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USATSI

The No. 7 overall pick in a 12-team, PPR draft is a great selection. You should have your choice of a standout running back or receiver, and the players who should be available are Christian McCaffrey, De'Von Achane, Ashton Jeanty, Puka Nacua, Malik Nabers, Nico Collins or Amon-Ra St. Brown.

I'd love to start my team with any of those players. But sometimes you might get lucky, and that's what happened here.

This is our 12-part, pick-by-pick series where me, Adam Aizer, Thomas Shafer, Jacob Gibbs, Heath Cummings and Dan Schneier all took part in a six-person PPR mock draft. We each built two of the 12 teams in this 14-round draft to show you a different strategy from each spot.

This is an outline that you can follow if you pick at No. 7 overall in your league. The key is to study the strategy and not necessarily the players to see if this works for you. 

In this mock draft, the first six overall picks were Ja'Marr Chase, Bijan Robinson, Saquon Barkley, CeeDee Lamb, Achane and Justin Jefferson. I love Achane, but I would not draft him ahead of Jefferson. And I'd rather have Jahmyr Gibbs, who fell to me at No. 7 overall, which is fantastic. Gibbs is my No. 5 overall player.

Gibbs has the disadvantage of sharing touches with David Montgomery, but Gibbs also has the most upside of maybe any player in the NFL. He showed that to close last season when he scored at least 25.4 PPR points in each of his final four games -- three without an injured Montgomery -- and Gibbs finished 2024 with nearly 2,000 total yards and 20 total touchdowns.

He's already talking about getting more looks at wide receiver this season under new offensive coordinator John Morton, which is only a plus. Gibbs has averaged 52 catches for 416 yards and two touchdowns on 67 targets in each of the first two years of his career.

It wouldn't shock me if Gibbs is the No. 1 Fantasy running back this season. And I was fortunate to land him at No. 7 overall.

As a reference point, all touchdowns in this league are worth six points, and we award one point for every 10 yards rushing and receiving and one point for every 25 yards passing. We also award one point for every reception. We feature a starting lineup of QB, 2 RB, 3 WR, TE and FLEX (RB/WR/TE). 

My draft from No. 7 overall:

1.7: Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Lions

2.6: Drake London, WR, Falcons

3.7: Davante Adams, WR, Rams

4.6: DK Metcalf, WR, Steelers

5.7: TreVeyon Henderson, RB, Patriots

6.6: Chris Godwin, WR, Buccaneers

7.7: Khalil Shakir, WR, Bills

8.6: Stefon Diggs, WR, Patriots

9.7: Cam Skattebo, RB, Giants

10.6: Isaac Guerendo, RB, 49ers

11.7: Evan Engram, TE, Broncos

12.6: Bo Nix, QB, Broncos

13.7: MarShawn Lloyd, RB, Packers

14.6: Raheem Mostert, RB, Raiders

Once I had Gibbs, my plan moving forward was to build out my receiving corps, and I loved getting London in Round 2, Adams in Round 3 and Metcalf in Round 4. I took a flier on Henderson in Round 5, which we'll address below, and then it was back to receiver with Godwin, Shakir and Diggs with my next three picks.

Given this starting lineup, I prefer to have a wide receiver in the flex spot. Godwin, if healthy coming off last year's ankle injury, has top-20 upside, and I love the potential of Shakir and Diggs as reserves. It's a stacked receiving corps if everyone is healthy.

My running back corps is a little shaky behind Gibbs, but I'm expecting a big rookie campaign for Henderson. And Skattebo can be a potential flex option if he wins the starting job for the Giants over Tyrone Tracy Jr.

Guerendo, Lloyd and Mostert are all lottery tickets, and Guerendo was one of my favorite picks in this draft. He's the No. 2 running back in San Francisco behind Christian McCaffrey, and that could lead to amazing production if an injury occurs. Guerendo had five games as a rookie in 2024 with the 49ers with double digits in touches, and he scored at least 11.5 PPR points in four of them.

I was able to wait on quarterback and tight end, and I was fortunate to end up with Engram in Round 11 and Nix in Round 12. While that might not happen in most of your leagues, you might know the tendencies of the people you are drafting with, which helps.

Here, I knew quarterbacks would go late, and Nix was a steal. I also love the value for Engram now that he's in Denver, and this should be a fun stack based on how it worked out in this draft.

Favorite pick: Bo Nix

Nix was the No. 8 quarterback last season, and hopefully he can build on his strong rookie campaign when he passed for 3,775 yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions and ran for 430 yards and four touchdowns. The addition of Engram and rookie Pat Bryant should help the receiving corps, and the Broncos also upgraded their backfield with R.J. Harvey and JK Dobbins, both of whom can excel in the passing game. Sean Payton should continue to bring out the best in Nix this year, and he was a steal in Round 12 here.

Pick I might regret: TreVeyon Henderson

Henderson should have an immediate impact in the passing game for the Patriots, and he should prove to be more explosive than Rhamondre Stevenson as the season goes on. At Ohio State in 2024, Henderson had 144 carries for 1,016 yards and 10 touchdowns and 27 catches for 284 yards and a touchdown while sharing playing time with Quinshon Judkins. If Henderson is the lead running back in New England ahead of Stevenson, who has a history of fumbling the ball, then this pick is great. But I drafted Henderson ahead of proven running backs like James Conner and Joe Mixon, which could be a mistake. I was aiming for upside here, and Henderson could be a special talent in his rookie campaign, especially with Josh McDaniels now calling plays for the Patriots.

Player who could make or break my team: Chris Godwin

Prior to a season-ending ankle injury in Week 7, Godwin was having a career season and averaged 19.7 PPR points per game. He was on pace for 121 catches, 1,399 yards and 12 touchdowns, and he was better than Mike Evans during that stretch. We'll see if he's healthy in training camp, and potentially how much Emeka Egbuka cuts into Godwin's production, especially if the rookie is used in the slot. If healthy, Godwin has top-20 upside as a go-to target for Baker Mayfield, and then I might have arguably the best receiving corps in this league. I tried to cover myself in case Godwin isn't ready for Week 1 with Shakir and Diggs, but they don't have the same upside as Godwin. Hopefully, Godwin can pick up where last season ended before he got hurt.