Below are my dynasty rookie running back rankings following the 2023 NFL Draft. After the rankings, I have a detailed breakdown of the biggest risers and fallers through the draft. I have a deeper breakdown of the running back class in my pre-draft dynasty rankings.
My dynasty rookie position ranks will be posted throughout the week with analysis on the biggest movers as a result of the draft.
Top 60 Rookie Rankings — Quarterback — Running Back — Wide Receiver
Dynasty Running Tight End
| Rank | Name | Team | NFL Draft Pick |
| 1 | Dalton Kincaid | BUF | 25 |
| 2 | Michael Mayer | LV | 35 |
| 3 | Sam LaPorta | DET | 34 |
| 4 | Luke Schoonmaker | DAL | 58 |
| 5 | Luke Musgrave | GB | 42 |
| 6 | Darnell Washington | PIT | 92 |
| 7 | Brenton Strange | JAX | 61 |
| 8 | Tucker Kraft | GB | 78 |
| 9 | Cameron Latu | SF | 101 |
| 10 | Payne Durham | TB | 171 |
| 11 | Josh Whyle | TEN | 147 |
| 12 | Zack Kuntz | NYJ | 220 |
Unlike other positions, the top of my tight end rankings saw a significant shakeup following the draft. Dalton Kincaid got first-round draft capital and will be playing alongside Josh Allen as a rookie. He is now my top tight end. Michael Mayer dropped one spot as a result and Sam LaPorta catapulted to the No. 3 spot.
LaPorta was a player I was excited about in my pre-draft rankings but wasn’t sure if the NFL felt the same way. Luckily, at least one team, the Detroit Lions, did. LaPorta has next to no competition for snaps in Detroit and had an elite receiving profile at Iowa. He earned a 26 percent Dominator Rating in consecutive seasons. LaPorta also ranked second in missed tackles forced (20) and third in yards after the catch (368) in his final season.
The No. 4 spot is also a riser. Luke Schoonmaker‘s production profile was underwhelming at Michigan, but he did flash efficiency by ranking top-10 in yards per route run among Power Five tight ends in 2022. He then crushed the combine en route to a 9.86 RAS. After getting second-round draft capital from a team with next to no starting options at tight end, Schoonmaker’s path to fantasy relevancy is clear.
Darnell Washington is the biggest faller. Many draft analysts projected him to be a first-round pick. A medical scare reportedly played a part in his stock plummeting. He then landed in Pittsburgh, where Pat Freirmuth is already penciled in as the starting tight end. It’s hard to be optimistic about Washington as anything more than an occasional red zone weapon for the foreseeable future.
Brenton Strange is a newcomer to my rankings. He peaked at a relatively pedestrian 32-362-5 receiving line as a senior. This was good for a 14.5 percent Dominator. For a tight end, that number is below average but not alarming. Strange clocked a 9.09 RAS after declaring for the draft. He may have to wait a year for Evan Engram‘s contract to expire, but there’s potential for him to take over as a starter sooner rather than later.
Cameron Latu is the other newcomer. He didn’t catch his first pass until his fourth year at Alabama, but he was a highly recruited defensive end who only switched to tight end after a year in the program. He eventually worked his way into a starting role and caught eight touchdowns, a school record for a tight end, in 2021. Latu is a lackluster athlete, but there is room for him to grow because of his inexperience at tight end.
