This article breaks down the top 15 ADP rookies in Underdog best ball fantasy football drafts.
Each blurb will address the general projection of the player and weigh their current draft value at price compared to alternatives.
The players are listed in descending ADP, with the most recent ADP listed parenthetically next to each player headline. Each blurb contains a general advisory on how to approach the player in the updated Underdog ADP.
The suggested exposure rates in each case are generally conservative -- for example, while I list Eli Stowers as an 'Aggressive' buy to an according 20 percent exposure rate, I might pursue Stowers to something more like a 30 percent rate in my personal portfolio.
Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame (15.8)
Pre-Combine ADP: 18.4
Pre-Combine verdict: Cautious Exposure (Up to ~10.0 percent)
Love was one of the Combine's top performers, logging a 4.36-second 40-yard dash at 6-feet, 212 pounds. This seems to have given Love a slight, but not trivial price increase.
I don't think Love's Combine showing addressed any concerns or illustrated any strengths that we didn't know beforehand. We knew Love is very fast and can jump very high. What we don't know about Love is how much usage he can withstand.
I don't think it's ideal for Love's volume capacity to play at 212 pounds. Love's height registers at 73rd percentile among running backs, according to Mockdraftable, yet his 212 pounds is only 47th percentile. You want a running back's weight percentile to be near or higher than their height percentile. The more divergent the height and weight percentiles, the less natural anchor the running back has.
Similarly, there was never any question about Love's ability to do big-time damage on a per-touch basis, including as a receiver. There's zero question that on one given play Love is about as dangerous as any running back in the league.
The persisting question, and the one I would need addressed to change Love's valuation, is how many touches he can handle over the course of a season. That 212 pounds is the same weight D'Andre Swift logged at 5-foot-8. Imagine Swift simply becoming four inches taller without adding any weight. This is not the build for grinding between the tackles.
Post-Combine verdict: Cautious Exposure (Up to ~10.0 percent)
Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State (56.7)
Pre-Combine ADP: 53.4
Pre-Combine verdict: Worthwhile Exposure (Up to ~15.0 percent)
It's perfectly coherent to regard Tate's 4.53-second Combine 40 as a strike to his projection and still not let it affect your grade for him at ADP.
I think it's more that if Tate had torched the Combine then it would have been grounds for substantially raising his price. There's an ongoing ambiguity about the WR1 distinction in this draft, but if Tate had run a 4.45 then there would be no such ambiguity.
That the ambiguity persists in the meantime doesn't matter much for us. Tate was a reasonable pick going into the Combine, and he has done nothing since to change that, even if certain fantasies were ruled out in the process.
Post-Combine verdict: Worthwhile Exposure (Up to ~15.0 percent)
Makai Lemon, WR, USC (63.5)
Pre-Combine ADP: 57.2
Pre-Combine verdict: Worthwhile Exposure (Up to ~15.0 percent)
Lemon's 4.53-second pro day 40 wasn't awful, but between his below-average speed, short arms and small hands I really doubt Lemon will be especially competitive on the boundary. He still projects easily from the slot, though.
That Lemon's ADP has slightly dipped in light of this makes him slightly more interesting – it's not new to his projection that he might be slot-dependent, so if his price slips over that observation I see it as an error in the reasoning.
Post-Combine verdict: Worthwhile Exposure (Up to ~15.0 percent)
Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State (69.0)
Pre-Combine ADP: 58.6
Pre-Combine verdict: Worthwhile Exposure (Up to ~15.0 percent)
Perhaps I'm still not sufficiently accounting for the durability concerns with Tyson – the hamstring he injured in-season was still a problem at the Combine, and the longer that drags on the worse it admittedly looks for Tyson – but I don't understand how Tyson is clearly behind Tate and Lemon in the ADP when they added their own concerns in this pre-draft process with poor athletic testing.
Tyson is nearly a round cheaper than he was going into the Combine, yet the one new datapoint (the hamstring) is something that could disappear at any time. I'm inclined to lean into it.
Post-Combine verdict: Extensive Exposure (Up to ~18.0 percent)
Jadarian Price, RB, Notre Dame (105.5)
Pre-Combine ADP: 97.0
Pre-Combine verdict: Worthwhile Exposure (Up to ~15.0 percent)
Price's 4.49-second 40-yard dash is not bad, it's just not as good as what was hoped for going in. Particularly for a player billed specifically as a big-play specialist/kick returner, I would prefer to see a better confirmed speed.
Players who win with big-plays in college are more speed-dependent in their NFL projections, because the game gets much faster and if you want to make a living outrunning people then you need to be actually able to outrun them.
I don't see why Price would be considered an objectively better prospect than Emmett Johnson, who is not dependent on his speed projection given that he never won at Nebraska by outrunning people. Price is still probably a good player, but the price is a little harsh unless Price starts to drift to the 120.0 range.
