Mock Draft: 12-Team PPR - Drafting from 9 & 12

We run a 12-team full PPR mock draft from the toughest spots on the board, pick 9 and the 12/13 turn, and show how to build a roster that survives tier drops. We lean on volume, ignore ADP when the room demands it, and finish with a clear plan for flex upside and tight end streaming. 
• league setup and why picks 9 and 12 feel harder 
• reacting to early chaos picks and staying disciplined 
• prioritizing running back tiers and avoiding the cliff 
• turn strategy that beats ADP chasing 
• building WR floor after an RB-heavy start 
• deciding when QB value is real and when it is a reach 
• stacking logic with Hurts and pass-catchers without overconcentrating 
• targeting late-round sleepers for flex ceiling 
• punting tight end and streaming based on matchup 
Don’t forget to like, share, subscribe across all social media platforms. 
We’re gonna be there all season long on social media at FranklyFantasy Football, so make sure you get in there. 

Transcript

Setup And Turn Draft Challenge

SPEAKER_01 0:04

All right, guys, we're back today with a mock draft. You we know how much you love mock drafts. Let's go. Today we're doing a 12-team, full PPR, two receiver, two running back, and a flex league. Let's get after it, baby.

SPEAKER_00 0:18

Don't forget to like, share, subscribe across all social media platforms. We love you. Let's mock.

SPEAKER_01 0:39

All right, all right, all right. Welcome to the show. This is the Franklin Fantasy Football Podcast. We are your hosts, Frankie and Johnny. Let's do a mock, baby. You ready? Let's do it. Let's do it, Johnny boy. All right, we got a mock draft coming for you guys. We're gonna be doing a 12-team PPR draft. One quarterback, two running backs, two receivers, a flex, and a tight end, four bench spots. We don't need to waste a lot of time at the end of the draft. Just want to give you guys a good idea what this is gonna look like. Here's what we're gonna do. I'm gonna pop the board up here. Let's get it rolling. All right, drafting out of sleeper, which we like to do. It seems to be the best platform for us. Not a sponsor, not yet, anyway, Sleeper. If you can hear us, you know. Shout out. Shout out, sleeper. Let's go, baby. All right, Frankie's gonna be drafting from the number nine spot. I'm gonna be drafting at the 12 on the turn. These are difficult spots. That's why we wanted to do it for you guys. Everybody loves drafting in that top three picks. Let's see how difficult things are back here and see what we can do for you. Give you a few tips, maybe, of what you can do in these spots here. All right, Frankie, you want to get the draft rolling? We ready? Fired up. Let's fire it up, baby. Here we go.

First-Round Chaos And Tier Drops

SPEAKER_01 1:53

All right, I love when they do an interesting turn of events. Now listen, I know you're like, oh my god, the bot is an idiot. It drafted Puka 101. Guys, uh, if you've been in fantasy drafts, which I assume you all have, the friends and family leagues, there's always crazy shit that happens. Somebody's gonna take their guy like Puka, number one overall. So let's take a look here. We got Puka, then Bijan, Jameer Gibbs, Jamar Chase, JSN, Amon Ross St. Brown, Christian McCaffrey, CD Lamb, Frankie, you're at number nine. This is where I love all of these guys up to up to the eighth pick. Then it gets tough. Nine through 12, guys. So you got to start going, oh man, already? Really? Teardrops already in the first round? Let's go.

SPEAKER_00 2:40

So, John, speaking of that, guys, we're looking at really two guys here, in my opinion. It's Jonathan Taylor or it's Justin Jefferson. And you can make an argument back and forth, but knowing that this is only a two-receiver, not a three-receiver, but a two-receiver, and that teardrop from Jonathan Taylor down to really A-chan or Cook or Genty for me is just too big. So I'm not going to overthink it. You lock in Jonathan Taylor, the guy who just got extended for the Colts, that workhorse of a back, and you enjoy the fruits of that labor, Johnny.

SPEAKER_01 3:13

He just got pupped, baby. Yeah. Now that is the absolute right pick. I mean, when you look at the teardrops from running back after JT, JT is just, he's one of the most important picks in the first round, in my mind. It really is. When you miss out on those big three, it's JT next, no question. All right, then there you go. JJ right there at number 10. He is creeping up a little bit. I think people are seeing our uh our episode of uh Kyler Murray and feeling a little bit better about JJ. Um, then you had James Cook. All right, I'm on the turn. Two picks in a row here, guys. Now, when you're picking on the turn, don't just go straight off of ADP. Okay, ADP, throw it out the window. It's merely a suggestion because you've got such a long time until your next pick. You need to go get the guys you need right now. So let's take a look here. As far as running back goes, I'm looking at Devon Achan, Ashton Genty, Saquon Barkley, Amarian Hampton. All fantastic guys to anchor your team on. I will probably grab one of those. Receivers, Drake London, AJ Brown, Rasheed Rice. Love those guys too. This is not a spot where I would normally do two receivers, just because I know the running back depth drops drastically. Come round three, I'm not gonna have a lot of options. So I have to grab one of these guys. Between A-Chan, Genty, Barkley, Marion Hampton. It's really tough here, guys. Yeah, I it is. I mean, I kind of scared the shit out of myself with Devon A Chan after we talked about Malik Will. Um, but I think the volume is gonna be there. He's been really, really solid with shit quarterback play, with not very many options in the receiving game. I'll take a chance on Devon A Chan there. Now, this is a tougher one for me because I'm targeting AJ Brown everywhere, Frankie. I want his ass so bad, but do I want him more than Drake London? You know, I I I think I do. And here's why. Here's why. I think the New England offense is gonna score a lot more. I think they're gonna have a lot more opportunity for scoring, and I think the difference of Drake London to a Tuatonga Bayaloa is massive. So I'm gonna go strictly based on how the offenses are, how the offenses score. I think you'll get more opportunity for points out of uh uh AJ Brown. I'm gonna go with it. All right. All right, then we had Ashton Genty and Chase Brown go. Frankie, who are you gonna pair up in round two with JT?

