The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft did not feature as many skill players as the 2024 class, which featured six quarterbacks, seven receivers, and a tight end.

That means there was a lot of fantasy-relevant talent left on Day 2, and we saw many of those players come off the board on Friday night.

Let’s take a look at the most interesting situations.

This article will be updated throughout the second and third rounds.

Find Rich Hribar's analysis of every Round 1 skill player in our 2025 NFL Draft Hub

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Texans Raid Iowa State Receiver Room, Draft Jayden Higgins No. 34 & Jaylin Noel No. 79

With Stefon Diggs gone and Tank Dell recovering from a serious injury, the Texans had to add to the receiver room this offseason.

They took the first step by trading for Christian Kirk ahead of free agency, and they made two more additions on Day 2, both from Iowa State.

Houston grabbed Jayden Higgins at No. 34 overall and Jaylin Noel at No. 79.

That pair joins Xavier Hutchinson on the depth chart, who played at Iowa State from 2020 to 2022.

Aside from the college connections, Higgins is an interesting pick because he has drawn comparisons to Nico Collins, so it will be interesting to see how the two are used together.

Regardless of those minimal fit concerns, Higgins is a good prospect with great size (6-foot-4, 214 pounds) who ran a 4.47 at the Combine.

He is a big upgrade to Houston's receiver room.

From a fantasy perspective, Higgins is not getting either the short or long term target upside of some other receivers in this class — Collins is under contract through the 2027 season.

That said, Diggs was targeted on 28.6% of his routes with Dell off the field but Collins on the field last season, albeit on a very small 56 route sample.

Diggs played 40% of those snaps in the slot, but Higgins was used in the slot at a relatively high rate in college (29.2% in 2024).

Collins has also missed time throughout his career, playing 14, 10, 15, and 12 games through four seasons.

Higgins is not walking into a No. 1 job, but he will be matched with a quality young quarterback in an offense that needs targets behind Collins.

There certainly were worse possible outcomes.

Of course, he will also need to compete with Noel, a good prospect in his own right who had more receiving yards than Higgins in 2024 on the same team.

Speaking of those slot snaps that Diggs played last season, Noel fits well into that role and should be real competition for Kirk.

More importantly based on recent defensive trends, Noel dominated against zone coverage in college, averaging 3.51 yards per route run last season.

Like Higgins, Noel is not stepping into a No. 1 target share, so his short term and long term upside is in question.

Still, he is paired with a good quarterback in an offense that needs to find quality targets behind Collins.

Ohio State Running Backs Go Early on Day 2

There was some talk that TreVeyon Henderson would hear his name called during Round 1, but he was not even the first Ohio State running back selected in the 2025 Draft.

That honor went to Quinshon Judkins, who landed with the Browns at No. 36 overall.

Henderson did not have to wait much longer to hear his name, coming off the board two picks later to the Patriots.

From an opportunity perspective, the Browns are a great landing spot for Judkins.

As Rich Hribar notes in the article linked above, 2024 Cleveland running backs ranked:

  • 28th in the NFL in EPA per rush (-0.14)
  • 28th in success rate (34.4%)
  • 30th in rate of runs for 10 or more yards (7.5%)
  • 29th in rate of runs that failed to gain yards (21.4%)
  • 28th in rate of runs to generate a first down or touchdown (19.1%)

Before the draft, their depth chart consisted of Jerome Ford and Pierre Strong.

Ford does pop big plays, which makes his overall numbers look pretty good.

He was fourth in yards per carry among qualified running backs last season.

Digging a little deeper, though, Ford is a boom or bust runner.

He ranked 39th among 51 qualified running backs in negative run rate and 27th in success rate.

He ranked 12th in the rate of runs that gain 10 or more yards but 27th in the rate of runs that gain five or more yards.

Judkins is the exact opposite kind of back.

He was fifth best in this running back class in negative run rate, and he continued to churn out yards even against stacked boxes, averaging 5.3 yards per carry (3rd).

Ford's big play ability is a good complement for Judkins — much like Henderson was in college — but this should be the rookie's job to lose.

There are still questions about offensive environment and passing game usage, but this is a great spot for Judkins.

As for Henderson, he is headed into a more crowded situation.

Rhamondre Stevenson has averaged over 16 touches per game over the last three seasons as the clear lead back in New England.

He has struggled as a runner the last two years, though.