Post-Combine verdict: Cautious Exposure (Up to ~12.5 percent)
Jonah Coleman, RB, Washington (126.6)
Pre-Combine ADP: 116.3
Pre-Combine verdict: Cautious Exposure (Up to ~12.5 percent)
Coleman's game is easy to like and there's clearly a place for a guy like him in an NFL game plan, yet he lacks the clear starter indications that we'd like to see in a player who costs this much.
Particularly given that Coleman refused to do any athletic testing before the draft, I think we are compelled to assume that Coleman is a poor athlete by running back standards. A 40-yard dash in the 4.7 range is a serious possibility, and if so it would realistically preclude Coleman from starting in the NFL for more than short periods at a time.
I certainly still prefer Coleman over Mike Washington, but I'm not taking either of them over Jacory Croskey-Merritt (136.0) or Chris Rodriguez (143.3).
Post-Combine verdict: Cautious Exposure (Up to ~12.5 percent)
Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon (127.8)
Pre-Combine ADP: 145.8
Pre-Combine verdict: Cautious Exposure (Up to ~10.0 percent)
Sadiq's legendary Combine will make him the first rookie tight end selected, and you couldn't fault anyone if they got their hopes up for Sadiq making a star-level impact in the NFL, including early on in his career.
Sadiq's price jumping so much is a little puzzling, though, because we went in assuming Sadiq would torch the Combine. Similarly, as much as the Vernon Davis comparison is fair, Davis was a much more productive player at Maryland than Sadiq was at Oregon.
Given that Sadiq's production at Oregon lagged relative to his athletic tools, and accounting for his young age (turned 21 in early March), I think there's reason to suspect a slow start for Sadiq in the NFL, at least relative to the extremely high present expectations.
Sadiq is also broadly coveted enough that I think you have to consider the possibility that he won't be the 2026 TE1 for whatever team drafts him. Sadiq could go as high as ninth overall to the Chiefs, for instance – a great landing spot for Sadiq in the long term, and yet one where he might get brought along slowly. The NFL team drafting Sadiq won't necessarily do so with 2026 specifically in mind.
Post-Combine verdict: Cautious Exposure (Up to ~10.0 percent)
KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M (119.9)
Pre-Combine ADP: 125.7
Pre-Combine verdict: Skeptical Exposure (Up to ~5.0 percent)
Although he didn't do athletic testing, I worry Concepcion might be the player I was most incorrect about going into the Combine.
I went in assuming Concepcion and Zachariah Branch were largely the same guy – a sub-6-foot, skinnyish YAC merchant whatever the case – but their weigh-ins clarified that Concepcion is a totally different body type relative to Branch, who truly might be a slot-only wideout at 5-foot-9, 177 pounds.
Concepcion, by contrast, checked in at 6-foot, 196 pounds. With that frame Concepcion easily projects as a flanker rather than a slot-dependent target, and with that detail it's easier to see Concepcion pushing for a starter snap count as a rookie.
The concerns about poor hands or/and primitive route running remain significant for Concepcion, but his rare acceleration/change of direction can be leveraged more as a receiver viable at both the flanker and slot reps, as opposed to only the slot.
Post-Combine verdict: Worthwhile Exposure (Up to ~15.0 percent)
Denzel Boston, WR, Washington (133.6)
Pre-Combine ADP: 106.3
Pre-Combine verdict: Skeptical Exposure (Up to ~5.0 percent)
I'm still skeptical that Boston is much more than a Dontayvion Wicks type, and his refusal to run a 40-yard dash isn't encouraging.
With that said, Boston's price is cheap enough now – more than two rounds lower than it was before the Combine – that some of the risk has been accounted for more properly by now. Even if his draft stock is worse, I find Boston a more justifiable purchase at this new price.
I still easily prefer options like Jalen McMillan (135.2), Rashid Shaheed (139.1) and Brandon Aiyuk (152.3), though. Probably others, too.
Post-Combine verdict: Cautious Exposure (Up to ~10.0 percent)
Mike Washington, RB, Arkansas (134.1)
Pre-Combine ADP: 218.2
Pre-Combine verdict: Minimal or No Exposure (Up to ~2.5 percent)
Safe to say that I didn't expect Washington to run a 4.33-second 40 – I was assuming more like a 4.48 – but I also don't really care. Washington wasn't a draftable player to me before the Combine. Even with his 4.33 I think he's a sixth-round pick in any decent running back class.
Washington's draft stock admittedly could benefit greatly from the weakness of this class. But that doesn't change the fact that this class grades poorly relative to the veterans.
Washington going ahead of players like Jacory Croskey-Merritt (136.0), Chris Rodriguez (143.3) and Emanuel Wilson (168.7) is just nuts, and I'm not going to flinch on this.
I can understand why someone might feel FOMO about low Washington exposure in light of all his Combine hype, but I think this is a player you'll be glad you 'missed out on.'
