Training Camp is Changing Drafts

Ricky Pierall drafts Aaron Jones as the fourth running back, expressing hope that the Cardinals offense improves with Kyler Murray and that Jones hasn't declined too much. Pierall describes Jones as 'a dinosaur for sure' but suggests he may still have utility if the offense improves.

Ricky Pierall takes Aaron Jones at pick 122 as the fourth running back, expressing hope that the Cardinals offense improves with Kyler Murray and that Jones hasn't completely declined. Pierall acknowledges Jones is old ('a dinosaur for sure') but still draftable in this context, hoping he hasn't been 'fossilized yet.'

Aaron Rodgers was selected in a mock draft to stack with Medaf; Ricky Pierall notes he never takes Rodgers, so wasn't initially considering him for this draft.

Aaron Rodgers was selected in the draft as a stack with Medaf; Ricky Pierall notes he never takes Rodgers, so he wasn't even really thinking of that option but took him here.

Drafted at pick 117 in Ricky Pierall's Flock Fantasy underdog mock draft.

Brian Thomas was selected at pick 57 in Ricky Pierall's mock draft, positioning him in the mid-round WR tier ahead of Christian Watson (pick 58).

Brian Thomas was selected off the board at pick 57 in Ricky Pierall's mock draft, indicating his ADP in the early fifth round.

Brock Purdy selected at pick 92 in the mock draft.

Brock Pury selected at pick 92 in mock draft.

Drafted as the third quarterback option after already having Love and Willis, filling a roster need in Ricky Pierall's mock draft.

Bryce Young was drafted as the third quarterback option for the team. Pierall notes Young was the obvious pick given the team's need for a third quarterback after earlier selections of Love and Malik Willis.

Drafted at pick 142 in Ricky Pierall's mock draft. Pierall notes it would have been preferable to get Ward at pick 156 to pair him with Tate, but that timing was unrealistic.

Drafted at pick 142 in Ricky Pierall's Flock Fantasy underdog mock draft. Pierall noted it would have been preferable to get Ward at pick 156 to pair him with Tate, but that timing was unrealistic.

Carnell Tate is Ricky Pierall's highest-ranked remaining receiver available at pick 60 in his mock draft, indicating strong conviction in his value at that draft position.

Cardell Tate was selected as wide receiver two in Ricky Pierall's mock draft team, indicating his draft position and secondary receiver role in the team construction.

Carnell Tate was Ricky Pierall's highest-ranked available WR at pick 60 in his mock draft, indicating strong conviction in his value at that draft position.

Cardell Tate was selected as wide receiver two in Ricky Pierall's mock draft team, indicating his positioning as a secondary WR target in the constructed roster.

CeeDee Lamb was drafted as part of a stacking strategy with Dak Prescott at pick 80, indicating the team's intention to pair the quarterback with his top receiver.

CeeDee Lamb was part of the team that drafted Dak Prescott at pick 80, indicating a quarterback-receiver stack strategy.

Chris Rodriguez's foot injury may be more serious than initially thought, as the plan is for him to return by week one. Ricky Pierall noted this delayed return timeline suggests the injury severity was underestimated and impacts his availability for training camp competition. Pierall moved Rodriguez down in his personal rankings in response to this timeline concern.

Chris Rodriguez suffered a foot injury with a plan to return week one. Ricky Pierall reassesses the foot injury as potentially more serious than initially thought based on the timeline, stating "if the plan is for him to be back week one, this foot injury was actually maybe a lot more serious than I initially thought." Pierall has already updated his rankings accordingly based on this injury concern. The week-one target return date creates uncertainty around Rodriguez's availability and role heading into the season.

Christian Kirk was drafted in the final four rounds of the Flock League last year and ended up getting cut, exemplifying the waiver-wire fate of late-round wide receiver selections.

Christian Kirk was drafted in the final rounds of the Flock League last year as part of a cohort of late-round picks that frequently ended up on the waiver wire.

