To begin my 13th year of publishing rookie profiles, I am starting with wide receivers and moving to running backs next. In the past, I always kicked off the series with quarterbacks, but this year, the QB position is devoid of top talent. With that in mind, I made an editorial decision to pivot to receivers first. It is important to adapt to provide the best possible information and analysis for Draftniks and Dynasty managers alike; therefore, I will begin with my 2026 rookie wide receiver prospect rankings.
My wide receiver prospect rankings are based on a comprehensive analysis of performance metrics, athletic traits, and game film study to ensure a thorough evaluation. Click here for a link to my complete WR Model, which places players in tiers to help fantasy players find value in their upcoming drafts. Read on for profiles of my top six players, including their college resumes, film breakdowns, and skills.
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2026 Rookie Wide Receiver Prospect Rankings
1. Makai Lemon, USC
Prospect Resume
While Ohio State and LSU continually produce elite wide receiver prospects, USC belongs in the conversation among the nation’s best programs. Over the past 12 years, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Drake London, Michael Pittman, and JuJu Smith-Schuster all learned their trade as members of the Trojans. In 2025, another Trojan, Makai Lemon, stands atop the WR prospects in the upcoming Draft and earns a top 10 overall grade in my evaluation.
In high school, Lemon was named an Under Armour All-American and selected to play in the Polynesian Bowl in 2023. He earned MaxPreps All-America First Team and All-State in California. He also played defense and special teams as a senior. After graduating early, he enrolled at USC in January to begin his Trojan tenure.
As a true freshman in the fall, the California native saw action in nine games and recorded six catches for 88 yards while returning five kicks for 93 yards. In his second season, he led the team in receptions with 52 and yards with 764 while scoring three times. He also returned 19 kicks for 514 yards, a 27.1 average, which was sixth-best in the nation, earning All-Big Ten Return Specialist Third Team.
In 2025, Lemon’s impressive campaign, with 79 catches for 1,156 yards and 11 scores, earned him respect from opponents and admiration from fans as he led the P4 Conferences in yards and touchdowns. He exceeded the century mark in five games, scored a touchdown in eight of 12 contests, and averaged 14.6 yards per catch (ypc). His accolades, including All-America First Team and the Biletnikoff Award, attest to his performance and talent.
https://twitter.com/uscfb/status/1994966081094779279
Film Breakdown and Skills
At 5’11” and 195 pounds, Lemon is a versatile playmaker who can be employed in the slot and as a Z-receiver on the outside. A technical route runner, he devours one-on-one matchups, destroying cushions with lightning quickness and turbo-burst acceleration. The former Trojan has incredible body control, toughness, elusiveness, and change-of-direction skills. He identifies holes in zones and excels in the middle of the field. A nuanced and savvy technician, he has great lateral agility and makes sharp cuts. He is a natural-hands catcher who easily snatches the ball in the air and wins at all three levels of the defense. He can play on special teams and thrives in the open field with stupendous spatial awareness.
On the downside, Lemon does not possess premium size and needs to improve against press coverage — the Trojans did a great job of scheming him away from bigger, stronger, and longer-armed corners who could push him and misdirect his route. Press corners can frustrate Lemon and prevent him from separating. Does he possess top-end speed to take the top off the secondary? Maybe not. He is also a limited run blocker and has a smaller catch radius. Still, in a creative offense focused on his strengths, I do not doubt that Lemon will shine as a professional. He stands atop my WR rankings with a top 10 overall score.
Scholar’s Grade: A-
2. Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State
Prospect Resume
In 1979, Sports Illustrated featured Chargers’ electric receiver John Jefferson, and I learned he played college football at Arizona State. I immediately loved their logo and uniforms. Over the past 12 years, I have graded N’Keal Harry, Jaelen Strong, and Brandon Aiyuk from the program; Jordyn Tyson earned a higher grade than any of these notable Sun Devils, underscoring his exceptional talent and potential.
As a three-star recruit in high school, Tyson played both basketball and football (his brother Jaylon plays in the NBA). As a senior on the gridiron, he posted 80 catches for 1,512 yards and 12 scores. After high school, Tyson enrolled at Colorado and logged 22 catches for 470 yards and five touchdowns as a true freshman. Against his future team Arizona State, he became the first Buffalo to record over 100 receiving and 100 punt return yards in a game, earning weekly All-PAC 12 honors. However, a torn ACL, MCL, and PCL late in the season caused him to miss the 2023 campaign after transferring to Arizona State.
