PlayerProfiler is home to award-winning dynasty rankings and tools. Our Dynasty Deluxe package includes complete Dynasty Rankings, Rookie Rankings, Trade Analyzer, Draft Planner, Mock Drafts, and more. Check it out. Below Ted Chmyz looks looks at the fantasy dream NFL Draft Predictions | Landing Spots for the 2025 Rookie Class.
Normally, fantasy football isn’t all that fantastical. After all, fantasy scoring is entirely based on the events of real NFL games. That doesn’t leave much room for daydreaming. However, the offseason is when we can let our imaginations run wild. At this time of year, every young quarterback is going to take a step forward, every offensive line is going to be competent, and every running back will stay healthy. Even more relevantly, with the NFL Draft just around the corner, every rookie will be a massive success.
Since this is a time of optimism and rookie fever, it’s tempting to forecast dream rookie landing spots. However, while it’s fun to imagine ideal scenarios for the top rookies in a given class, this process isn’t always particularly helpful. If that exact match of team and prospect doesn’t materialize on Draft Night, that dream is immediately dead. With that in mind, I’m going to be putting a twist on the classic “dream landing spot” formula. Instead of matching specific players and specific teams, I will break down landing spots that would be ideal for a whole group of players. If this doesn’t make sense, don’t worry; it will all become clearer with an example. Let’s get right into the NFL Draft Predictions | Landing Spots for the 2025 Rookie class.
NFL Draft Predictions | Dream Landing Spots for the 2025 Rookie Class
Early-Round Receiver → New England Patriots
This one is obvious. With all due respect to Hunter Henry, DeMario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne, and Kayshon Boutte, the Patriots don’t have a single difference-making NFL pass-catcher on their roster. Despite being widely expected to attack the free-agent receiver market, their biggest offensive signing this offseason so far has been Mack Hollins. They reportedly offered a massive contract to Chris Godwin, who turned them down to stay in Tampa Bay on a smaller deal.
There is room for a rookie to earn targets in New England. The Patriots also have an exciting young quarterback in Drake Maye, and their offense should be more competent this season with Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels at the helm. This is about as good a landing spot as a wide receiver (or tight end, but that seems less likely) could hope for.
The ultimate dream would be if the Patriots use their fourth-overall pick on a receiver. A month or so ago, Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan would have been the top name to come to mind. But Matthew Golden is on the rise following a strong combine, and it seems more and more likely that dual-threat Travis Hunter will play as a receiver at the NFL level. If the Patriots draft any of those players at No. 3 (and in Hunter’s case, as a receiver), we are all systems go. But even if the Patriots wait until their second-round pick (38th overall) to draft a receiver, that player will be walking into a dream situation. Luther Burden III, Emeka Egbuka, Elic Ayomanor, Tre Harris, Jayden Higgins — all of these players will shoot up in fantasy rankings if they land in New England.
Early-Round Running Back → Chicago Bears
There’s a chance I’m falling for offseason optimism here. Last season, the Bears’ offense ranked 10th-lowest in rushing fantasy points. But things are trending in the right direction in Chicago. Offensive mastermind Ben Johnson is in town, and the Bears have already made multiple moves to improve their offensive line. They signed former Chiefs guard Joe Thuney, former Rams guard Jonah Jackson, and former Falcons center Drew Dalman. This interior trio should improve a unit that wasn’t terrible last year, ranking above average at 15th in PFF Run Blocking Grade.
Meanwhile, Bears GM Ryan Poles has made comments implying that the Bears will be drafting their next starting running back. Chicago does currently have D’Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson on their roster. But Swift has a history of inefficiency and was traded by the Lions during Ben Johnson‘s time as their OC, while Roschon is a former fourth-rounder who hasn’t flashed anything special in his two years in the NFL. A first or second-round rookie in this year’s stacked class should have no problem claiming the lion’s share of work in this backfield.
This is particularly exciting because the Bears are very well-placed to grab one of the top backs in this class. They could select Ashton Jeanty with their 10th overall pick, which would immediately make the Heisman runner-up a first-round fantasy option. If they pass on Jeanty, the Bears have two early second-rounders, their own No. 41 overall and No. 39 overall thanks to the Bryce Young trade. That puts them in a great place to snag players like TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins, and Kaleb Johnson, with an outside shot at Omarion Hampton (who could also make a surprise rise as high as 10). Any of these players would be immediate fantasy studs upon landing in Chicago.