Christian Watson was selected off the board at pick 58 in Ricky Pierall's mock draft, indicating his ADP in the early fifth round, immediately after Brian Thomas.

Christian Watson was selected at pick 58 in Ricky Pierall's mock draft, immediately after Brian Thomas, reflecting his positioning in the mid-round WR tier.

DJ Moore was selected at pick 57 in Ricky Pierall's mock draft, described as sniping the Allen team.

Dak Prescott was selected at pick 80 in the Flock League draft, positioning him as part of a stacking strategy with CeeDee Lamb.

Dak Prescott was selected at pick 80 in the Flock League mock draft as part of a stacking strategy with CeeDee Lamb.

Deebo Samuel signed a one-year deal worth up to $7 million with the 49ers. Ricky Pierall moved Debo up to WR59 from a lower ranking, noting the 49ers' scheme fit and that he'd "rather have Debo Samuel over Sean Stribbling" given the depth chart implications. With Ricky Pearsall sidelined by injury, Pierall assumes Pearsall is out, which he believes puts Debo in the best possible situation in San Francisco, suggesting increased offensive role and opportunity.

Deebo Samuel signed a one-year deal worth up to $7 million with the 49ers, which Ricky Pierall interprets as cementing concerns about Ricky Pearsall's role and positioning Deebo in the best possible situation in San Francisco's offense. Pierall moved Deebo up to WR59 in his rankings, noting the 49ers' "really good scheme" and stating he'd "probably rather have Debo Samuel over Sean Stribbling." Assuming Ricky Pearsall is out (which Pierall believes looks to be the case), Deebo finds himself in the best situation possible in San Francisco's offense. Deebo was drafted at pick 146 in Pierall's mock draft.

DeVonta Smith is the highest-ranked player according to ADP at this draft point, but Ricky Pierall has Trey McBride ranked higher and would prefer McBride.

Ricky Pierall has Drake London as his highest-ranked player at this draft point and is comfortable drafting him this year, though he notes he has only 15% confidence in the pick. Pierall expresses hope that Michael Penix or another quarterback option can be adequate for London's production.

Ricky Pierall ranks Drake London as his highest-ranked player at this draft position and states he has no problem drafting him this year, contingent on one of his quarterbacks (presumably Michael Penix Jr. or another option) being adequate. London is part of the receiving corps alongside Puka Nakua and Mai Lemon.

May was selected at pick 64, which Ricky Pierall notes as an interesting quarterback selection. Drake May selected at pick 64 in the mock draft; noted as an interesting quarterback selection.

Drake Maye was selected at pick 64 in the mock draft, with Ricky Pierall noting it as an interesting quarterback selection.

Drake May selected at pick 64 in mock draft; noted as an interesting selection.

Evan Engram was selected at pick 40 in the mock draft.

Hunter Henry was drafted at pick 151 in Ricky Pierall's mock draft.

Drafted at pick 151 in Ricky Pierall's mock draft.

Pacheco was drafted at pick 150 as the fourth running back option. Pierall selected him because he doesn't share a backfield with Gentry, Hampton, or Kairen, providing differentiation from the team's other running back selections. Pierall notes that four and five running back builds have better numbers than three running back builds.

Drafted as the fourth running back to complete the roster build. Pierall chose Pacheco because he doesn't share a bye week with Gentry, Hampton, or Kairen, and historical data shows four-to-five running back builds perform better than three running back builds.

Jamar Chase was stacked with Joe Burrow in the seventh round on a team that Ricky Pierall describes as 'really interesting,' with complementary depth at receiver (Chase Neighbors), running back (Tutin Price), and tight end (Lovelin).

Jamar Chase was secured as part of a stacking strategy with Joe Burrow in the seventh round; Ricky Pierall describes the resulting team composition as 'really interesting,' indicating strong value in pairing the elite receiver with his quarterback in the same draft.

