This article contains final pre-draft fantasy football rankings for the rookie class in the 2026 NFL Draft.
These top-60 players are grouped into 10 tiers, and players within a single tier are more or less meant to be seen as equal, or at least arguably equal. This might be a weak rookie class, but it's still important to make the right rookie selections in your drafts, no matter whether you're drafting in a dynasty, best ball or redraft format. These rankings are meant to pertain to each of those formats close to equally.
Tier 1 (1)
Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame (6-0, 212)
Though he alone is in the first tier, Love still doesn't seem like a generational type or anything. Not that he needs to be – Love will be some version of an extremely explosive threat from scrimmage, including as a pass catcher – but unless he drives up the reception count in a pass-heavy offense he might otherwise find fantasy workhorse usage elusive.
It's not that he lacks power, it's that Love has relatively little natural anchor (his height outpaces his weight) for a starting running back. If it's an issue, it would be particularly apparent between the tackles and/or short-yardage situations.
Love will post explosive per-touch figures both as a runner and a receiver, the only question is how many hits he can take.
Tier 2 (1)
Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State (6-2, 192)
Tate ends up here not so much by the strength of his own profile as much as the fact than Jordyn Tyson (durability) and Makai Lemon (slot specialist) seem clearly behind in the draft order for now. Perhaps Tate isn't a clear WR1 prospect in the NFL, but the consensus seems to have settled on the idea that it's either him or it's nobody in this draft.
It makes enough sense -- if Tyson can't test athletically before the draft then he can't make a full case for why he would be the WR1 of the draft, and similarly Tate's 4.53-second 40 can't be held against him much if the only competition (Tyson and Lemon) can't present a better version.
Tier 3 (4)
Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State (6-2, 203)
Makai Lemon, WR, USC (5-11, 194)
Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon (6-3, 241)
Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt (6-4, 239)
Jordyn Tyson has WR1 production yet the absence of testing data and the drumbeat of NFL anxiety over his durability has introduced clear threats to his draft stock that Tate is not subject to. Makai Lemon has a very high floor but with short arms and ~4.6 speed he's probably not a downfield guy.
Kenyon Sadiq and Eli Stowers both pose uniquely high fantasy upside at tight end. The argument for Sadiq as the clear TE1 is certainly there – the Vernon Davis-like athleticism was verified at the Combine – but I don't at all understand any skepticism toward Stowers, despite its fashionability in some circles. Stowers might be just a big slot receiver but guess what, he's really good at that and we don't care if he doesn't block as long as he's catching passes. Stowers' 4.51-second Combine 40 is clearly better than Lemon's 4.53 pro day 40, so it's time to let go of any skepticism toward Stowers.
Tier 4 (1)
Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana (6-5, 236)
I would have listed Mendoza in Tier 3, but the risk of Kirk Cousins starting some number of games in 2026 could delay Mendoza's arrival. Once he's on the field, though, I have no concerns about Mendoza emerging as at least an average starting NFL quarterback, even as a rookie. That he benefits from the scheme of Klint Kubiak is another reason to consider Mendoza a safe bet, or about as safe of a bet as a quarterback prospect can be.
Tier 5 (5)
Emmett Johnson, RB, Nebraska (5-11, 202)
Jadarian Price, RB, Notre Dame (5-11, 203)
Ted Hurst, WR, Georgia State (6-4, 206)
Elijah Sarratt, WR, Indiana (6-3, 210)
KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M (6-0, 196)
I overreacted to the poor Combine numbers of Bucky Irving and won't do the same with Emmett Johnson, whose instant processing and hot motor mirror Irving's profile even more than their poor Combine metrics. Jadarian Price lacks Johnson's production or quality tape, so I was hoping Price would either run better than his 4.49 40 or weigh in more than 203 for that time. Johnson's production and tape indicates skill that Price can only project to eventually develop, so I think the burden of demonstrating athleticism was higher for Price.
Ted Hurst is a Nico Collins starter kit. Elijah Sarratt apparently made it look too easy when he emphatically outproduced Omar Cooper at Indiana – the media and highlight-watchers clearly prefer Cooper, but I am always eager to fade those two groups, especially when a player produces as dominantly as Sarratt did. KC Concepcion is at risk of ending up a gadget player at the next level but he has the frame to log snaps at the flanker rep, which means he should be able to earn snaps even in two-wide formations as opposed to only the slot in three-wide formations.
