2021 Fantasy Football Mock Draft: 4-Round Simulation with Notable Picks

We're only days away from the start of the 2021 NFL season. The Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are set to kick off the campaign Thursday. This means crunch time is here for those still preparing for their fantasy drafts.

Mock drafts are a great tool for pre-draft prep. Conducting a series of mocks won't necessarily tell you whom to draft, but it will provide some information about where players are being valued. This can help you avoid early busts and properly value potential sleepers.

Here we'll run through a four-round points-per-reception (PPR) mock, conducted using FantasyPros' Mock Draft Simulator. We'll dive into some of the more notable picks from each round and examine why they stand out in the current fantasy landscape.

Round 1

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1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers

2. Alvin Kamara, RB, New Orleans Saints

3. Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings

4. Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

5. Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Dallas Cowboys

6. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

7. Davante Adams, WR, Green Bay Packers

8. Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas City Chiefs

9. Austin Ekeler, RB, Los Angeles Chargers

10. Saquon Barkley, RB, New York Giants

11. Aaron Jones, RB, Green Bay Packers

12. Nick Chubb, RB, Cleveland Browns

There are no surprises at the top of Round 1. The first six players off the board are running backs, which is common even in PPR leagues. Starting running backs tend to have a more consistent weekly floor than receivers because of their workload.

The first three—Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara and Dalvin Cook—are dual threats who provide immense PPR upside. While McCaffrey is coming off an injury-plagued season, he is healthy and will be the Carolina Panthers' offensive centerpiece.

"Obviously, you like him getting carries at the ends of games," offensive coordinator Joe Brady said, per Darin Gantt of the team's official website. "That means we're able to run the football and, at the end of the game, win."

The beauty of rostering McCaffrey is that even when the Panthers are behind, he will provide value. McCaffrey topped 1,000 receiving yards in 2019.

Derrick Henry provides less PPR upside (only 19 receptions in 2020), but he's won back-to-back rushing titles and has an incredibly high overall floor.

In general, we're looking at workhorse backs across the board in Round 1, with top-tier pass-catchers Davante Adams and Travis Kelce breaking the seal at their respective positions.

Round 2

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1. Tyreek Hill, WR, Kansas City Chiefs

2. Najee Harris, RB, Pittsburgh Steelers

3. Stefon Diggs, WR, Buffalo Bills

4. DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Arizona Cardinals

5. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

6. Calvin Ridley, WR, Atlanta Falcons

7. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks

8. Antonio Gibson, RB, Washington Football Team

9. Joe Mixon, RB, Cincinnati Bengals

10. Darren Waller, TE, Las Vegas Raiders

11. Clyde Edwards-Helaire, RB, Kansas City Chiefs

12. Justin Jefferson, WR, Minnesota Vikings

Kansas City Chiefs wideout Tyreek Hill lasts until the second round here, but he wouldn't look out of place as a Round 1 pick. The speed merchant is coming off an 87-catch, 1,276-yard season that included 15 touchdown receptions.

A lot of quality receivers wind up in Round 2 in this mock, which fits with the Round 1 run on backs. We also see the first quarterback come off the board in Kansas City's Patrick Mahomes.

While the second round is high for a quarterback, Mahomes deserves to be in a tier of his own. He may not be the top-producing quarterback in 2021—guys like Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson and Aaron Rodgers will vie for that title—but his floor makes him a can't-miss selection.

Mahomes threw for at least 200 yards and a touchdown in every start last season. He only threw a single touchdown pass in two of his 15 starts.

We also see the next tight end come off the board. While there's a large group of second-tier tight ends, the trio of Travis Kelce, Darren Waller and George Kittle are worthy of going within the first two rounds.

The only surprise of Round 2 is the selection of Pittsburgh Steelers rookie runner Najee Harris over proven commodities like Mahomes, Stefon Diggs and DeAndre Hopkins. Harris projects as a workhorse back in a good Steelers offense, but he's untested at the pro level.

Round 3

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1. A.J. Brown, WR, Tennessee Titans

2. Keenan Allen, WR, Los Angeles Chargers

3. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills

4. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

5. Terry McLaurin, WR, Washington Football Team

6. CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys

7. Allen Robinson II, WR, Chicago Bears

8. Julio Jones, WR, Atlanta Falcons

9. David Montgomery, RB, Chicago Bears

10. Josh Jacobs, RB, Las Vegas Raiders

11. Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals

12. D'Andre Swift, RB, Detroit Lions

We're still seeing WR1-caliber receivers go in the third round, which demonstrates the depth at the position—and why early runs on running backs will occur.

Tennessee Titans wideout A.J. Brown is perhaps an outlier, though. While he did have 11 touchdown receptions in 2020, he only had 70 receptions and 1,075 receiving yards. He will also be paired with a target-dominant receiver in Julio Jones.

Allen Robinson II, on the other hand, provides tremendous value in Round 3. He racked up 1,250 yards with some subpar Chicago Bears quarterback play last season. The duo of Andy Dalton and Justin Fields should give Chicago an upgrade under center, while Chicago's passing attack is going to run through Robinson.

Two more quarterbacks come off the board in Round 3. While Mahomes provides the best floor among signal-callers, managers should be happy to wind up with Josh Allen or Kyler Murray as their QB1.

We're firmly into the RB2/flex territory with running backs here, though. Las Vegas Raiders runner Josh Jacobs, for example, racked up more than 1,300 scrimmage yards in 2020. However, he will be splitting time with Kenyan Drake this season so is not a viable RB1 option.

Round 4

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1. Mike Evans, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2. D.J. Moore, WR, Carolina Panthers

3. Amari Cooper, WR, Dallas Cowboys

4. Robert Woods, WR, Los Angeles Rams

5. Chris Carson, RB, Seattle Seahawks

6. James Robinson, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars

7. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

8. Chris Godwin, WR, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

9. Adam Thielen, WR, Minnesota Vikings

10. Miles Sanders, RB, Philadelphia Eagles

11. Kyle Pitts, TE, Atlanta Falcons

12. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

There is some tremendous value to be found here in Round 4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers wideout Mike Evans, for example, barely topped the 1,000-yard mark in 2020. However, he also had 13 touchdown receptions.

Guys like Evans, D.J. Moore and Amari Cooper are solid WR2 options managers should be happy to land this late in the draft.

Jacksonville Jaguars running back James Robinson has potential RB1 upside too, which makes him a bit of a sleeper. Despite appearing in only 14 games as a rookie last season, Robinson finished with more than 1,400 scrimmage yards, 49 receptions and 10 touchdowns.

With Trevor Lawrence under center and first-round running back Travis Etienne out for the season, Robinson could explode in 2021.

This also feels a tad late for Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson. While he took a step back in 2020, he was still a 1,000-yard rusher. He also got some serious receiving help this offseason in the form of Sammy Watkins and first-round pick Rashod Bateman.

There's a real chance that Jackson will be the top-producing quarterback in fantasy this year.