In 2021 and 2022, Stevenson ranked fourth in yards after contact per carry among qualified runners.

In 2023 and 2024, he ranked 35th.

The blocking in front of him has not helped — the Patriots were dead last in run block win rate last year — but Stevenson has not been creating on his own and has not been creating big plays as of late.

Henderson should be able to help with that second one, especially.

He averaged 7.6 yards per touch in 2024, the best rate among running backs in this draft class, and 14.6% of his runs went for 15 or more yards (1st).

Henderson also earned praise from scouts for his pass catching ability and pass protection.

He did struggle with injuries at times and was not a real workhorse later in his career.

That plus the presence of Stevenson means we should project a timeshare.

Then again, there is a new coaching staff in town in New England, so we will see how this situation plays out in training camp.

Either way, Henderson is a big play threat who can contribute immediately in the passing game for an offense that needs playmakers.

Bears Add Another Weapon, Draft Luther Burden No. 39

Considered a potential first rounder, Luther Burden lasted until the No. 39 overall pick, landing with the Bears.

It is another weapon for Caleb Williams after Chicago added Colston Loveland in the first round.

Similar to Higgins above, Burden landing with the Bears is interesting because he has a lot in common with D.J. Moore.

Moore has averaged 9.2 air yards per target over his two seasons in Chicago, and that number was down to 7.5 last year.

75% of Burden's career receptions came shorter than 10 yards beyond the line of scrimmage.

Moore was 17th among all qualified receivers in yards after catch average last year.

Burden forced a missed tackle on a class high 49.2% of his receptions in 2024 despite it being a down season for him overall.

That down season likely led to his fall into the second round, but he posted an 86-1,212-9 line in 2023.

Unlike Moore, Burden was primarily a slot receiver last season, which is interesting given new coach Ben Johnson‘s history with Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Johnson has already said he thinks Moore can play more inside, and he did play 21.5% of his snaps from there last year.

A first-round pick last year, Rome Odunze played 33.7% of his snaps in the slot as a rookie.

Furthermore, St. Brown set a new career low with a 44.1% slot rate in 2024, and he had been around 50% before that under Johnson.

So it is important not to put too much stock into that “slot” idea, but it is at least something to remember given Burden's history as a slot option and creator after the catch.

From a usage perspective, Burden will likely end up as the No. 3 receiver in 2025, and the Lions were 28th in natural pass rate over Johnson's three years running the offense.

That is not promising for Burden's immediate target projection, but he is at least a talented receiver who ended up with a good offensive coach.

Saints Take Tyler Shough at No. 40

There were rumors Tyler Shough could end up ahead of Shedeur Sanders in the 2025 NFL Draft, and that is exactly what happened when the Saints added him at No. 40 overall.

The Saints were commonly linked with a quarterback with Derek Carr‘s 2025 availability and future with the team in doubt, so New Orleans getting one in the second round was also not a surprise.

Rich Hribar went in-depth in Shough's atypical path to the NFL in his quarterback profiles, which I highly recommend, so I will just add he is one of the older prospects we have seen.

He is older than Bo Nix, who was considered a very old prospect last season.

Unlike Nix, though, Shough does not have a ton of experience, attempting just 951 passes in college.

If making a 2025 fantasy case for him, there is a real chance he will be the Week 1 starter, depending on what happens with Carr.

Neither Spencer Rattler nor Jake Haener made a strong case with Carr out last season, and the Saints offense was an injured mess for a lot of the season.

Will Slough be better if he is starting?

Perhaps, but it is tough to get excited from either a Dynasty and redraft perspective.

Tight Ends Make Their Mark on Day 2

We saw tight ends fly off the board on Day 2:

  • Mason Taylor (Jets, No. 42)
  • Terrance Ferguson (Rams, No. 46)
  • Elijah Arroyo (Seahawks, No. 50)
  • Harold Fannin Jr. (Browns, No. 67)

Taylor earned steam late in the pre-draft process, with some projecting he would sneak into the first round.

From a fantasy perspective, the concern is he did not consistently earn targets in college, ranking 12th in target rate per route among this tight end class.

He also did not create a ton of big plays, and just 4.7% of his career receptions were touchdowns.

That means he is more of a projection from a production standpoint, but he is headed to a Jets team that needs pass catchers behind Garrett Wilson.

