SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 01: Christian McCaffrey #23 of the San Francisco 49ers runs for touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals during the second quarter at Levi’s Stadium on October 01, 2023 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
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With some people already starting to hold their 2025 fantasy football drafts, it’s time to lock into your research. The fantasy football season is extremely close, which is why we’ll be diving into an ESPN, PPPR mock draft today.
Whether you already know your draft slot or if you need to be prepared for everything, this article will be extremely helpful. Today, we’ll be analyzing a real ESPN mock draft and giving you advice on how you can dominate your draft with the 6th pick.
2025 Fantasy Football Mock Draft (Pick 6)
Round One: Christian McCaffrey
Round Two: Brian Thomas Jr
Round Three: Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Round Four: Breece Hall
Rounds 1-4 Strategy
While there are a few wide receivers better than Christian McCaffrey, the only running back that makes sense in round two is Chase Brown. However, in round two, you can find a number of similar wide receivers, which is exactly what happened.
Brian Thomas Jr is coming off a rookie year where he just had 16.7 PPG, and Travis Hunter joining this offense shouldn’t significantly impact him. With Hunter playing both sides of the ball, expect his presence to give Thomas better opportunities without the risk of Hunter emerging as the new WR1.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba was a phenomenal prospect who took a big leap with 14.9 PPG in year two. With DK Metcalf gone, expect Smith-Njigba to continue to improve.
Breece Hall was the last running back in this range before there was a significant drop off. While there’s been some buzz around Hall being part of a committee, it’s hard not to bet on a guy who’s had at least 15 PPG every year when he’s going at RB2 prices.
Round Five: Tetairoa McMillan
Round Six: Jaylen Waddle
Round Seven: Evan Engram
Round Eight: Chris Olave
Rounds 5-8 Strategy
Tetairoa McMillan was my number one-ranked offensive prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft, ahead of Ashton Jeanty. McMillan has crushed training camp, and you’re getting a WR1 who has Bryce Young throwing him the football. Young isn’t a top quarterback, but he’s shown serious improvement as of late.
Jaylen Waddle has been disappointing the past few years, but he’s also been banged up with injuries. Let’s not forget that Waddle was the 6th overall pick who had 15.4 PPG as a rookie.
Tyreek Hill is 31 years old and showing signs of regression. It wouldn’t be shocking if this were the year that Waddle finally became the Miami Dolphins’ WR1.
Evan Engram is one of the best tight end targets this year. While Engram didn’t look great last year, he only played in nine games and still had a respectable 9.9 PPG. The year prior, Engram had 13.5 PPG, and now he’s stepping into an offense where he can be the clear number two target.
Round eight is way too late for Chris Olave to fall. Olave has concussion worries, and the Saints are likely to be a very bad offense. With that being said, Olave had 13.2 and 14.5 PPG in his first two seasons in the NFL. Take a shot on the upside at this cost.
GLENDALE, ARIZONA – DECEMBER 8: Trey Benson #33 of the Arizona Cardinals runs the ball during the second quarter of a game against the Seattle Seahawks at State Farm Stadium on December 8, 2024 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Mike Christy/Getty Images)
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Round Nine: Justin Fields
Round 10: Quinshon Judkins
Round 11: Trey Benson
Round 12: Kyle Williams
Rounds 9-12 Strategy
Justin Fields is an absolute must-draft quarterback this year. In the two years where Fields played in at least 13 games, he had 19.7 and 17.7 PPG. Fields is an elite rusher, which gives you a massive edge in fantasy football.
Quinshon Judkins and Trey Benson are two high upside running back selections for my bench. Judkins is a fantastic prospect who would be going much higher than this if it weren’t for the off-the-field concerns.
Benson was also a strong prospect who’s been receiving some positive camp buzz. There’s a shot that Benson could be in a committee this year, and if not, he has a ton of upside if 30-year-old James Conner misses time.
Kyle Williams is my favorite sleeper wide receiver this year based on his fantastic college profile. Not only that, but he’s stepping into a wide-open receiver room with an ascending Drake Maye at the helm.
Round 13: Bhayshul Tuten
Round 14: Jalen McMillan
Round 15: Brandon Aubrey
Round 16: Chicago Bears D/ST
Rounds 13-16 Strategy
Bhayshul Tuten is an extremely explosive back who could be a great player if he cleans up the nine fumbles he’s had in the last two years at Virginia Tech. The Jacksonville Jaguars don’t have a clear starter, and Tuten was the team’s most recent investment (outside of 7th round pick LeQuint Allen)
Jalen McMillan could give your team a ton of production early on in the year if Chris Godwin misses time. While the Tampa Bay Buccaneers also drafted Emeka Egbuka, McMillan finished with at least 16 PPG in five straight games to end the 2024 season.
With my kicker and defense, let’s keep it simple. Brandon Aubrey finished as the top kicker with 11.3 PPG, and now Dak Prescott is expected to play a full season.
The Chicago Bears have a strong defense, and they play the Minnesota Vikings in week one. It’s not a great matchup, but J.J. McCarthy could be shaky in his first-ever NFL start.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/stevebradshaw/2025/08/14/2025-fantasy-football-mock-draft-pick-six-strategy/