SPEAKER_00 5:43

So this is really interesting, man. And I also do want to just hit on what you said about AJ Brown very, very briefly. Guys, that is the point which Johnny made. When you're at the turn, do not look at ADP, do not take the guy just because he's right there and he's the number one, because the projected point difference is three points between AJ Brown and that of Drake London. So I just wanted to call that out for those listening, viewing, etc. Take your guy. So when we're looking at my spot here, round two, pick um sitting at uh number nine overall. Guys, it's really interesting. I have Jonathan Taylor, I could go Drake London, who I absolutely love in the second, but uh there's also a guy here, man, that I am really struggling not to draft, and he keeps grow crawling up my board. It's another running back, and it's Saquon Barkley. Guys, I think in this new offense, there's no AJ Brown, you have Sean Manion in the new style um that that their scheme that they're implementing. For me, it's it you can't just focus on Jalen Hurts, you can't just put it completely on his back, especially with Devonta Smith and Mikai Lemon. So for me, man, I think we could see a variation of 2024 Saquon Barkley and not 2025. So I'm locking him in as my RB2.

SPEAKER_01 6:57

I'm with you on that. I I'm getting more and more into Saquon the more I look into the offense. It is a different offense, it's a different coordinator. Year two with this coordinator now. Um, you know, again, they with AJ Brown not being there, it's going to look very, very different. Um, I I was expecting a bit of a regression from Saquon. Anytime you have the carries and the volume, almost every single time you see a bit of a regression the next year. Um, so I can see Saquon definitely, you know, having a better year than he did last year, but I think he's such a super solid pick. He could creep back up into the top three, four running backs this year. So I I actually think it's becoming more of a value for Saquon. So I have no issue where you take him there. All right, then it was Drake London. Somebody got a real good deal on Drake London there. Uh Trey McBride, Omarion Hampton, Rasheed Rice, Brock Bowers, Malik Neighbors, um, Jeremiah Love, and KW3. Kenneth Walker are there rounding out the second round. Coming into round three, it's Derek Henry, George Pickens, Josh Allen. There he is, round three. Nice discipline by this draft. Wait until round three. Josh Jacobs, Nico Collins, Chris Olave, Bucky Irving, uh, Javante Williams, and Frankie are on the clock. All right, you got some ponies in this stable here, baby, with JT and Saquon, two just volume monsters on two good teams that will score a lot. Now, what are you gonna do? Do you feel in you shitting your pants a little bit about your receiver one?

SPEAKER_00 8:24

I am. I'm shitting my pants a little bit because I was actually hoping that Chris Olave or Nico Collins would stretch a bit further because team five already drafted two receivers, and then team eight, I was cut or team six, excuse me, I was hoping that they would probably go running back there. Um, so it was really interesting. So this is a really good scenario for you guys to look at and watch if you are at nine in a normal league that's PPR from a format standpoint and you did go running back, running back. Because right now, I mean, man, I'm so tempted to go another running back the way I typically build out my team and for trading and things like that. And if I were to do that, Kyron Williams, Brees Hall, uh Travis A. Chan Jr., those kind of guys, like super interesting. But to show you all, I'm gonna go receiver here, but I'm looking at T. Higgins, uh, Tedaroa McMillan, Garrett Wilson, Luther Burden. Guys, for me here, I'm actually gonna lock in Garrett Wilson. I think that he is a guy that has a high floor, and that's what I'm looking for for my receiver one. I'm not looking for a big ceiling play. I'm looking for somebody who can get real cozy. I know he's a true receiver one there. And my hopes is on this back turn here, I can get another stud receiver to go along to kind of pair as a 1A, one B.

SPEAKER_01 9:41

All right, I like it, man. Uh, yeah, Garrett Wilson, I think, is gonna be just a target monster for sure. Uh Kyron Williams, Brees Hall. I was really hoping Kyron Williams would drop to me. Uh, really looking to kind of solidify that running back room. Han does make me a little nervous, I'm not gonna lie. Um, so looking here, I can really do anything