Ferguson also takes some projection after 24% of his receiving yards came on screen passes in 2024.

He averaged 0.9 yards per route in the slot (17th in this class) and had a 6.2% drop rate (17th).

Ferguson showed the athleticism at the Combine, and the Rams have an older Tyler Higbee atop the depth chart and entering the final year of his career.

The theme continues with Arroyo, who had 11 total receptions over his first three seasons in college.

He averaged 16.9 yards per catch in 2024, though, posting a 35-590-7 receiving line.

Importantly for how NFL defenses are trending, Arroyo averaged 2.28 yards per route run against zone coverage.

Noah Fant is still atop the depth chart in Seattle, but he has not really made a mark during his time with the Seahawks and is heading into the final year of his deal.

Once expected to be the third tight end off the board, Fannin lasted into the third round, but he has a stronger production history than the three guys ahead of him here.

Fannin had 42.4% of Bowling Green's receptions and 49.7% of their receiving yards last year, forcing a class best 34 missed tackles along the way.

He is a tweener type and has David Njoku ahead of him on the depth chart, but Njoku is scheduled to be a free agent next spring.

Assuming the Browns ever figure out the quarterback situation, there is long term upside here.

Chargers Get a McConkey Complement, Draft Tre Harris No. 55

After hitting on Ladd McConkey in last year's draft, the Chargers needed to find an outside complement.

Quentin Johnston played that role to varying success last season, and the team brought back Mike Williams in free agency.

Their best option moving forward, though, might be Tre Harris, who they selected at No. 55 overall.

Harris was on his way to a record-setting season in 2024 before injuries derailed his campaign.

He did not light up the Combine, running a 4.54 at 205 pounds, but he did jump 38.5 inches in the vertical.

While volume could be a concern in a Greg Roman offense with a clear No. 1 option in the passing game, Chargers receivers finished a respectable 15th in total targets last season.

Johnston earned 91 targets in 15 games, and while he was certainly better in his second season than he was as a rookie, he was not a world beater by any means.

Harris could push for a lot of that work as a rookie, giving him a chance at short term fantasy relevance as well as longer term Dynasty value attached to Justin Herbert.

Raiders Land Jack Bech at No. 58

We expected the Raiders to add to their receiver room during the draft, but the selection of Jack Bech in the second round is interesting because of Jakobi Meyers‘ presence on the roster.

Meyers is headed into the final year of his deal and was brought in by the old regime, so the Raiders shouldn't be making longer term decisions with him in mind, but Bech's fit together with Meyers and Brock Bowers will be interesting to watch.

Bech broke out with TCU last season after a slower start to his career that included time at LSU, but his 62-1,034-9 line was not as impressive in the context of the offense.

His 2.12 yards per team attempt ranked 21st in this class, and his 2.44 yards per route run ranked 23rd.

Better against zone than man last season, Bech would seemingly do well in a big slot role, but we have also seen Meyers operate in that area as well.

That said, we don't really know what this offense is going to look like under the updated version of Chip Kelly, so it is tough to make any sweeping projections about fit.

The good news for Bech is he got legit draft capital, is headed to a team that needed weapons behind Bowers, and was picked by the new staff.

Broncos Add RJ Harvey to Wide Open Running Back Room

We are still waiting on the Cowboys to make their move at running back, but one of the other top potential landing spots found their guy in the second round.

The Broncos selected RJ Harvey at No. 60 overall, adding him to a room currently topped by Jaleel McLaughlin and Audric Estime.

Sean Payton often uses a committee approach at running back, and those two had enough success last season to expect them to compete for carries.

That said, McLaughlin and Estime often played behind Javonte Williams last year because of pass protection concerns, which does make the Harvey addition interesting.

He was one of the worst backs in this class when tasked with pass protection, allowing a 14.8% pressure rate (second to last).

Harvey had the worst pass-blocking grade per Pro Football Focus among backs in this class.

Denver will need someone to step up in that area, and if it can be Harvey, we saw last year how simply being reliable in the passing game earned Williams a lot of snaps that his rushing production did not deserve.

Harvey has the ability to make the most of those snaps if he gets them and can create big plays in the running game (13.8% of his runs in 2024 went for 15 or more yards).

Harvey will need to earn the touches, but he got good draft capital and is landing in a wide open depth chart.

Those are two great signs for both his 2025 fantasy value and Dynasty stock.