Two years ago, the Sun Devils’ playmaker exploded on the college football landscape. He was named to the All-American Third Team after snatching 75 passes for 1,101 yards and scoring 10 times. He also collected the Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year award and recorded five games with over 100 yards receiving.
In 2025, Tyson endured an upper-body injury against Arizona in the ninth game of the season, missing the remainder of the campaign. Thankfully, he is expected to be fully recovered for NFL evaluation. Before his injury, the lean-and-sleek competitor recorded 61 receptions for 711 yards and eight scores. He was named to the Biletnikoff Award Watch list and made the All-Big 12 First Team and AP All-America Third Team.
Film Breakdown and Skills
At 6’2″ and 200 pounds, Tyson is a versatile receiver capable of making an immediate impact across multiple roles. A nuanced route runner with a high football IQ, he has mastered a substantial route tree and easily separates with fluid hips and terrific transitions. The redshirt junior manipulates opponents with head fakes and route pacing and wins with fluidity and spatial awareness. He has prodigious body control, lateral agility, and fantastic footwork. On the sideline, he boxes out defenders and uses angles and leverage to secure the pass.
On deep patterns, Tyson eats cushions, gets on top of defensive backs, tracks the ball well, and makes over-the-shoulder highlight catches. With stupendous leaping ability and strong hands at the catch point, he comes out victorious on contested catches. He is excellent with the ball in his hands as well, running with purpose and beating opponents through contact with strength and fortitude.
In terms of negatives, injuries throughout Tyson’s college tenure will clearly impact an organization’s grade on the Sun Devils’ playmaker. The medical analysis at the Combine will provide further insight into his long-term prognosis. He also allows defensive backs to place their hands on him and redirect routes. We will have to see if he has the elite straight-line speed, such as a 40-yard dash time under 4.45 sec, to burn safeties deep.
Tyson also has a lean frame and might need to add a little bulk to handle the physical pounding at the next level. At times, he is a little lackadaisical in rounding in and out of breaks deep in routes. Despite these concerns, Tyson can step onto the field immediately and help an offense in need of a difference-maker in the aerial assault.
Scholar’s Grade: A-
3. Carnell Tate, Ohio State
Prospect Resume
When examining Carnell Tate‘s teammates, it is astonishing how many premier prospects at receiver he played with during his time at Ohio State: Marvin Harrison Jr., Emeka Egbuka, and Jeremiah Smith. Scouting Tate, the production profile does not provide sufficient insight into his skills or potential. Tate’s teammates’ production clearly limited his counting statistics during his three seasons on campus.
Despite all of the tremendous options in the Buckeyes’ passing game, Tate still excelled, ranking among the top three receivers in the upcoming draft class. Last year, the Buckeyes’ playmaker earned All-America Second Team and All-Big Ten First Team honors after securing 51 passes for a career-high 875 yards and nine scores. He was also named a Biletnikoff semifinalist and an All-Big Ten Distinguished Scholar. Averaging 17.2 ypc, he surpassed the century mark in receiving yards four times and scored in eight of 11 games.
As a sophomore the year before, Tate played behind Egbuka and Smith and still set a career-high with 52 catches for 733 yards and four scores. In 2024, he earned the Big Ten Conference Distinguished Scholar, OSU Scholar-Athlete, and Academic All-Big Ten honors. As a freshman in 2023, Tate earned OSU Scholar-Athlete honors and showcased his future skills with 18 receptions for 264 yards and a touchdown.
As a high schooler in 2022, Tate was a four-star recruit and the No. 22 overall prospect in the nation. He averaged over 22 ypc and scored eight touchdowns in eight games during his senior season for IMG Academy in Florida. At every step of his football journey, Tate has excelled on the field and in the classroom.
https://twitter.com/CFBONFOX/status/1994850845360615594
Film Breakdown and Skills
At 6’3″ and 195 pounds, Tate is a smooth, fluid athlete who excels at all levels of the defense. He has exceptional body control to make mid-air adjustments and uses head fakes and sinks his hips to create separation. He tracks the deep ball well and wins at the catch point with great hands and a massive wingspan, effortlessly plucking the ball away from his body.
