland Browns while Sutton is five years removed from his only 1000-yard campaign. Marvin Mims flashed big-play ability but received just 33 targets.

Franklin already has a rapport with new Broncos QB Bo Nix, with whom he played at Oregon last season. Many expected Franklin to go much higher than the fourth round, as the 6’3 WR ran a 4.41 and showed great YAC ability. Mims shouldn’t take targets away from Franklin as Mims is much more of a pure deep threat.

Franklin could rack up receptions as Bo Nix’s potential top target. He put up 1383 yards and 14 touchdowns with the Ducks in 2023. He is more likely to be valuable in PPR formats, as the Broncos will want to give him short passes and let him go to work after the catch.

Jonathan Brooks, Carolina Panthers

Brooks was the first running back to come off the board, as the Panthers selected him with the 14th pick in the second round. The Texas running back ran for over 1100 yards in 11 games before tearing his ACL. He had just 238 touches in college, so despite the injury, he is relatively free from the heavy wear and tear many top running back prospects enter the league with.

Brooks is quick and showed signs of being a decent pass-catcher. He possesses three-down back potential and should overtake Chuba Hubbard and Miles Sanders in Carolina. I have seen Brooks mentioned less than the previous two players. However, of all three landing spots, this one provides the biggest fantasy football impact in redraft formats. Brooks has the potential to be an RB2 this season if he claims an every-down role in this backfield.

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