Rounds 2-4 Building Core Starters

SPEAKER_01 10:00

I want. I've got a running back and a receiver. I feel pretty good about those guys. You look at tight end, you got Colston Loughlin and Tyler Warren there. I like those guys, but it's really gonna decimate me when it comes to my next two picks. Receivers, I got T. Higgins, Tetaroa McMillan, Luther Burden, all decent options here. Running backs, Travis A. Chan Jr., Trevion Henderson, Cam Scattabu, Quinshawn Judkins. So you look at that, that's where the tier really dropped. And after those guys, then you're looking at David Montgomery, Bajil Tootin, DeAndre Swift, uh, RJ Harvey. It really drops. So I need to grab one of these running backs. There's no question about it. Question is, who do I want to pair up with Devon A-chan? Um it's gonna be Travis A-Chan Jr., or it's gonna be Trevion, or it's gonna be Scataboo. I think those are gonna be the big options for me here. I think actually I do want somebody who's gonna get a lot of of play out of the backfield as far as receiving goes. This is a full PPR, and I've got A-chan, so that's monstrous for me. I want another guy like that. I really, really do. And it's gonna be A-chan or it's gonna be Henderson. Um, I think you know, I've already got AJ Brown. I don't want to be too loaded up with the same teammates here. I think I'm gonna do uh uh Travis Achan Jr. I'm gonna see how this goes. Uh a bit of a risk here. Let's go with double A-chan here, okay? That's what I like. Uh then we start looking at receiver, and really you're looking at T. Higgins, Ted Oa McMillan for me here. I those are really the two big ones I'm looking at. Um, T. Higgins, again, being a two, we know who T. Higgins is. It's almost identical. Rinse and repeat year after year. Problem is I don't see huge upside there unless Jamar Chase isn't on the field. Ted'roa McMillan, I do think is going to take a step forward. I really, really like him. I think the the ceiling's a little bit limited with him, though. Again, scoring opportunities, um, you know, Carolina, Bryce Young, how much do you believe in that? Um, if you're looking for volume, though, Ladd McConkey, Zay Flowers, very interesting. I'm actually gonna drop a little bit more because I am a believer of this player. Again, I'm dropping five, six slots down on the ADP, guys. When you're on the turn, you have to do that, okay? I'm gonna go with Devonta Smith. I think his volume this year and his opportunity is going to be, I th I do think his ceiling is out of control. I think his ceiling is absolutely astronomical. I think he has a good floor just because of the vacated targets with AJ Brown. You're not gonna have Mikai Lemon, a rookie, come in and take all of those targets away. Devonta Smith is going to be a target monster on a team where there's not a ton of other change. I think it's gonna be a very good spot for him. So, Devonta Smith, welcome to my team, baby. All right, then we had T. Higgins and Tetaroa McMillan go.

SPEAKER_00 12:52

Frankie, you're on the clock. Guys, this is perfect because I was hoping, John, that nobody was gonna take this guy. I'm gonna go back to the well at receiver. Again, my team is looking at JT Saquon, Garrett Wilson, and then from a receiver perspective, there's Luther Burton, Laddie, Abuka, Flowers, Waddle. For me, guys, it's Zay Flowers. Just got paid. I want a piece. And what this really did for me is it made when I took Saquon at two, and to get those two receivers right there that are of that caliber, knowing they're possession receivers, full PPR, it makes the blanket warm and cozy. I'm not shitting down my pants anymore because now I have the backing here. So for me, I'm locking in Zay.

SPEAKER_01 13:34

Great pick. I love it. Matches up well with what you've already drafted. All right, as we go through here, we had Luther Burden, Lamar Jackson, uh Ladd McConkey, Colston Loveland, Devontae Adams, uh J Moe, Jameson Williams, Trevion Henderson, Drake May coming in, rounding out the fourth round. Fifth round now, Tyler Warren, Quinshawn Judkins, Jalen Waddell, Ameka Ekbuka, Cam Scat, TMC, Terry McLaurin, David Montgomery, and DJ Moore. Frankie, you're back on the clock. Really disciplined here, man. Two running backs, two receivers. Now at this point, you've got your solid foundation. You could do anything you want. Where are you going to go?

SPEAKER_00 14:13

It's wide open, guys. So from a quarterback perspective, there's Joe Burrow, Jaden Daniels, Jalen Hurts. Love all of that. From a receiver perspective, there's Mike Evans, Carnel T, Roma Doomsay. From a running back perspective, you can go Basil Tootin, DeAndre Swift, RJ Harvey. Guys, for me, this is super easy and I'm not going to overthink it. I want to solidify my flex spot with a stud receiver going to that of the San Francisco 49ers and that of Mike Evans, to have him as my flex. What this gives me the ability to do is he's a floor piece. Then it gives me the ability to do a ceiling piece following him to aid with that flex. So I love this pick to solidify this receiver room.

SPEAKER_01 14:56

All right, sounds good. Then we have Bajel Tutin, who is a guy I am actually uh really looking at here, Frankie. I mean, Bajal Tutin to me, I can see him being rookie season Bucky Irving. I mean, that's really I I want Liam Cohen to unlock Bajal Tutin this year. So that's a guy that I'm targeting, but he went right in front of me. Then Jaden Daniels. Okay, so at the turn here, I'm on the 5'6 turn, two picks in a row. This is where I'm going to start looking at. I've got two running backs, two receivers. I feel great about my receivers. I'm okay about my running backs, to be perfectly honest. I'm just okay. Uh taking a look at what running backs are there: DeAndre Swift, RJ Harvey, Jalen Warren. I think it really starts dropping off here. Um, and I want to get another surefire starter, a guy that I think will be, you know, many times a three-down back. He's not a ton of competition there, but it is going to be a good offense that is going to score. It's going to be DeAndre Swift. I'm not a huge, huge fan of DeAndre Swift. It's not a guy I typically draft, but as a running back three, that's where I like him. Because I, you know, Travis A-Chan Jr., he's a new face in a new place. He's basically an Alvin Kamara-esque guy younger with Camara in the backfield. So that's not a guaranteed workload for A Chan Jr. So I'm a little nervous there. Then, of course, with Devon A Chan, I assume he's going to be very good. I assume it'll look like kind of what it did last year and the year before. Um, not much else has changed around him other than continuing shitty quarterback. Uh, but I need something to solidify a little more coziness in my running back room. DeAndre Swift is gonna be on that team. Now I'm gonna take a look at something, and again, go get your guy. I love Joe Burrow. Uh he's typically a quarterback I love taking in this range. If I can get him in round six, I like it. However, because I have Devonta Smith, I'm gonna go for a little Stackhums here, guys. If I really believe in Devonta Smith, then I'd need to believe in Jalen Hurts as well. Jalen Hurts once finally had a regression from 14 touchdowns to eight rushing touchdowns. Can he get back up to 10, 12? I think he can. So I think Jalen Hurts is being slept on a bit. I'm gonna bring him on. All right, then we had Harold Fannon Jr. and Carnell Tate. Frankie, you're back on the clock.