Jadarian Price was the first running back in the Seahawks' first full team scrimmage and followed George Alani through running back drills in spring. Ricky Pierall noted this is unsurprising given Price's round one draft status and doesn't warrant significant ranking movement, though he may become slightly more enticing at the 56 turn.

Jadarian Price was the first running back in the Seahawks' first full team scrimmage and followed George Alano through running back drills in the spring. Ricky Pierall notes this is unsurprising given Price was a round-one NFL draft pick and doesn't warrant significant ranking movement, though he may become "a little bit more enticing at the 56 turn."

Drafted at pick 128 in Ricky Pierall's Flock Fantasy underdog mock draft. Historical precedent shows strong value at this cost; one drafter's 14th-round selection of Ferguson provided strong production in the first half of the season.

Drafted at pick 128 in the Flock Fantasy mock draft. Ferguson was drafted in the 14th round and performed well in the first half of the season, demonstrating strong value at that draft cost despite skepticism from other league members.

Chris Braswell underwent season-ending surgery on a torn LCL, opening the door for Jaylen Coker. Ricky Pierall had Coker at WR51 and now considers it reasonable to move him ahead of Juell Robinson and Matthew Golden given the Panthers' depth receiver problem. With Braswell out for the season, Pierall moved Coker up in rankings, noting that despite not being a personal fan, Coker becomes more appealing; he's been drafted in only 2.6% of Pierall's underdog drafts historically, but this changes with the Braswell injury. Pierall views Coker as "very much live to have a massive role this year" with significant upside in the Panthers receiving corps.

Chris Brazzle underwent season-ending surgery on a torn LCL, which prompted Ricky Pierall to re-evaluate Jaylen Coker's ranking. Pierall had Coker at WR51 and now considers it "very reasonable" to move him ahead of players like Conception, Juell Robinson, and Matthew Golden, given the Panthers' incoming depth chart problem at wide receiver. With Brazil out for the season, Coker becomes more appealing and Pierall moved him up in his draft board. Pierall notes that in underdog drafts, if Coker is drafted as a WR6 and finishes as a mid-WR3, it's a profitable pick; however, in traditional leagues like Yahoo and ESPN, the value differential is less pronounced. Pierall has only drafted Coker in 2.6% of leagues historically and is not a fan, but with Brazil out for the season, he has to move him up. After the Brazil injury, Coker is "very much live to have a massive role this year."

Drafted at pick 150 in Ricky Pierall's mock draft.

Jawan Jennings was drafted at pick 150 in the mock draft.

Ricky Pierall prefers unstacked Jaden Daniels over Joe Burrow in round six because Daniels has rushing upside that Burrow lacks, providing potential for a big spike in scoring from Daniels' dual-threat ability.

Ricky Pierall prefers an unstacked Jaden Daniels over Joe Burrow in round six because Daniels has rushing upside that Burrow lacks, allowing for a bigger spike from Daniels himself. Pierall selected Daniels as the team's quarterback and later paired him with Stefon Diggs in a stacking strategy, indicating confidence in Daniels as the primary QB for the roster.

Ricky Pierall selected Reed over RJ Harvey despite ranking Harvey higher, prioritizing wide receiver depth to preserve draft flexibility for Jordan Love in later rounds. Reed was drafted as WR5 in an underdog league format with three starting receiver slots, part of a quantity-over-quality receiver strategy.

Jaden Reed was selected over RJ Harvey despite Harvey being ranked higher by Ricky Pierall; the rationale was that taking Reed at wide receiver would open up the possibility of grabbing Jordan Love in coming rounds, prioritizing positional depth and quarterback flexibility. Reed was also drafted as WR5 in an underdog league format requiring three starting wide receivers, part of a quantity-over-quality strategy.

Waddle was selected at pick 42 in the mock draft.

Jaylen Warren is alternating first-team reps at running back with Jaylen Dowel in Steelers training camp, indicating a potential timeshare situation that Ricky Pierall flagged as important to monitor heading into the season.

