3 First-Round NFL Draft Steals to Target in Dynasty Fantasy Football
With 10 skill-position players selected in the first round of the NFL Draft, many of them are poised to make an immediate impact. Fantasy football is just a few months away, and these players landed in favorable spots that should boost their upside. The following assets are considered steals not only for the teams that drafted them, but also for their fantasy football ceilings.
Omar Cooper Jr. — New York Jets (No. 30)
The Jets jumped up 3 spots to draft their guy at 30th overall. Cooper Jr. is a dynamic play-making slot wide receiver, having scored double-digit touchdowns for Indiana last season. The event had the far best catch of the entire 2025 college football season.
Cooper Jr. can easily be argued to be as good as Makai Lemon, and the Jets got him 10 picks later, and 14 picks after their other draft pick pass-catcher, Kenyon Sadiq. If all pans out with Geno Smith and Frank Reich, Cooper Jr. can be close behind Garrett Wilson as the Jets' No. 2 pass-catcher and a WR2 in fantasy football. As for now, he will be more of a late-round flex play.
KC Concepcion — Cleveland Browns (No. 24)
Concepcion is widely hailed as the best separator in the NFL Draft. Weeks ago, he released a press piece stating that, "I'm the best receiver in this draft. Period." While Mel Kiper Jr had Concepcion as the WR9 in this draft, many fans would argue that Concepcion is the best, or surely top-5.
No matter how it is viewed, the Browns will slot in Concepcion into Todd Monken's new offense, and he will be able to contend for WR1 with Jerry Jeudy. Fantasy football will view him as a Flex, for now.
Ty Simpson — Los Angeles Rams (No. 13)
Simpson can be argued either way, but he is generally a 'steal.' If demand for a quarterback was higher, Simpson could have gone top-3 in the draft. Yet, the Rams get him at 13th overall. Simpson will not start until Matthew Stafford retires (perhaps after 2026). While Simpson will sit back and learn, the already excellent player can become elite by learning behind the MVP, Stafford, and Sean McVay. He is a quality player to own in dynasty fantasy football as the upside could be sky-high upon his eventual nod to start, whether in 2027 or beyond.
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Thomas Carelli is a sportswriter based on Northern New Jersey. He is a massive New York Jets and Mets fan, but that is not where is sports fandom stops. He loves to watch and play golf, all things football, baseball, and much more. If he can watch it, he will. Thomas graduated from William Paterson University in 2018 with a Bachelor's Degree in Sport Management. He spent 4 years working at a local golf course, volunteered past PGA events, and spent some part-time experience with the New York Jets events team. His passions for sport runs deep and his articles show for it.