Fantasy Football Dynasty Rookie Mock Draft: Tetairoa McMillan (Pick 1.03)

Rookie dynasty league managers will have two exciting running backs available at the top of the draft board. But one could argue the draft doesn't really begin until pick No. 3.

At that selection, managers have a decision to make between the draft class' top two receivers -- Carolina Panthers' Tetairoa McMillan and Jacksonville Jaguars' Travis Hunter.

In summary, experts consider McMillan the safer pick while Hunter has more upside.

With that in mind, who one takes at No. 3 is dependent on how much risk and reward one desires in the first round.

For me, I don't love a lot of risk. So if it were me, I'd select McMillan at No. 3 overall in a PPR rookie dynasty draft.

Pick 1.03: WR Tetairoa McMillan, Carolina Panthers

Just because McMillan is the "safer" choice at No. 3 in rookie fantasy drafts doesn't mean he comes with no risk. Some NFL scouts have concerns about him separating at the next level.

He also doesn't walk into the best quarterback situation with Bryce Young in Carolina. That's part of why his upside is significantly lower than Hunter, who has Trevor Lawrence throwing him passes.

But I love McMillan's size. Standing at 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, he was a red zone machine with 26 touchdowns in 37 games at Arizona in college.

McMillan, though, should hardly be touchdown-dependent. He posted 84 catches and led the Big 12 with 1,319 receiving yards last season on his way to making the All-American team.

McMillan averaged 16.1 yards per catch over his college career.

Some pundits have suggested McMillan is a better route runner than Hunter. McMillan will also have the advantage of only playing offense, which is a weird thing to write because that's the case with literally 99.999% of NFL prospects over the last 50 years.

Hunter playing offense and defense at the NFL level is historic, and I want to see it happen. But don't let that be a reason to draft him in fantasy football. It's actually a reason not to. His divided attention on both sides of the ball could negatively impact his production as a receiver.

To fully judge that take, though, fantasy managers should regularly research how Hunter is performing at training camp this summer. Managers that have their rookie dynasty drafts in August should be doing that anyway, but it's particularly key in the Hunter-McMillan debate.

How Hunter looks as a route runner in the preseason and the ways in which Jacksonville deploys him on offense and defense could impact my draft strategy.

Don't let it be the end all, be all. But it's a factor.

As it stands on June 11, the fantasy experts give McMillan a slight edge over Hunter. McMillan holds a 3.6 average draft position in rookie dynasty drafts while Hunter is right behind him at 3.9 according to Fantasy Pros.

No fantasy football expert let McMillan slip past No. 7 overall while Hunter never dropped past No. 8.

Again, which receiver fantasy managers ultimately choose should depend on how much risk they are comfortable with at No. 3 overall. As the saying goes, the greater the risk, the greater the reward.

Here's how the beginning of my PPR rookie dynasty draft breaks down:

No. 1: Las Vegas Raiders' Ashton Jeanty
No. 2: Los Angeles Chargers; Omarion Hampton