Tier 6 (9)
Nicholas Singleton, RB, Penn State (6-0, 219)
Jonah Coleman, RB, Washington (5-8, 220)
Ja'Kobi Lane, WR, USC (6-4, 200)
Denzel Boston, WR, Washington (6-4, 212)
Skyler Bell, WR, Connecticut (6-0, 192)
Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama (6-1, 206)
Omar Cooper, WR, Indiana (6-0, 199)
Max Klare, TE, Ohio State (6-4, 246)
Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama (6-1, 211)
Nicholas Singleton probably would have tested well athletically if not for a broken foot, and if so he would pretty clearly project as, at least, an easy 500-snap running back at the NFL level due to his pass-catching ability alone. Jonah Coleman has solid production and is easy to like on tape, but with his decision to avoid athletic testing we should probably assume he runs something like a 4.7 40 and is therefore a long shot to emerge as an RB1 in the NFL despite his strong skill set otherwise.
Some people really hate on Ja'Kobi Lane but I think his production is magnitudes better than that of Denzel Boston, and Lane's strong athletic testing (4.47 40, 40-inch vertical) otherwise offsets Boston's 12-pound weight advantage. Skyler Bell posted monstrous numbers at Connecticut and his 4.40-second Combine 40 makes it a little easier to give him the benefit of the doubt on the age question (turns 24 in July). Germie Bernard has some fans due to a perceived high floor and versatility, notably playing ahead of Boston when the two were both at Washington, but I slightly worry that Bernard's lack of standout traits might leave him at risk of getting lost in the shuffle down the road. Omar Cooper is every highlight fiend's favorite wide receiver this year, but I think people should ask themselves why he was so much more entertaining than productive. Cooper accumulated 24.4 percent of his career receiving yardage in three games: Indiana State (2x) and Western Illinois, meanwhile Cooper never caught a pass against Ohio State.
Max Klare split snaps with Will Kacmarek at Ohio State, but if Klare had stayed at Purdue he would have played more snaps and thus accumulated noticeably better receiving production totals. There's a chance Klare crashes the first 40 picks.
Ty Simpson played better than his numbers looked at times (specifically the first Georgia game), but other times his numbers were so bad that it seemed improper and desperate to suggest any sort of excuse. I only list Simpson this high to acknowledge his apparent draft capital, even though I don't at all understand it.
Tier 7 (2)
Tanner Koziol, TE, Ball State (6-7, 247)
Chris Bell (knee), WR, Louisville (6-2, 222)
You can think of this duo as low-floor, high-ceiling prospects, making them worth ranking higher than this depending on your appetite for risk.
Tanner Koziol is more receiver than tight end, yet as a pass catcher his production at Ball State and Houston was utterly convincing, and in this era of heightened tight end usage Koziol could have a real chance to make it work at the NFL level even if he would have burned out in a previous era. There's no doubt that Koziol would fit well with the TE program the Rams were running last year, for instance.
Chris Bell was widely projected as a potential first-round pick before his late-November ACL tear. I'm agnostic on these things – I remember way too many cases where such declarations faded beyond public recollection, and surprisingly quickly – but I don't mean to deny the good-case scenario for Bell, who doubtlessly is on the short list for any team looking for a big receiver.
Most of Bell's proponents take it as a given that he would be in the first round if not for the injury. If you agree with that premise then it makes sense to rank Bell more so in something like Tier 4. Because of my previously mentioned agnosticism I can't as easily entertain this given, but I can say that if Bell had been healthy enough to test well at the Combine then it would be easier for me to imagine that given. In the meantime, though, Bell is a guy who might miss most of the 2026 season and we don't for sure know how fast he is at a given playing weight. If you assume Bell for a plus athlete then it's worth moving him up.