SPEAKER_00 17:15

I'll tell you what, this is really tough. Like looking at we're in round six here, guys, and I have Jonathan Taylor, Saquon Barkley, Garrett Wilson, Zay Flowers, Mike Evans, love it. But man, is it so hard to sit here and look at Joe Burrow and not want to take him, man? I gotta be honest. But the thing is, is there's also Tucker Kraft, there's Kyle Pitts. I do need a tight end from a running back perspective. You go RJ Harvey, Jalen Warren, Shuba Hubbard. Guys, the problem is I need to start adding more depth to the running back room. But with the running backs and having such a big fall off, I actually think I can wait one more round to come back to continue to get peak value where it's at, which means do I go Tucker Kraft, Roma Dunze, Christian Watson, or Joe Burrow? I am gonna lock in Joe Burrow. I think that that is the right pick at the right time. You're not reaching for a quarterback. He fell to you. I can get a backup at this point in time to assist with this. So for me, I'm not reaching. I'm actually hoping that, you know, there's a run, which it looks like there is, which then will bring back a running back back to me.

SPEAKER_01 18:24

The other thing I love about that, Frankie, is when you're looking at the two receivers you were trying to decide between. I mean, these guys have major, major question marks, by the way. I mean, Christian Watson, his health has always been an issue. They paid him to be an alpha on this team, but we haven't really seen that. We've seen flashes of it. But is that going to be a sixth-round pick that you can put in your flex every week and feel good about? I don't know. Same with Roma Dunsey. Luther Burden, Roma Dunsey, these are two of the most difficult players to project when it comes to fantasy. I think one of them is going to be incredible and is going to be taken in the third, fourth round next year. I don't know who it's going to be. That's the problem. So yeah, I think it's a much better choice and safer choice. That bottom of a teardrop, massive teardrop at quarterback with Joe Burrow. I think that's the right move for you, man. Good, really smart decision. All right, Frank, you took Burrow. Where are you going to go? Big you started a big string of quarterbacks, by the way. I'm really glad I got Jalen Hurts when I did. All right, so where are you thinking about going here, man?

SPEAKER_00 19:26

Guys, so I'm going to go back to the well at running back. There was one guy here. There was really two that I was hoping it was going to be here. And one is it was Jadarian Price, who is no longer available. He was picked in uh this round, actually, for team three, but it's Ramondre Stevenson. I'm not even going to overthink it. I'm just going to take him. He's my running back three. And guys, why this is important is because he is absolutely one B to that of Trevion Henderson. Even some aspects, he tends to lean more 1A. So it's going to be one more year of this split for Trevion and him. I want to capitalize on it and have him as a third option in my stable of running backs.

SPEAKER_01 20:04

I love that. Yeah, I think it's a good pick, man. I mean, I I'm not a huge Ramon Ramondre fan, but again, this is a guy you're going to plug in on bye weeks or injuries or just a great matchup. And I I can't, I you I can't hate that. You got to have debt. All right, now uh after that we had Laporta taken. We had Michael Wilson taken. I really would have taken a shot on Laporta there. I think he's just a value at this point. I don't love um the situation

Rounds 5-7 QB Choices And Stacking

SPEAKER_01 20:30

and player. I don't think he's going to be the number one or top three tight end at the end of the year. I just think he's dropped so far that there's so much value there. So I love Laporta at this range, uh, but I did miss out on him here. You're looking at tight ends here. I could look at Gadson, who I think is really, really good. I love that. Justin Herbert throwing to him. He had an incredible rookie season last year. You got Dalton Kincaid, George Kittle, Turd Ferguson. I can wait on tight ends, guys. Once we get to this point, I'm like, eh, I can wait till later. A lot of these guys are the same. Running backs, Tony Pollard, Rico Dowdle, Kyle Manungay, J.K. Dobbins. I always love getting J.K. Dobbins late in the draft. Um, receivers here. This is where I would take Mikai Lemon. Yeah, for sure. And this is where I would. But do I want a super stack? Do I want Jalen Hurts and both receivers? It was a volatile passing game last year, guys, and I'm not going to put everything in. I love Mikai Lemon. Had I not taken Devonta Smith, I would have absolutely taken Meki Lemon, which leads me to believe now if I'm in the back of these drafts, I may consider that strategy. If I am looking at getting a bargain on Jalen Hurts like I did, maybe I'll skip out on the Devonta Smith, take somebody else there and get the stack with the second guy with Makai Lemon in round seven or eight, like I can do now. So that's something that's why we do mock drafts. So I may be looking at that in the future saying, maybe I go running back instead of eight ETN there or Achan, maybe I do a receiver there and Come back with a running back where I got Devonta Smith because I can get the stack later with Mikha Lemon. So think about those kind of things, guys. That's probably where I'm going to analyze this at the end and say, I wish I probably would have done that instead. But let's see who I do have to pick. We've got Parker Washington, Alec Pierce, Jacoby Myers, Chris Godwin. Guys, big drop-off and receivers. Big, big time drop-off and receivers. But I do need the depth, so I cannot screw around here. I am going to take a chance on Alec Pierce. It's a guy I haven't been drafting in in mock drafts. I'm not sure how it's going to play out. They paid this guy, Frankie. I need your advice on this one. They paid him. I loved Alec Pierce last year, but that was because once every other game he'd grab a 50-yard bomb for a touchdown. Is that a hundred million dollar guy? Is that a guy who's going to become massive volume for this team with Danny Dimes? Don't forget Michael Pittman Jr. is out of there. So we've got some targets here. They've got a funnel to Alec Pierce or to Josh Downs. Tyler Warren, he's going to have an increase of his volume, but it can't be that much increased. He already had massive volume. So are you an Alec Pierce believer? Talk me into taking Alec Pierce here, which by the way, he'll be one of my flex options.