Jaylen Warren and Dowel are alternating first team reps at running back in training camp, indicating backfield competition that warrants monitoring for depth chart clarity and role definition. Ricky Pierall flags this as something important to monitor going forward. Warren was drafted at pick 70 in Pierall's mock draft.

Jeremiah Love, the third overall pick, has received remaining reps behind Tyler Algier in Seahawks training camp through eight days. Ricky Pierall expects the rookie to expand his role and take carries from veterans as the season approaches, so he's not moving Love down in rankings despite current depth chart positioning, maintaining confidence in his eventual role.

Jeremiah Love received remaining reps behind Tyler Algier, who has gotten the majority of carries with the first team offense through eight days of training camp. Ricky Pierall expects Love, as a number-three overall draft pick, will expand his role and take carries from veterans as the season progresses, and is not moving him down in rankings based on early camp depth chart positioning. Pierall notes that typically rookies as talented as Love will expand their role and take from the veterans.

Jerome Ford was drafted in the final four rounds of the Flock League last year and ended up getting cut, illustrating the volatility of late-round running back selections.

Jerome Ford was drafted in the final rounds of the Flock League last year as part of a cohort of late-round picks that frequently ended up on the waiver wire.

Joe Burrow fell to the seventh round in the Flock League draft, enabling a stacking strategy with Jamar Chase; Ricky Pierall notes this team composition as 'really interesting' with strong depth at receiver (Chase Neighbors), running back (Tutin Price), and tight end (Lovelin). However, Pierall dislikes taking unstacked Burrow in round six when Jaden Daniels is available on the board, as Daniels offers more rushing upside for spike potential.

Ricky Pierall dislikes taking Joe Burrow in round six when Lamar Jackson and Jaden Daniels are available; prefers Daniels due to his rushing upside that Burrow lacks, making Burrow a less attractive option when other quarterback options with more upside are on the board. However, Burrow fell to the seventh round in the mock draft, creating a value opportunity for stacking with Jamar Chase; Pierall notes this team composition as 'really interesting' with strong complementary pieces including Chase Neighbors at wide receiver, Tutin Price at running back, and a tight end, allowing the team to secure both Burrow and Chase in the same draft.

Jordan James suffered an injury that impacts draft strategy. Ricky Pierall notes that Jordan James is his highest ranked player remaining, but the team opts for a wide receiver instead of a running back due to positional needs, effectively passing on James due to the injury concern.

Jordan James has suffered an injury that impacts the draft board and elevates other running back options like Black Given in rankings.

Jordan Love was identified as a quarterback target that Ricky Pierall wanted to preserve flexibility to grab in later rounds; the team prioritized taking Jaden Reed at wide receiver to enable this strategy. Love was subsequently selected as the first quarterback in the draft, indicating conviction in him as the preferred QB option at that stage.

Positioned as a quarterback target in later rounds to preserve draft flexibility after selecting Jaden Reed over RJ Harvey. Drafted as the first quarterback in the mock draft, indicating conviction in Love as the preferred QB option at this stage.

Josh Allen was selected at pick 35 in the mock draft.

Jacobs was selected at pick 43 in the mock draft. Ricky Pierall noted that Jacobs was the preferred target for the team, though they settled for Cam Scat instead, with Jacobs having a higher ADP.

Joshua Palmer was drafted in the final four rounds of the Flock League last year and ended up getting cut, exemplifying the waiver-wire fate of late-round wide receiver selections.

Joshua Palmer was drafted in the final rounds of the Flock League last year as part of a cohort of late-round picks that frequently ended up on the waiver wire.

Justice Hill was drafted in the final four rounds of the Flock League last year and ended up getting cut, exemplifying the waiver-wire fate of late-round running back selections.

Justice Hill was drafted in the final four rounds of the Flock League last year and subsequently got cut, illustrating the volatility of late-round selections.

Kareem Hunt was drafted in the final four rounds of the Flock League last year and ended up getting cut, exemplifying the waiver-wire fate of late-round running back selections.