Top-Five Quarterback → New York Giants
I’m not going to lie: The fits available for this year’s crop of rookie quarterbacks aren’t as enticing as those available at other positions. Given that this is already considered to be a relatively weak QB class, that’s not ideal. But the Giants are the best of the mediocre group of landing spots available at the top of this year’s draft. Yes, New York is dealing with organizational incompetence and had one of the league’s worst O-lines last season. But the same can be said about both of the other teams being linked to this year’s top quarterbacks, the Titans and Browns. These teams are picking in the top five for a reason. All three have questionable management, and all three ranked in the bottom 10 in PFF Pass Blocking Grade in 2024.
However, the Giants have something the Titans and Browns don’t: Malik Nabers. Despite dealing with subpar QB play, Nabers proved himself to be a bona fide stud in his rookie season, racking up 1,204 and seven touchdowns. Having a young star at receiver to use as a safety blanket and grow alongside will be a huge help to any QB the Giants select in this year’s draft. Wan’Dale Robinson, Darius Slayton, and Tyrone Tracy Jr. are also all at least decent weapons.
Meanwhile, the only quarterback currently on the Giants’ roster is Tommy DeVito. Unless the Aaron Rodgers rumors come true (in which case they almost certainly won’t draft a QB in the first anyway), whoever the Giants select with the third overall pick should be their 2025 starting quarterback. Whether that’s Cameron Ward, Shedeur Sanders, or even Jaxson Dart, playing alongside Nabers should give them a chance to provide some semblance of fantasy production right away.
Any Running Back → Las Vegas Raiders
Volme is king in fantasy football, especially at the running back position. And there is volume available in the Las Vegas backfield. Where the Bears have some investment in their running back room already, the Raiders’ current top backs are Zamir White, Sincere McCormick, and Raheem Mostert. No offense to those players, but any rookie drafted during the first two days of the NFL Draft should walk right into this RB1 job.
Of course, the Raiders ranked dead last in rushing fantasy points scored in 2024. Some of that can be blamed on inefficiency on the part of their RBs, but their O-line, defense, and overall team success (lack thereof, more accurately) certainly didn’t help. However, the offseason additions of Pete Carroll, Chip Kelly, and Geno Smith should greatly improve Vegas’ offense. Those moves also signal that the Raiders are looking for a quick return to relevancy, not another four-win season.
With all that in mind, fantasy managers should love this landing spot for just about any running back in this draft class. Jeanty at sixth overall or any of the aforementioned second-rounders at No. 37 are the obvious fits. But the strength of this running back class is depth. The Raiders could take players like Cam Skattebo, Dylan Sampson, or Bhayshul Tuten with their third-rounder or even wait until the fourth with DJ Giddens, Devin Neal, or Ollie Gordon II. Assuming no other major additions to the Raiders’ RB room, those players would become immediate mid-round fantasy picks, if not higher, upon landing in Sin City.
First-Round Tight End → Los Angeles Chargers
Tyler Warren and Colston Loveland are both projected to be drafted in the first round of this year’s draft. The Saints and Colts are commonly linked to these two TEs, but those fits aren’t great for fantasy. We want fantasy tight ends who are top two targets on their NFL teams, and both New Orleans and Indianapolis already have multiple mouths to feed. I don’t see Warren or Loveland overtaking Chris Olave/Rashid Shaheed or Michael Pittman/Josh Downs in targets, at least not as rookies. That’s before we get into these team’s quarterback situations, which aren’t ideal (although Derek Carr is perennially underrated).
Instead, I’m hoping one of Warren or Loveland falls to Los Angeles at 22. Outside of Ladd McConkey, the Chargers have no difference-making targets for Justin Herbert. Joshua Palmer is now in Buffalo, Quentin Johnston took a step forward last year but was still mediocre, and Mike Williams is not the player he once was (as indicated by his $6 million contract).
Looking specifically at tight ends, Stone Smartt led the Chargers’ TEs in PFF Receiving Grade in 2024; he is now a Jet. Hayden Hurst is also a free agent, and Will Dissly will not keep a first-round pick off the field. Even with this motley crew of options, 21% of the Chargers’ targets went to TEs last season. That number tied the league average, and it will almost certainly trend upward if a first-round rookie lands in LA. Tight ends notoriously take longer than other positions to adjust to the NFL, but this situation is favorable enough for Warren or Loveland to join the fantasy TE1 conversation right away.
Ted Chmyz is a fantasy football contributor for PlayerProfiler. Find him on Twitter @Tchmyz for more fantasy content or to ask questions.