SPEAKER_00 23:14

John, I am an Alec Pierce believer. And I'll tell you why. Because the reason is you mentioned it, Michael Pittman Jr. is out. Danny Dimes, when he came in and he was on Pac McAfee's show, he actually said, Look, I am healed from my injury from last year. He's slinging this ball all training camp. Now Alec Pierce again is nursing his injury. He's coming back. Should look like week one, maybe a flex is a week two or three. But regardless, when Danny Dimes is in, Alec Pierce is phenomenal. So for me, man, I'm absolutely locking in a guy like Alec Pierce, knowing he's a home run hitter from a flex perspective. The other thing is you don't necessarily need him to start right away with you having A Chan and A-Chan and DeAndre Swift. Technically, all of those guys are excellent in PPR. So you can actually start all three of those guys, have uh AJ Brown, Devonta Smith with your stack with Jalen Hurts. Now you have Alec Pierce as a really sexy, high-flying uh option. Like, I mean, honestly, man, he could be comparative to that or compared to that of uh Christian Watson, and they're really the same player, and you're getting three rounds of value, two rounds of value on it. So for me, I'm locking an Alec Pierce based on the way your roster is constructed because you necessarily don't need to start him.

SPEAKER_01 24:32

I appreciate that, man. Yeah, I agree with you 100%. So I'm absolutely doing that. Um, the other thing I am gonna do here is again, go get your guys. Uh, I'm taking the JK Dobbins pick here because again, I'm I'm nervous early on in the season, you know. They've got an excellent schedule. He's gonna start the year as the starting back. And if I want to roll him out there in week one, I think it's a little bit safer option for me. They're favorite, I think, in four of the uh first five games. Uh so give me JK to start with A-chan. And then if I feel like I can bring in Travis A Chan and DeAndre Swift, I'm gonna do that. Okay. Then Mikai Lemon, uh great pick there, and Dak Prescott. Frankie, you're back on the clock here. You're at the 8.4.

SPEAKER_00 25:15

I'll tell you what, man, looking at the squad, guys, I only have three receivers. I have three running backs, one quarterback. I need to go back to the well a receiver here because I do have some really good players. Garrett Wilson, Zay Flowers, Mike Evans, though we know Mike Evans can be injury prone. We've seen Garrett Wilson be injury prone, so I need to add a stable piece. And my gosh, man, when I'm looking at the receivers on the board here, it's Parker Washington, Jacoby Myers, Chris Godwin, Quentin Johnson, Michael Pittman Jr., for me, I'm actually going to take a risk. This is a guy that maybe has the most hype of any guy in the entire offseason. And I'm I'm willing to dive into Liam Cohen's offense. I'm gonna lock in Parker Washington. What I'm seeing out of training camp, guys, is he's Tre dude, he's Trevor Lawrence's go-to guy. I don't know why. I don't know how this transpired, especially with BTJ and Jacoby Myers and Brenton Strange. It just works. So for me, I don't give a shit. Cover up the name and look at the stats. And the stats tell me this is a guy that is going to be a focal point of this offense. So for me, man, I'm locking in Parker Washington in hopes of a ceiling play. Again, I already have Evans as my floor. I want a guy that can be sneaky good, that could also end up providing some stability, lock in Washington.

SPEAKER_01 26:35

Love it, man. Yeah, love it. Uh yeah, you gotta have you gotta have some big balls to take Parker Washington. I mean, most guys don't even know who Parker Washington is, you know. I think we called him Peter Washington in the last mock draft. So Peter Potter. All right, now where are you going here, man? We got a couple picks left.

SPEAKER_00 26:53

Uh easy peasy, guys. I'm gonna go back to the Wella receiver again because of exactly what I said. I want to add, and there's one guy here. Absolutely, he should be moving up the ADP board even more than what he is. He's the number two receiver, Dare in his eyes, number one receiver on the commanders. I'm going Stefan Diggs. Talk about the damn ceiling play that you need. This is it. So this then rounds out that receiver room for me in a really positive fashion.