Tier 8 (6)
Josh Cameron, WR, Baylor (6-2, 220)
Chris Brazzell, WR, Tennessee (6-4, 199)
Malachi Fields, WR, Notre Dame (6-5, 218)
De'Zhaun Stribling, WR, Mississippi (6-2, 207)
Antonio Williams, WR, Clemson (6-0, 187)
Zachariah Branch, WR, Georgia (5-9, 177)
As much as Josh Cameron will face questions about his ability to handle press coverage, I feel like he so obviously projects well as a Big Slot that it's an issue made moot easily enough, and Cameron's strengths otherwise (hands, yards after the catch) are truly memorable, if not rare. Chris Brazzell will get drafted ahead of Cameron and probably all others in this tier – I just worry that his fantasy value might lag a bit behind his real-life utility, because Brazzell's ability to stretch the field can improve an offense even if he specifically is not drawing a target on a given play. Malachi Fields will also get drafted ahead of Cameron, and as a power-oriented possession specialist Fields might be able to do a decent Michael Pittman impression. De'Zhaun Stribling gets no hype but perhaps he should – Stribling's production at Washington State, Oklahoma State and Mississippi clearly implies WR2 upside, and tools-wise he easily stands out (4.36-second 40, 127-inch broad jump). Antonio Williams would have produced better at Clemson with more snaps – the question is whether he can earn enough flanker reps to secure the snap count necessary for his otherwise established route-running ability to stack up noticeably in the box score. Zachariah Branch has burning speed and legitimate YAC ability to leverage, so hopefully his tiny frame doesn't hold him back, but the fear is he might end up a gadget player.
Tier 9 (14)
Eric McAlister, WR, TCU (6-4, 194)
Bryce Lance, WR, North Dakota State (6-3, 204)
Eli Heidenreich, WR/RB, Navy (6-0, 195)
Dean Connors, RB, Houston (5-10, 208)
Seth McGowan, RB, Kentucky (6-0, 223)
Roman Hemby, RB, Indiana (6-0, 206)
Mike Washington, RB, Arkansas (6-1, 223)
Kaytron Allen, RB, Penn State (5-11, 216)
RJ Maryland, TE, SMU (6-4, 236)
John Michael Gyllenborg, TE, Wyoming (6-6, 249)
Oscar Delp, TE, Georgia (6-5, 245)
Justin Joly, TE, North Carolina State (6-4, 241)
Michael Trigg, TE, Baylor (6-4, 240)
Carson Beck, QB, Miami (FL) (6-5, 233)
Eric McAlister produced better than almost all receivers in this class, both at Boise State and TCU, but he has a gun charge in his past and he botched his pro day workout by adding too much weight too quickly – McAlister ran just a 4.53-second pro day 40 with abysmal jumps, but it's pretty clearly because he added 16 pounds in a month from his Combine weigh-in to the TCU pro day. Bryce Lance is super toolsy (4.34 40, 41.5-inch vertical, 133-inch broad jump) yet his badly delayed production at North Dakota State probably raises a comparison like Jeff Janis rather than anything especially exciting.
Eli Heidenreich posted monstrous numbers at Navy as a runner/receiver hybrid, but I think he's pretty clearly a wide receiver in the NFL to the point that his running days are mostly over. The question is whether Heidenreich's memorable production indicates NFL-caliber skill, or if it instead is just a case study on what happens when Navy has someone, anyone, capable of running a 4.44 40 as Heidenreich did at the Combine.
That Dean Connors wasn't invited to the Combine is more embarrassing for the Combine than Connors – his 4.48 pro-day 40 along with strong jumps (39.5 vert, 122 broad) showed he has the athleticism necessary for his strong dual-threat skill set to manifest at the NFL level if given the chance. Seth McGowan outplayed Mike Washington when they were both at New Mexico State, and McGowan probably already would have been an NFL draft pick if not for the felony burglary charge that got McGowan kicked out of Oklahoma. If you want more thoughts on Washington then click here – I'm definitely repeating myself by now (sorry). Roman Hemby gets zero hype but I really do like his overall profile following his pro-day workout, because his 4.56-second 40 ruled out worst-case fears of him running something like a 4.75 instead. Hemby offers a combination power/pass-catching variable that few running backs do. Kaytron Allen has no distinguishing traits but his reliability with both zone and power concepts should make him a good backup, especially for a run-heavy team.
