How the 2025 NFL Draft Impacts Rookie Fantasy Rankings

With the 2025 NFL Draft behind us, it’s time to do what we do best — adjust the ranks. I try my best not to move my players beyond their respective tiers, but we know that draft capital matters and that it directly leads to opportunities to score us fantasy points.

Now that my rookie ranks have been fully updated, let’s go over some of the biggest movers post-NFL Draft.

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How the NFL Draft Shifts Rookie Fantasy Rankings

Post-Draft Risers

Tyler Shough, QB, New Orleans Saints

Pre-draft rank: QB8
Post-draft rank: QB4

LEXINGTON, KY - NOVEMBER 30: Louisville Cardinals quarterback Tyler Shough (9) is pursued by Kentucky Wildcats defensive back Zion Childress (11) in a game between the Louisville Cardinals and the Kentucky Wildcats on November 30, 2024, at Kroger Field in Lexington, KY. (Photo by Jeff Moreland/Icon Sportswire) — LEXINGTON, KY – NOVEMBER 30: Louisville Cardinals quarterback Tyler Shough (9) is pursued by Kentucky Wildcats defensive back Zion Childress (11) in a game between the Louisville Cardinals and the Kentucky Wildcats on November 30, 2024, at Kroger Field in Lexington, KY. (Photo by Jeff Moreland/Icon Sportswire)

I had to move Shough up from Tier 3 to Tier 2, simply based on the more recent news about Derek Carr’s shoulder injury and the chance he may miss significant time in the 2025 season. Don’t get me wrong — the Day 2 draft capital is nice. But he clearly is going to have a real chance to start, and we have to respect that in our ranks.

I am not very high on him as a prospect; the tape revealed a poor decision-maker who didn’t show much that would translate at the NFL level, but the Saints felt differently. I would expect a 26-year-old to show maturity and leadership in his interviews, and at the very least, he has a strong arm. Shough will get his shot in 2025, and the ranks now reflect that.

RJ Harvey, RB, Denver Broncos

Pre-draft rank: RB12
Post-draft rank: RB6

Harvey takes the biggest leap of any player in my pre-draft ranks. He is a compact back who can pack a punch. He takes defenders head-on and plays a very physical style of football that Sean Payton and his crew coveted. I profiled him more as an early down back, but it’s clear that the Broncos view him as a potential starter by selecting him in the second round at pick 60.

He walks into a dream situation. An ascending offense that found their QB of the future in Bo Nix, with only early down thumper Audric Estime and undersized Jaleel McLaughlin in front of him. There is little doubt Harvey will get a chance to be the bell cow in this offense, and bell cow running backs in a Sean Payton-led offense have an excellent track record for fantasy.

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