SPEAKER_01 27:20

As soon as I saw Diggs on there, I I laughed because I I knew he was I knew you were gonna do it, Frankie. Yeah. And that's a great pick. And he will start climbing the boards, guys. He's not gonna, he's not gonna be in, what is this, round eight, nine? He's not gonna be a round nine pick uh moving forward. So I could see him creeping up into six and seven at some point here. Uh I was absolutely gonna jump on Stefan Diggs as well, so great pick. Um looking at receiver here, I want more receiver depth. I I have four good running backs that are workhorse guys. I feel great about that. I need more receiver depth because again, Alec Pierce, right now he's on the pup. You know, I don't see that he's not gonna play early on in the season, but I I need to have a couple of guys here that I can choose from. Uh what I'm looking at, and we talked about this before, Frank, I want a piece of this Green Bay offense. These two Green Bay receivers are going so late in the drafts when we're talking about Jaden Reed and Matthew Golden. Uh you and I had kind of a back and forth about which one and all of that. At this point, Frank, I'm gonna take the opposite guy now. I'm gonna take Jaden Reed here, uh, just to solidify some good depth. I I feel good about starting Jaden Reed in my flex in week one, even, so I have no problem there. Uh looking through then, it gets pretty thin here, guys, not going to lie. Um running backs, yeah, it's it's rough here. You got Kenny Gainwell, Aaron Jones. Uh, you still got a starter with uh Jakori Krosky Merritt sitting out there, you know, and the Washington team. He's still sitting there as well. Uh Jordan Mason, like I talked about, great end of the draft pick for you. Starting running back on a team that's run first and play good defense, you know. So we do have some running backs here, but I need the depth with my own construction of my team. I have to have more receiving options here. Um I think what I'm gonna do here is actually take a chance. Um Josh Downs. I I don't normally do this. I don't like it. I hardly ever like grabbing two receivers on a on the same team. But this seems like an interesting situation to do that with. This is for depth. So if something because I'm nervous about Alec Pierce, maybe he doesn't start the season. If he doesn't, the amount of targets that can go to Josh Downs at that point will be absolutely ridiculous. Yeah. It could be even a situation to where if both of these guys are healthy and both on the field, I think people are sleeping on Josh Downs. Josh Downs could end up being the sneaky play here on this Indianapolis Colts team. If that's the case, I can trade Alec Pierce, get another running back piece, or get a you know, a lateral move with receiver just to spread out, have a little bit more um diversity on my team. I don't normally do this, but I think in this situation, I just talked myself into it. I'm gonna go Josh Downs. All right, Frank. Then we had Gainwell and Purdy. You're back on the clock here. Where are you going?

SPEAKER_00 30:11

So, guys, I'm gonna look to running back here. And there is one guy, like, so again, my running backs Jonathan Taylor, Saquon Barkley, Ramondre Stevenson. I just want to add one more piece to really round this out. And for me, man, I mean, I'm looking at Aaron Jones, uh, Jacori Krosky Merritt, you got Brian Robinson, Zach Charbonnet, Rashad White. I actually love Rashad White, but here's the deal I'm stuck between two. And I'm really stuck between Jordan Mason and Jonathan Brooks. Because here's the thing Jordan Mason is going to be starter, he's gonna split time with Aaron Jones. But Jonathan Brooks is a guy that for whatever reason I keep coming back to day in and day out because of the opportunity. So for me, I'm gonna take a flyer and I'm gonna actually go Jonathan Brooks. Because if he looks as good and as twitchy as what they say, he's gonna absolutely take over for that of Chuba. I mean, we saw Rico Dowdle beat out Chuba quite handedly. Now you have a guy that's

Rounds 8-10 Sleepers Depth And Flex Plans

SPEAKER_00 31:10

even younger, faster, stronger, better than that, and that's gonna be Jonathan Brooks. So for me, as my running back four, why not? Take a shot. If worse comes to worse, goes on IR or you drop him, and you can you have your opportunity to get a Kamara or somebody like that that's in the whims, that's not even drafted, and you can pick him up at that point in time.

SPEAKER_01 31:29

I love what you did there, and the reasoning was perfect. And let me let me just kind of describe exactly why I like Jonathan Brooks um over uh who are we gonna take over him? Jordan Mason. Jordan Mason, yeah. Who I said I think is a steal at this point in the draft. But here's the thing: you don't need Jordan Mason. Right. You started your draft top heavy with running back. You've got Jonathan Taylor and Saquon Barkley. You're never gonna start Jordan Mason. Maybe on a bye week, maybe if one of those guys gets hurt. So why not, instead of taking the safe pick with Jordan Mason, take the ceiling play, man? Jonathan Brooks, what if he ends up becoming a top 15, top 10 guy this year? The talent-wise, that is in the realm of possibility. It is a non-zero chance that he has, you know, a top 10 performance this year. So why not get that lottery ticket? If it doesn't work out and you need depth, you can always go get that depth at this point. You know, great pick there. I love it, man. All right, last pick. Where are you going? Which tight end are you gonna take here, Frank?

SPEAKER_00 32:27

You know, and guys, that that's literally what it is. For me, I'm gonna look. There's a dart throw here. I'm streaming at this point. I want to be crystal clear. I was hoping Isaiah Likely would have came back. For me, then it's a teardrop. So I'm looking at Kenyon Sadiq, Juwan Johnson, Dalton Schultz, Hawkinson. For me, it's pretty easy. I'm gonna lock in Schultzy. What we've seen is he's been a great outlet for that of um CJ Stroud for the Texans. Had a career year last year. Look, he's looking to build off of it. Whether he does or not, it doesn't freaking matter, guys, because this is a streaming option. I went heavy in the front. I punted on tight end. I wanted to show you what this looked like. So, therefore, now when we're looking to stream, guys, there is a ton of good options. You have Turn Ferguson, uh AJ Barner, Chig, Hawkinson, Juwan Johnson, Sadiq, um, Kate Otten. So my point is if it doesn't work out, drop his ass, pick up your guy, and continue to move forward.

