Four takeaways from ESPN's fantasy mock draft

It’s August, otherwise known as “draft month” to fantasy football players. To celebrate, the experts at ESPN published a 12-team, PPR mock draft. Here’s what stood out to us.

Travis Kelce's regression is on display

The Chiefs’ Travis Kelce used to hold the distinction of being the only tight end with a first-round fantasy grade. In this mock draft, he went in the third round, 29th overall.

Kelce scored only five touchdowns in 2023 while failing to reach 1,000 yards for the first time since 2015. He led all tight ends in fantasy points from 2018-2022, but finished third last year.

Dak Prescott continues to get no respect

Not only did Prescott lead the NFL with 36 touchdowns last season, he finished third among quarterbacks in fantasy scoring with 342.84 points. Of course, most offseason talk of Prescott has been focused on his contract, or lack thereof, in 2025.

With a reported asking price of $60M per year , this could be Prescott’s last season with the Cowboys. That could become a distraction, especially in Dallas, which may explain why the 31-year-old QB lasted until the 10th round in ESPN’s draft.

Younger, less accomplished quarterbacks like Arizona’s Kyler Murray, Houston’s C.J. Stroud and Washington rookie Jayden Daniels were all drafted in the seventh round, which could make Prescott a bargain while he fights to become the highest-paid player in football.

For PPR players, in Detroit, it’s all about Jahmyr Gibbs

Lions running back David Montgomery led the team with 209 carries, 13 touchdowns and 1,015 yards last year, but Gibbs had 10 scores of his own as a rookie. More importantly, he caught 36 more passes for 199 more yards than Montgomery.

Montgomery (9) may have finished one spot ahead of Gibbs (10) in standard leagues, but Gibbs led Montgomery by seven spots in PPR formats last season. No wonder Gibbs went in the first round (11th overall) of ESPN’s mock draft, while Montgomery lasted until the end of the fifth round.

Puka Nacua is here to stay

Nacua led all Rams receivers with 1,486 yards, scored six touchdowns and was named Rookie of the Year in 2023. Cooper Kupp led the NFL in receptions (145), yards (1,947) and touchdowns (16) in 2021 and scored five touchdowns despite missing five games with a hamstring injury in 2023.

Both players are wildly talented, but while Nacua was taken at the top of the second round, the former triple crown winner lasted until the late fourth round, one pick behind Giants’ rookie Malik Nabers. Kupp may be 31, but his chemistry with Rams’ quarterback Matt Stafford is undeniable.

As last year’s fourth-leading receiver, Nacua is a solid second-round pick, but Kupp could be an absolute steal in the fourth round.