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2026 NFL Draft: Day 2 Winners
Another Shanahan Surprise
The 49ers spent a full day fielding calls about potentially trading down, but in the end, they decided to hold onto the No. 33 pick and snag wide receiver De’Zhaun Stribling. At 6’2″ and 210 pounds, he’s a big target who can also block on the outside, which is important in Kyle Shanahan’s scheme. Over the past two years at Ole Miss and Oklahoma State, he piled up 107 catches for nearly 1,700 yards and 12 total touchdowns.
With the premium draft capital, Stribling is now a target for WR-needy dynasty managers in Round 2 of rookie drafts. San Francisco has a crowded receiver room; I don’t expect much production from him as a rookie. But with Mike Evans on the outside, Stribling can learn the X position behind a future Hall of Famer while mixing in as a rotational wideout early on. He’s an intriguing prospect now that he got drafted in real life much earlier than anyone anticipated.
Double-Dipping on Wideouts
We don’t know who will be under center for the Cleveland Browns in 2026 just yet. Will it be Shedeur Sanders, who is looking to build off a rocky rookie season? Or will Cleveland turn back to Deshaun Watson because of all the money sitting on the books? Whoever wins the job just got two of the best wide receiver prospects in this class. The Browns double-dipped at the position, first selecting KC Concepcion at No. 24 overall before grabbing Denzel Boston early in Round 2.
With Cleveland’s wide receiver room looking barren, there is plenty of room for Concepcion and Boston to grow and gel together, possibly giving the Browns their top two wideouts as early as this coming season. Their output will come down to how well their quarterback can get them the ball, but their playmaking skills will help whoever is under center. If you want Concepcion, you can start looking at him around pick 1.07. Boston will go a little later, likely at the end of Round 1 of rookie drafts. Ideally, these two would’ve landed on different teams, but dynasty managers have to roll with the punches.
Beck to the Desert
With a quarterback room consisting only of Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew, the Cardinals knew they had to add someone in this draft. That came at the top of Round 3, when they selected Carson Beck with the 65th overall pick. Along with his impressive physical stature — 6-foot-5, 233 pounds — Beck comes into the league with some seasoning already. He started 43 games in college and was a part of three National Championship teams, winning two of those at Georgia.
It’s that experience that could help Beck get onto the field sooner rather than later, maybe even as a rookie. Sure, the Cardinals have a ton of firepower on offense, but they couldn’t stop anyone on defense last year and finished 3-14. Maybe they improve under new head coach Mike LaFleur, but Arizona is likely in for another rough year. If they start to fall out of the playoff race, perhaps they’ll hand the keys to Beck to see what he can do. With a 50/50 chance to start a handful of games this season, Beck is worth gambling on in the middle of Round 2 in dynasty Superflex rookie drafts.
Marked Safe from Rookies
A bevy of backs and receivers came out of Day 2 happy about their job prospects. Many teams spent Rounds 2 and 3 reaching for other positions rather than investing in talented ballcarriers and pass-catchers. That leaves the following guys all with their arrows pointing up heading into 2026:
- RBs D’Andre Swift & Kyle Monangai (Bears)
- RBs David Montgomery & Woody Marks (Texans)
- RBs Bhayshul Tuten & Chris Rodriguez Jr.(Jaguars)
- RBs Tony Pollard & Tyjae Spears (Titans)
- RBs Jacory Croskey-Merritt & Rachaad White (Commanders)
- WRs Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, & Matthew Golden (Packers)
- WRs Jack Bech, Jalen Nailor, & Tre Tucker (Raiders)
Insert the “Marked Safe From” meme here — you can now draft these players without much fear of them losing their jobs in 2026.
2026 NFL Draft: Day 2 Losers
Backfield Buzzkill
So much for running backs being all the rage again. It was an awful year to be an incoming rock-toter — unless you played at Notre Dame. Both Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price went in Round 1. After them, it was like you couldn’t pay NFL teams to take a running back.
Only one went on Day 2, and he was on nobody’s radar. The 49ers’ AI draft strategy struck again when they took Indiana’s Kaelon Black in the third round. Black will turn 25 during the season and wasn’t even invited to the NFL Combine. And yet, for some reason, he was the third back picked in this draft.
Running backs who heard their names called in Round 4 include Jonah Coleman and Mike Washington Jr., but neither landed in a spot that would be ideal for immediate production. Coleman will be behind J.K. Dobbins and RJ Harvey in Denver, while Washington will clearly play second-fiddle behind Ashton Jeanty in Las Vegas.
After Love and Price, no running backs should come off the board in dynasty rookie drafts until around the middle of Round 2. Even then, managers are throwing proverbial darts. With most of these backs getting weak draft capital, pick the ones you had conviction in during the pre-draft process and pray they get a chance at some point.
AFC North WRs Get Squeezed
Au revoir, Jerry Jeudy et Rashod Bateman. Two AFC North receivers who each got buried over the weekend. In Jeudy’s case, it was rough. As I mentioned above, the Brown spent two top–40 selections on wideouts: Concepcion at No. 24 and Boston at No. 39. Even if Jeudy is a starter to begin the season, it won’t be long before he’s phased out for the youngsters unless he returns to 2024 form. (Ed. Note: Likely a headstone being chiseled for Cedric Tillman, as well.)
As for Bateman, his incoming competition didn’t receive quite the same draft capital, but he also watched his team add two receivers. First, the Ravens grabbed USC’s Ja’kobi Lane in Round 3. Then, they went back to the well and took Indiana’s Elijah Sarratt in the fourth.
The Ravens are clearly trying to get Lamar Jackson some help on the outside and in the red zone. Lane is 6’4″ and scored a touchdown on 18% of his collegiate catches. Meanwhile, Sarratt led the nation with 15 TD receptions last season.
The rookies should see plenty of action for their respective offenses; it’s only a matter of time. We’ll see if the veterans can hold them off, but we’ve likely seen the last of Jeudy and Bateman’s fantasy relevancies.
Wolf Trelles-Heard is a fantasy football analyst for PlayerProfiler.
Follow @DynastyFFWolf