SPEAKER_01 33:20

I I absolutely love that, man. Yeah, I'm completely with you on that. Now, as I'm looking through the tight ends here, because that's my last pick as well. Listen, when you're when you're at this point, just like Frank said, we're streaming. Okay. I'm I'm not drafting this guy uh, you know, who's the 133rd pick off the board as to set it and forget it all season long. I know that. I know what I'm getting myself into. So now what I want to look at is who's got a really good matchup in week one. I mean, that's kind of what I'm looking at at this point since I'm gonna be streaming. Uh, top of the board is Kenyon Sadiq, but he may not even see the field in week one. So we're not sure. I can't do that. I don't have the luxury of doing that. Uh now when I look at Juwan Johnson, Juwan Johnson is playing at Detroit in week one. It's gonna be indoors. They're gonna they're not favored in this game. They're gonna be down big time, which means they're gonna be throwing the ball. Juwan Johnson's cut, he's got an opportunity. We've seen him, he's not a new face in a new place. We've seen him do very, very well at tight end for this team.

SPEAKER_00 34:19

102 targets last year.

SPEAKER_01 34:20

Exactly. I'm a believer in Shug. I I just think that he could take a step forward. They've got some other good receiving options. This game could be a shootout. It absolutely could be exciting. So I'm gonna put Juwan Johnson on there just based on the week one matchup. Detroit historically has been pretty bad against the tight end. They're gonna have to throw the ball to keep up with uh, you know, the Detroit offense. So that's where we're gonna go here. All right, Frank. So why don't you break your team down a little bit here? Let's check it out. Give us an idea how you feel about it. What would you maybe do differently, if anything?

SPEAKER_00 34:53

Yeah, so guys, looking at the team from a running back perspective, right? Really solid stable. I got Jonathan Taylor, Saquon Barkley, set it and forget it. Then you got Ramondre Stevenson and a potential high-ceiling play with Jonathan Brooks. From a receiver perspective, I got some really good guys, and it's a really well-rounded receiver group from Garrett Wilson, Zay Flowers, Mike Evans. Then you also have Parker Washington and Stefan Diggs. You can plug in Stefan Diggs over Evans if I need to. Shit, if Garrett Wilson gets hurt, and I saw those other two guys, you have one in a possession receiver with Parker Washington and Stephon Diggs, who again had another thousand-yard year last year. So for me, and then you look at uh, you know, Joe Burrow, love that pick in round what was that, six, and then obviously punt it on tight end. So for me, man, looking at some of the things that maybe I would have done differently or you know, really looked at it's for me, it's it's kind of the Garrett Wilson pick. Like, I I I keep going back to that because honestly, in a real draft here, I'm actually gonna take the value and I'm gonna go Kyron Williams because what I'm gonna do is I'm actually going to trade bait like a mother, like right, like to get him off or to at least have a stable. And then I'm just gonna go absolutely ham. But what that would do then after looking at this is that doesn't mean I go Burrow there. So it's a catch 22. But in reality, I might actually go Kyron Williams over Garrett Wilson and then come back if Garrett Wilson's still there and maybe grab him or at least stay with Zay. But other than that, man, I actually thought this was really well rounded. I thought it showed um you guys, the audience, the viewers, the listeners, what it looks like if you do go running back, running back and get your two stable, and how can I actually build out a viable team from that point?

SPEAKER_01 36:36

Yeah, I agree, man. I mean, I I when you do go two running backs like that, how are your receivers gonna look? That's the real question because when you're missing out on a round two running or you know, round one, round two receiver, yeah, it it doesn't make you feel real good, you know, for sure. I love what you did there though, with Garrett Wilson, Zay Flowers, and then Mike Evans, Parker Washington, Stephon Diggs as options for your flex.

SPEAKER_00 36:59

Diggs is the big one. Diggs is the big one because guys, Parker Washington, let's be honest, it's very risky. Don't like don't draft if you're not willing to stomach it. But Stefan Diggs is the perfect, it's like the the gel for that for that receiver room. He's the great bridge, the liaison between the fall-off of Mike Evans to Parker Washington. So that's the ticket there. That's what made this feel so successful.

SPEAKER_01 37:24

Yeah. You know what else you could have done is punt it on Joe Burrow there. I mean, he fell to you. I would have taken him too. Right. I mean, that's just why not have a separator at quarterback right there. But you could have waited maybe two rounds and got Dak. Totally. You know, you could have looked at um even a Trevor Lawrence or,

Tight End Streaming And Week One Matchups

SPEAKER_01 37:40

you know, a Jordan Love to try to get a stack. Yeah. You could have done something like that and then grabbed another uh receiver there. You wouldn't have had to worry about Parker Washington. So, you know, just look at that stuff too, guys. I would have taken Burrow there, but you could have waited maybe two rounds and gotten a little more talent. So it's just stuff to look at. Yeah, I'm with you. I think you did a great job of uh putting together a really nice receiver room after going so heavy at running backs. All right, so I kind of went, well, take a look at my team here. I've got Jalen Hurts as the quarterback. Um, also looking at Devon A. Chan, Travis A. Chan Jr., DeAndre Swift, J.K. Dobbins at running backs. Love my running backs. I didn't get this the major pop and sizzle being at the back end. You're not gonna have that. I mean, so just get yourself ready. Yeah, you're not gonna have Bijan or CMC or JT if you're in the back of that draft. The running backs I did put together, because there are four of them, I like it. They're all four starters, they're all four on teams that will score a lot of points. I do like that. Receivers, I'm really digging this. AJ Brown, Devonta Smith, getting the old tandem back together, even though they're not on the same team anymore. I like that. Uh, but I love those guys. I think that's gonna be such a solid volume foundation that it's gonna be wonderful. What I am nervous about is my flex. Definitely. You know, I'm an active owner, I'm gonna play the waiver wire a lot, I'm gonna make trades. Um, I'm gonna look to improve my flex at some point. Hopefully, one of these guys pops off. But at the flex, I'm looking at Alec Pierce or Josh Downs. Again, I'm wasting one of those picks because only one of those guys are gonna hit for me and I'm gonna move on with the other one. Um, and a Jaden Reed, which is uh, you know, I I think there's upside there, but it's definitely risky. It's definitely a risky pick.