Kareem Hunt was drafted in the final four rounds of the Flock League last year and subsequently got cut, illustrating the waiver wire volatility of late-round selections.

Katon Mitchell was drafted in the final four rounds of the Flock League last year and ended up getting cut, exemplifying the waiver-wire fate of late-round picks.

Kamani Vidal was drafted in the final four rounds of the Flock League last year and, despite being a good pick, likely got cut and became a waiver-wire pickup, exemplifying the volatility of late-round selections.

Kyle Pitts was selected as the first tight end in the draft; Ricky Pierall expresses clear conviction in the pick with 'for sure' language, indicating strong confidence in Pitts as the preferred tight end option at this stage.

Selected as the first tight end in the draft; speaker expresses confidence in the pick with 'for sure' language, indicating conviction in Pitts as the preferred tight end option at this stage.

Lamar Jackson was selected at pick 55 in the mock draft.

Jackson was selected at pick 55 in the mock draft. Lamar Jackson already rostered in mock draft; influences decision to avoid taking Joe Burrow in round six, as Jaden Daniels is preferred when dual-threat quarterback is already on roster.

Burden has seen an incredible swing in draft positioning across recent drafts; Ricky Pierall notes surprise at FSE guys ranking him at 51, suggesting significant variance in his valuation.

Burden's ADP has shown significant volatility across drafts; Ricky Pierall notes he's surprised by FSE's ranking at 51, suggesting the market has swung considerably on where he's being drafted.

Malik Nabers is looking extremely well coming off his knee injury with continued positive news from training camp videos. Ricky Pierall moved him higher in rankings as a result, noting he's been a massive riser due to injury updates.

Malik Washington was selected as a wide receiver and paired with Malik Willis in the draft; Ricky Pierall describes the pick as obvious.

Malik Washington was selected as a wide receiver in a mock draft to pair with Malik Willis as a quarterback stack.

Ricky Pierall drafted Willis as the second quarterback in his underdog mock, noting that Willis is going to run the ball, which means he doesn't necessarily need to be stacked in the traditional passing sense. This makes him a viable option even without a clear passing stack, though Miami options are available later for those who want to stack.

Drafted as the second quarterback to address roster depth needs. Pierall notes Willis has value because he will run the ball, and Miami options are available later in drafts for potential stacking upside. Also drafted with Malik Washington as a stack partner.

Hollywood Brown was drafted in the final four rounds of the Flock League last year and ended up getting cut, exemplifying the waiver-wire fate of late-round wide receiver selections.

Marvin Mims was drafted in the final four rounds of the Flock League last year and ended up getting cut, exemplifying the waiver-wire fate of late-round wide receiver selections.

Marvin Mims was drafted in the final rounds of the Flock League last year as part of a cohort of late-round picks that frequently ended up on the waiver wire.

Ricky Pierall selects Michael Wilson as wide receiver 4 instead of Worthy; Wilson is the preferred choice at this draft position.

Ricky Pierall selects Michael Wilson as the team's wide receiver 4 instead of Worthy, stating 'I kind of want to take Michael Wilson here instead of Worthy' and 'I think we're going to do just that.' Pierall prefers Wilson over Worthy in the draft construction.

Miles Sanders was drafted in the final four rounds of the Flock League last year and ended up getting cut, illustrating the volatility of late-round running back selections.

Miles Sanders was drafted in the final four rounds of the Flock League last year and subsequently got cut, exemplifying how late-round picks frequently end up on the waiver wire.

Pat Bryant was drafted in the final four rounds of the Flock League last year and ended up getting cut, illustrating the volatility of late-round selections.

Nacua is already rostered on Ricky Pierall's draft team, factoring into the decision to pivot toward Toutin at receiver in round 6 given Chris Rodriguez injury news and limited running back depth.

Nacua is already on the roster and factored into draft construction planning; mentioned as part of the team's receiver depth alongside Cam Scat at RB.