Steelers Give Jaylen Warren Company, Select Kaleb Johnson

Jaylen Warren had dodged significant draft competition through two rounds, but that changed when the Steelers selected Kaleb Johnson in the third.

Johnson is coming off a hyper productive season in which he rushed 240 times for 1,537 yards and 21 touchdowns while catching 22 passes for another 188 yards and 2 scores at Iowa.

On the surface, Johnson has the skill set to replace Najee Harris as the reliable workhorse in Pittsburgh, which would dramatically downgrade Warren's 2025 fantasy outlook.

On the other hand, Johnson does not have elite physical traits (4.57 with a concerning 1.62 10-yard split) and did not produce when tasked with creating yards on his own in college.

Johnson only managed 1.4 yards per rush (24th in this class) when he was hit at or behind the line of scrimmage.

When hit at or behind the line, he failed to gain yardage on 49.5% of those runs, the second lowest rate in the class.

This is undoubtedly a downgrade for Warren, and there is every chance Johnson slides right into that Harris role as the primary option.

But Warren has consistently been more efficient than Harris over the last few years, and it is not a given Johnson is an upgrade over Harris.

Six More Receivers Come Off the Board in Round 3

We discussed Jaylin Noel above, but five other receivers heard their names called in Round 3:

  • Kyle Williams (Patriots, No. 69)
  • Isaac TeSlaa (Lions, No. 70)
  • Pat Bryant (Broncos, No. 74)
  • Savion Williams (Packers, No. 87)
  • Tai Felton (Vikings, No. 102)

Kyle Williams lands in the most interesting spot for immediate production in this group, joining a Patriots depth chart topped by a returning from injury Stefon Diggs and not much else after New England seemingly whiffed on Ja'Lynn Polk and Javon Baker last year.

Williams was also a yards creator last season, averaging 8.4 yards after the catch per reception (third in this class) and forcing a missed tackle on 30% of his receptions (8th).

He also has good speed (4.4 at the Combine).

With a wide open depth chart, Williams could earn targets immediately in New England.

TeSlaa and Bryant are on opposite ends of the spectrum as prospects.

TeSlaa does not have much production on his resume, but he posted a 9.93 (out of 10) relative athletic score with a 4.43 40 and 39.5-inch vertical at 6-foot-3 and 214 pounds.

Bryant, on the other hand, ran a 4.61 at 204 pounds, but he posted a 54-984-10 line for Illinois last year.

Bryant probably has the cleaner path to targets in Denver, but neither stands out as a particularly great year one bet.

Intent on having every receiver, the Packers drafted Savion Williams in the third round after taking Matthew Golden in the first.

Williams was comped to Cordarrelle Patterson by NFL Network's Lance Zierlein because of his physical tools (6-foot-4, 222 pounds, 4.48) and his usage as more of a manufactured touch player in college.

He will need to develop into more than that to be a regular fantasy contributor, and he is headed to one of the more crowded receiver rooms in the league.

Finally, Felton is a burner (4.37) who is coming off a very productive year at Maryland, but 32.3% of his receptions were on screens.

Depending on what happens with Jordan Addison‘s DUI charge, the Vikings could be looking for early season targets, making Felton a name to keep in mind even in seasonal leagues.

Jalen Milroe & Dillon Gabriel Go in Round 3

The Shedeur Sanders fall will continue into Saturday, but two quarterbacks heard their names called in Round 3.

Jalen Milroe went first to the Seahawks at No. 92 overall, and Dillon Gabriel landed in Cleveland two picks later.

Both players had a lot of success in college, and Gabriel is at least headed to an unsettled depth chart.

Still, even if Gabriel gets that work in 2025, it is tough to imagine him becoming a long term starter given his size concerns and the way he produced in college — lowest target depth and big time throw rate in this class.

Milroe is much more interesting from a Dynasty perspective because of his ability as a runner.

Gabriel is an effective scrambler, but Milroe is on another level entirely.

He finished with a 94th percentile career mark in rushing production and reportedly ran a 4.4 at his Pro Day.

That kind of rushing upside will always make a quarterback fantasy relevant no matter their concerns as a passer — see Richardson, Anthony — but Milroe's issues as a passer could make it difficult for him to earn those starts to begin with.

Of course, he now finds himself behind Sam Darnold, who needs to prove he can repeat his career year on a new team and with a new coaching staff.

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