RJ Maryland and John Michael Gyllenborg both demonstrated pass-catching ability at the college level, and both tested well athletically at the Combine. Oscar Delp also tested extremely well as an athlete (4.49 40, 38-inch vert, 125-inch broad), albeit in a pro day setting, and with much worse collegiate production than in the cases of Maryland, Gyllenborg, Justin Joly and Michael Trigg. Joly and Trigg both posted poor workout numbers at their respective pro days, though Trigg at least had an injury excuse and likely remains a standout raw athlete despite his 27.5-inch vertical, which almost certainly isn't accurate when healthy.
Carson Beck will never run in the NFL and could therefore pose only modest fantasy upside even in his best-case scenarios, but worse prospects have started double-digit games or more in the NFL.
Tier 10 (17)
Demond Claiborne, RB, Wake Forest (5-11, 188)
Le'Veon Moss, RB, Texas A&M (5-11, 211)
Kaelon Black, RB, Indiana (5-9, 211)
Adam Randall, RB, Clemson (6-3, 232)
Robert Henry, RB, UTSA (5-9, 196)
J'Mari Taylor, RB, Virginia (5-10, 199)
Jamal Haynes, RB, Georgia Tech (5-7, 195)
Eli Raridon, TE, Notre Dame (6-6, 245)
Jack Endries, TE, Texas (6-5, 245)
Sam Roush, TE, Stanford (6-6, 267)
Matthew Hibner, TE, SMU (6-4, 251)
Dallen Bentley, TE, Utah (6-4, 253)
Caleb Douglas, WR, Texas Tech (6-4, 206)
Eric Rivers, WR, Georgia Tech (5-10, 176)
Emmanuel Henderson, WR, Kansas (6-1, 185)
Taylen Green, QB, Arkansas (6-6, 227)
Diego Pavia, QB, Vanderbilt (5-10, 207)
Demond Claiborne has wheels (4.37-second 40) but his lack of production from scrimmage clarifies that he's likely just another Raymond Calais type. Le'Veon Moss was a big recruit and knows how to run with the ball but he has plodding athleticism and was constantly hurt in college. Kaelon Black was not invited to the Combine but did fairly well at the Indiana pro day (4.46-second 40) and was a productive runner in college, though his absence of pass-catching production could indicate a major upside limitation. Adam Randall is an entirely unserious running back prospect but does have legitimate upside at tight end if he ever gets moved there, and he might. Robert Henry found daylight often at UTSA but he might not have enough speed to do the same at the NFL level. J'Mari Taylor has a solid skill set, including as a pass catcher, but he's light and ran just a 4.66-second pro day 40. Although he's much shorter, Jamal Haynes went along the same trajectory as Jordan Mason at Georgia Tech, producing well initially before getting Wally Pipped later, though Haynes gets less grace for his benching since it wasn't a Jahmyr Gibbs-caliber back who sent him there.
Tier 10 it might be, but the tight end group here is quite good for how far down into the rankings we are. Eli Raridon would probably be a projected NFL starter if not for his two ACL tears, and he certainly could still emerge as a starter despite that. Jack Endries did not produce efficiently at California or Texas, but his 4.62-second 40 was good. Sam Roush generated hype with his standout testing on a massive frame, but his production was awful at Stanford and he's tied for the fifth-shortest arms out of the last 333 tight ends measured at the Combine, according to Mockdraftable. Matthew Hibner mostly blocked at SMU while RJ Maryland took the prime pass-catching opportunities, but Hibner's 4.57-second 40 implies untapped pass-catching upside with a little luck. Dallen Bentley would be ranked higher if he had produced sooner than 2025, his only productive season at Utah, but now his advanced age undercuts the already limited value of that production.
Caleb Douglas might just be another Erik Ezukanma type, but perhaps there exists another dimension where Ezukanma was more successful in the NFL. To be fair to Douglas either way, his 40 time (4.39, Combine) was way better than Ezukanma's pro day 4.55. Eric Rivers is probably just another Scotty Miller, possessing downfield speed and receiving ability but lacking an underneath or over-the-middle game. Emmanuel Henderson might be another David Tyree/Steve Tasker type on special teams, which should get him active on game days at least.
Taylen Green is outrageously athletic and poses a major rushing threat at the NFL level, though his passing acumen is lacking badly enough that teams might want to move him to tight end or receiver. Diego Pavia clearly has something to him, even at 5-foot-10, but his build makes him a long shot to start by design at any point in the NFL.