Puka Nakua is listed as a wide receiver option in the draft construction, part of the team's receiving corps alongside Drake London and Mai Lemon.

Ricky Pierall, an NBC Sports Bay Area reporter with 32 seasons covering the 49ers, stated it's "reasonable, rational, logical for the 49ers to not expect Ricky Pearsall to make any contribution in 2026." Pierall dropped Pearsall from WR54 to WR67, calling him "almost as completely undraftable at this point" given injury concerns compounded by Debo Samuel's one-year, $7 million signing with the team, which cements depth chart concerns.

RJ Harvey is Ricky Pierall's highest-ranked player overall; in the Harvey versus Jaden Reed comparison, Pierall has Harvey ranked higher, though the team ultimately selected Reed to prioritize wide receiver depth and preserve flexibility to target Jordan Love in later rounds.

Ricky Pierall ranks RJ Harvey as his highest-ranked player overall, ahead of Jaden Reed. However, Pierall chose Reed in the draft to prioritize wide receiver depth and preserve flexibility to grab Jordan Love in later rounds, indicating Harvey may be undervalued relative to positional scarcity.

Ricky Pierall's preferred pick at pick 100 over Addison; Harvey has the highest point rate and running back is identified as the bigger positional concern for the draft team at this stage.

Ricky Pierall selects R.J. Harvey at pick 100 in the mock draft, calling him the highest point-rate option at that stage. Pierall states 'I love Harvey' and prefers him over Addison because running back is a bigger positional concern for the team's construction at that point in the draft.

Roman Wilson was drafted in the final four rounds of the Flock League last year and ended up getting cut, illustrating the volatility and waiver-wire fate of late-round picks.

Roman Wilson was drafted in the final four rounds of the Flock League last year and subsequently got cut, illustrating the volatility of late-round picks that often end up on the waiver wire.

Ricky Pierall drafted Diggs at pick 135 and expressed interest in pairing him with Jaden Daniels, hoping Diggs lands with the Commanders. Pierall has drafted Diggs heavily in his mock drafts and prefers a Commanders destination over Carolina, as a Diggs-to-Carolina move would negatively impact his draft strategy given his limited exposure to Antonio Williams and Chi McMillan.

Drafted at pick 135 and paired with Jaden Daniels, with the hope that Diggs ends up in Washington. Pierall has drafted Diggs heavily in mock drafts and expresses a preference for Diggs landing with the Commanders rather than Carolina, as this maximizes stack upside.

Ted Hurst was selected in a mock draft as a wide receiver to fill positional need in the later rounds.

Ted Hurst was selected as a wide receiver in the draft to fill positional needs, chosen over running back options despite Jordan James being ranked higher.

Trey Harris was drafted at pick 169 in Ricky Pierall's mock draft.

Drafted at pick 169 in Ricky Pierall's mock draft on Flock Fantasy.

Trevor Lawrence was selected at pick 83 in the mock draft, establishing his ADP context in the draft sequence.

Trevor Lawrence was selected at pick 83 in the Flock League draft.

Ricky Pierall ranks Trey McBride higher than DeVonta Smith, who is the highest-ranked player by ADP at the tight end position, and states he will take McBride over Smith. McBride is locked in as the team's TE1 and should be the only tight end drafted in Yahoo, ESPN, and Sleeper drafts; a second tight end is only necessary in baseball-style leagues.

Ricky Pierall ranks Trey McBride higher than DeVonta Smith, who is the highest-ranked player according to ADP at this draft point; Pierall would take McBride over Smith.

Tyler Warden was selected at pick 65 in the mock draft.

Tyler Warden was selected at pick 65 in Ricky Pierall's mock draft.

Will Shipley was drafted in the final four rounds of the Flock League last year and ended up getting cut, illustrating the volatility of late-round running back selections.

Will Shipley was drafted in the final four rounds of the Flock League last year and subsequently got cut, exemplifying the waiver wire churn of late-round picks.