Shawn Siegele breaks down the first three rounds of a superflex rookie draft featuring some of the top experts in fantasy.

With rookie draft season already in full swing and set to take off this weekend, I wanted to take a closer look at the completed rookie draft from one of my most competitive leagues.

A few weeks ago I had a chance to participate in an auction startup commished by Michael Leone. If you haven’t participated in a slow auction startup, I strongly recommend it. If you want Christian McCaffrey, you have that option. If you want Saquon Barkley, Michael Thomas, or Patrick Mahomes, you just have to be the last person standing. There are no draft order excuses. It’s truly your team.

As is the case for most 2020 startups, this was a superflex, TE Premium league, providing more player depth while increasing options and strategy. We also bid on rookie draft slots, adding another layer of tactics. The owners of these picks didn’t fall into them based on their previous results; they paid up to land them in the auction.

How did our rookie event compare to my live projections during the NFL Draft? My projected pick is in parentheses.

Round 1

 1.01 Clyde Edwards-Helaire (1.03)

Edwards-Helaire moves up from 103 to 21 in my regular dynasty rankings, likely the largest positive move I’ve ever had for a player. I still have Jonathan Taylor ranked No. 1 in the class, and Volume 3 of the Dynasty Command Center Rookie Guide also keeps Taylor at No. 1.

By contrast, Dave Caban moves Edwards-Helaire to his top spot, despite questioning whether the LSU star is enough better than Damien Williams to have a league-winning rookie season.

Edwards-Helaire didn’t perform well in the RB Prospect Lab, and he trailed the stars in several other metrics Dave’s tracking as well.

Hasan Rahim goes into even more detail on whether Edwards-Helaire is now the 1.01.

1.02 Joe Burrow (1.01)

Burrow is the top choice for those needing to add a QB, although it isn’t unanimous. TJ Calkins selected Tua Tagovailoa No. 1 in our superflex mock, referencing concerns about Burrow’s advanced age and one-year-wonder status.

1.03 Jonathan Taylor (1.02)

Taylor fell from No. 6 to No. 11 in my post-draft ranking, although his long-term upside remains immense in Indianapolis. His RB Prospect Lab score is still in the superstar range.

1.04 Tua Tagovailoa (1.07)

Tagovailoa is an option as early as the first pick, but I’d prefer to move down from here. If you move down and ending up missing, Herbert offers another option in a more fantasy-ready offense.