SPEAKER_00 39:18

And I definitely think there's upside with Jaden Reed. Guys, I mean there's massive value, number one. Number two, they didn't pay the guy if he wasn't gonna get out there and show out, right? Three or sixty plus million. Like so for me, and John, when you look at, okay, let's hypothetically say your draft, if we're looking at it objectively, and you're like, hey, I'm nervous about my flex. But the reality is the way the chips and cards kind of fell to you, I necessarily wouldn't have changed anything. Like, meaning, like, what the hurts, the hurts pick there, because again, guys, you got to remember on the 12 spot, it's back to back. You don't have the liberty of like waiting a minute. So for me, man, you had to reach a little bit for DeAndre Swift because you needed that backing. And actually, I think it worked well. And then I think the pick that actually put your team, the gel together to overcompensate for maybe the fear of the flex, which I actually think you nailed it because you did get Josh Downs and Alec Pierce. If you wanted to go that route, is you got Jalen Hurts because now you double dipped with the stack. And so, because of that, now you have a little bit more wiggle room because if Devontae Smith is doing well, that means Jalen Hurts is doing well. Exactly. So, for me, man, I I think it was great. Again, I agree with you. It sucks. I hate drafting at 12. It's not optimal, it's rough. Yeah, it is rough because you have to reach. That's what people don't understand. There's a one or two rounds in your draft, you will have to reach because you need to get your guy. Now, the only call out that I could see that could have happened is do you go? Like, how would your team have looked if you said screw a chan and you went AJ

Team Recaps Lessons And Wrap-Up

SPEAKER_00 40:50

Brown, Drake London? And then you went a Chan for ETN, right? And then you went right whoever. But as I'm evaluating this, running backs went so heavy that it wouldn't have netted out to benefiting you, regardless, because you still have to go receiver at Devontae Smith. So for me, man, I think after really analyzing this, I see where the fear is for sure at the flex spot. But with you being an active owner, Jaden Reed having opportunity, you get him at a value, plus you double dipped in the Colts offense and you got a stack with Hertz. I think this is a really strong team that has a lot of trade opportunity associated with it. So, dude, look, I it sucks drafting from 12. I'll be the first to admit it, but I think you did a really great job and a well-rounded team.

SPEAKER_01 41:32

I would be careful of grabbing two running backs or two receivers on that turn if you're at 12. I'd be careful because normally I used to love that. There were years where I'm like, oh, if I'm in the back, I'm going receiver, receiver, let's fucking go. But I I don't know that this is the year to do that. And it's because of the major drop-off and tears at running back. If I didn't have Devon Achan on my team, I think I would have been not clearly as happy with it. Yeah. You can still put together, like you said, I I've got A-Chan Jr., Swift, Dobbins. I could have pieced some things together. I maybe wouldn't have gotten um, you know, I would have gotten more running backs in there to make me feel better. But I just think having that pop and sizzle of A-chan, that opportunity to get a hundred targets out of the backfield, 85 targets out of the backfield, it's just too big. I had to do that.

SPEAKER_00 42:22

But John, would would this have changed if you went if it was a half PPR league? Just for the uh viewers and listeners, does it change that eight the first Devon Achan pick? Does that shift anything for you, or is it surefire? No, that's the guy, no matter if it's half PPR or full PPR.

SPEAKER_01 42:40

It's pretty much the guy. Yeah. I mean, it was pretty much the guy. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, because even you know, Genty, Chase Brown, Barkley, that it doesn't really matter necessarily for those guys either. I I mean, A-chan, it's a tier for me. Uh, if A-Chan wasn't available, maybe I had gone receiver there instead. I don't know. Uh, but you know, I wasn't gonna feel great about uh Genty there. I wasn't gonna feel good about you know anchoring my team on Barkley either. So yeah, I think maybe the PPR did make a little difference just because it was Achan. Those other three behind him, it would not have made a difference at all to me.

SPEAKER_00 43:15

And and guys, Devon A Chan, back-to-back years and top five running backs in full PPR. So, I mean, wow, to get him to anchor it, I mean, I'm I'm on board.

SPEAKER_01 43:24

Yeah. Made me nervous though. I'm not gonna lie. I I did not love how the team was developing, and you gotta work kind of hard on that back end, guys. So, hey, we'll do more dra mocks on this to be able to give everybody some more ideas. But yeah, mock draft that 12th spot, guys. It is difficult, absolutely.

SPEAKER_00 43:40

All right, Frank, what do we have coming up, baby? Guys, we're gonna be dropping a couple more mocks and get ready. We're continuing the beautiful series of new faces. New faces. That means we're hitting two receiver episodes, a running back episode to get you in tune with what the hell's going on in camp and how are these guys gonna affect your draft speed people?

SPEAKER_01 43:59

I love it. All right, guys, stay on us. We're gonna be there all season long on social media at FranklyFantasy Football, so make sure you get in there. Love the plume shirt, baby. Let's go. Gotta rocket, let's go. The fantasy gods smile upon you. Bye.