🚨 The 2026 Rookie Guide Release is VERY SOON
📝 Comprehensive analysis on EVERY fantasy-relevant rookie
🤖 Pre-NFL Draft, as well as Post-NFL Draft Rankings curated by Walter’s data science, as well as our team of experts
🏈 Ideal landing spots for every prospect, as well as ceiling and floor player comparisons
🏆 While Samps is the head writer - the entire WalterPicks team will have “My Guys” in the guide! These are players that we have the most belief in. Every contributor has added reasoning behind their selections that can also be found within the guide
2025 Rookie Guide Retrospective
We provided analysis on every offensive rookie in the 2025 NFL Draft in last year’s WalterPicks Rookie Guide. Naturally, there were some awesome calls by our team, as well as some not-so-awesome calls.
Awesome: Our Tight Ends Analysis
Harold Fannin Jr.
We described Fannin as “one of our favorite sleepers heading into the draft.” We were not happy with the landing spot, but cited his versatility as an avenue for him to find success as a rookie, even with David Njoku on the field.
His final rookie-year stats were 72 receptions for 731 yards and 6 TDs.
Colston Loveland
Some of the ways we described Colston Loveland in last year’s Rookie Guide include: “electric”, “elite ceiling”, “he’s going to benefit greatly from this landing spot”, and “high-end rookie draft pick.”
His final rookie-year stats were 58 receptions for 713 yards and 8 TDs. He had 4 games with 90 or more receiving yards (including NFL Playoffs).
Oronde Gadsden II
We had a strong conviction that Gadsden was being undervalued as prospect, and we elaborated on this by saying that “He possesses the size and speed to offer real fantasy upside”, “his intriguing frame athletic profile could eventually make him a valuable option for Justin Herbert.”
His final rookie-year stats were 49 receptions for 664 yards, and 3 TDs.
Not-So-Awesome: Two Flat-Out Misses
Kaleb Johnson
The title for our Kaleb Johnson write-up was “Newer, Better, Najee?” This title could not have been further from the truth. We lauded his pass-catching ability, as well as his great opportunity to carve out a sizable role in an Arthur Smith offense, as reasons to be incredibly optimistic about him… We were wrong.
His final rookie-year stats were 28 rushes for 69 yards and zero TDs. He had 1 catch for 9 yards. Ouch.
Tyler Shough
Prior to the draft, we wrote that Shough "profiles as a late-round flier in dynasty drafts at best - someone to monitor if he lands in an advantageous situation but not a player to target aggressively in fantasy formats." After the draft, we wrote, “consider us highly skeptical Shough will ever reach a truly impactful ceiling in fantasy football.” The Saints QB had several ceiling games for fantasy football, and he helped thousands of teams make pushes in the fantasy playoffs.
His final rookie-year stats were 2,384 passing yards, 10 passing TDs, 6 INTs, 186 rushing yards, 3 rushing TDs, and a 5-4 record - all while showing some serious flashes of stardom.
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