Post-Combine verdict: Minimal or No Exposure (Up to ~2.5 percent)
Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana (149.5)
Pre-Combine ADP: 133.6
Pre-Combine verdict: Worthwhile Exposure (Up to ~15.0 percent)
Mendoza's ADP likely dropped due to vaporous reports that the Raiders might prefer to not start Mendoza in 2026, but Mendoza might already be an average or better NFL starting quarterback and I'd be shocked if he didn't start at least 15 games, personally.
If anything, I view Mendoza's price decrease as a buying opportunity rather than a sign for concern.
Post-Combine verdict: Worthwhile Exposure (Up to ~15.0 percent)
Omar Cooper, WR, Indiana (147.8)
Pre-Combine ADP: 185.0
Pre-Combine verdict: Cautious Exposure (Up to ~10.0 percent)
Cooper definitely did better at the Combine than I expected, logging a 4.42-second 40 at 199 pounds and generating a lot of first-round hype in the process.
While it's good to see that Cooper is a good athlete, it still begs the question of why he produced so little at Indiana. His 2025 breakout season was a major success relative to college football standards, but it's a little late by NFL prospect evaluation standards and even in 2025 Cooper was not as dominant as he should have been if the extremely optimistic present narrative on Cooper is accurate.
In 2024 Cooper struggled to separate from the likes of return specialist Myles Price and Ke'Shawn Williams. Cooper has never caught a pass against Ohio State, and 24.4 percent of his career receiving yardage at Indiana was accumulated in just three games – two against Indiana State, and one against Western Illinois. Doesn't this sound a little odd?
Cooper is probably some form of a good player, but if all of the positives attributed to him are true then his production at Indiana basically makes no sense. I'm not taking him over Brandon Aiyuk (152.3), Deebo Samuel (158.0) or Adonai Mitchell (170.7).
Post-Combine verdict: Cautious Exposure (Up to ~10.0 percent)
Emmett Johnson, RB, Nebraska (164.2)
Pre-Combine ADP: 127.8
Pre-Combine verdict: Extensive Exposure (Up to ~18.0 percent)
Johnson definitely had one of the worst Combine showings among the running backs, logging a 4.56-second 40 at only 202 pounds. I see it as a missed opportunity to go higher in the order – Johnson would warrant a top-40 selection if he had run faster than a 4.50 in my opinion – so I'm not off Johnson at all despite the poor athletic testing.
Johnson's overall description looked a lot like Bucky Irving even before the Combine, and with Johnson's poor Combine numbers the comparison is even more on the nose. Irving had a worse Combine yet, and obviously we don't care now. Both players are defined by hot motors and instant processing, which offsets their relative lacks of speed and explosiveness. Johnson simply advances the football, including as a pass catcher.
For Johnson's ADP to drop nearly 40 spots based on those Combine numbers is an overreaction, in my opinion, so I'm grading Johnson's price-adjusted value the same as before the Combine despite his draft stock slipping slightly.
Post-Combine verdict: Extensive Exposure (Up to ~18.0 percent)
Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt (185.7)
Pre-Combine ADP: 222.0
Pre-Combine verdict: Aggressive Exposure (Up to ~20.0 percent)
Stowers and Sadiq were probably the best Dueling Tight Ends show the Combine has ever seen, with Sadiq's Vernon Davis-level freakishness largely matched by the more springy (45.5-inch vertical, 135-inch broad jump) but slower (4.51-second 40) numbers logged by Stowers.
You see a lot of debate on the internet about whether Stowers is a Real Tight End and I think it's pretty much a waste of time. Stowers probably can't block, but who cares. He shouldn't be blocking anyway.
Even if Stowers is merely a big slot receiver he still shows clear merit in that capacity. Stowers was a uniquely dangerous receiver at Vanderbilt and he has the athleticism to grade highly by the standards of wide receivers, let alone tight ends.
If Stowers must be a wide receiver then he'll simply do just that. He's faster than Makai Lemon, so what's the problem?
Post-Combine verdict: Aggressive Exposure (Up to ~20.0 percent)
Nicholas Singleton, RB, Penn State (197.0)
Pre-Combine ADP: 191.7
Pre-Combine verdict: Extensive Exposure (Up to ~18.0 percent)
Singleton was unable to participate in athletic testing at both the Combine and the Penn State pro day due to a broken foot, though his last comment indicated he hoped to work out for teams at a solo-pro day before the draft.
There's a chance Singleton cannot do any athletic testing before the draft, but it might not matter much. Other notable players are choosing to not run 40s, including Jonah Coleman, so the absence of the data point might not result in Singleton's price getting any lower.
In any case, Singleton clearly stands out in this range of the ADP. He's better than Mike Washington. We'll all have a big laugh about this whole thing not that long from now.
If Singleton's ADP remains around the 200.0 mark then he will be one of my primary targets before the draft, at which point I expect his price to go up.
Post-Combine verdict: Aggressive Exposure (Up to ~20.0 percent)