A savvy and cunning route runner, Tate has a high route-running IQ and beats both man and zone coverage. He shines in the middle of the field and excels vertically, easily locating the pass over his shoulder. The former Buckeye attacks the football in flight and secures the pass, with a very low drop rate (0% per PFF in 2025) over the past two seasons. Once the ball is in his hands, he makes the first tackler whiff and immediately moves north-south to gain yards after catch. In the ground game, he is a stupendous run blocker, which will endear him to coaches and get him on the field immediately as a rookie.
But can Tate become an alpha target hog as a professional? He has not been the No. 1 playmaker in three seasons at Ohio State, so every organization must answer that question before projecting Tate at the next level. On deep passes, he is more bursty and savvy than pure raw speed. He has limited functional strength on his lean frame when confronted by press coverage. Tate also does not have exceptional start-stop movement skills and did not accumulate many yards after catch (4.5 YAC/REC). There is no question that he will be taken off the board in the first round of the Draft. But I do worry about his ceiling as a fantasy performer in the NFL.
Scholar’s Grade: A-
4. KC Concepcion, Texas A&M
Prospect Resume KC
It is always fascinating to watch other Draftniks come around on a prospect’s potential after summer scouting, during which I identified KC Concepcion as an underrated player. Also, College Fantasy Football is a great hobby for fantasy diehards to deepen their understanding of the player pool. In 2023, Concepcion earned the CFF Freshman of the Year honors, and he was a great value in drafts last summer after transferring to Texas A&M from North Carolina State. Now, he is one of the highest risers among wide receiver prospects.
Concepcion was a three-star high school recruit and the No. 8 player in North Carolina. During his final two varsity seasons, he grabbed 65 passes for 977 yards and 12 touchdowns. He enrolled early at NCSU in January 2023 and immediately rose up the Wolfpack’s depth chart. As a true freshman, Concepcion captured the ACC Rookie of the Year and Offensive Rookie of the Year. He set the ACC freshman records for touchdowns (seven) and receptions (71) while totaling 839 receiving yards. He then secured 53 catches for 460 yards and six touchdowns as a sophomore.
Afterwards, Concepcion entered the transfer portal and inked a deal to play for the Aggies in the SEC. He then captured the Paul Hornung Award as the nation’s most versatile player, was named All-SEC First Team, and was a consensus All-American. He was one of nine players to score touchdowns receiving, rushing, and punt returning, finishing third in the FBS with an average of 20 yards per return. During his college tenure, he also carried the ball 70 times for 431 yards and three scores while returning 30 punts for 501 yards and two touchdowns. Concepcion has the skills to impact an NFL offense in a variety of ways from the first day of training camp.
Film Breakdown and Skills
A multifaceted competitor at 5’11” and 190 pounds, Concepcion creates explosive plays at all three levels of the defense and can flip the field at any moment for the offense. He excels from the inside and outside of the formation and is a tough and gritty athlete with a high “dog” score. He utilizes lightning-quick footwork to explode off the line of scrimmage and impressive pass-catching IQ to find holes against zone coverage.
With elite-level elusiveness, he is a crafty route-runner with twitchy speed and marvelous change-of-direction skills. He uses low-key head fakes and deceptive pacing to create separation and is slippery in the open field, zigging and zagging through tacklers. He closes cushions quickly, stacks opponents on vertical routes, and tracks the ball down. Concepcion also secures difficult passes as a natural hands catcher with stupendous vice-like mitts. Despite being less than ideal in size, he wins contested catches.
However, Concepcion has a leaner frame and a limited wingspan, which limits his fantasy ceiling for production. He can be pushed off the line of scrimmage by bigger defensive backs with longer arms and occasionally gets overpowered. As with the names before him on this list, Concepcion’s speed scores will be an important data point in the draft process. Does he have home run speed?
Concepcion also sometimes takes his eye off the ball when transitioning from catcher to runner, dropping too many passes (10.3% drop rate as a senior, per PFF). He is a limited run blocker on the perimeter despite his willingness to engage defenders. Despite his weaknesses, Concepion earned a first-round grade in my analysis and will surely come off the board among the top 50 picks in the Draft. This makes him an intriguing upside option for dynasty fantasy football rookie drafts.
Scholar’s Grade: B+
5. Elijah Sarratt, Indiana
Prospect Resume
In high school, I loved the song “Magic Carpet Ride” by Steppenwolf; it immediately came to mind when Indiana won the National Championship with a 16-0 record. A key member of the Hoosiers, Elijah Sarratt rode the magic carpet to All-American status, and his background story is one of the most interesting in the Draft. In high school, he played wide receiver and defensive back, and returned kickoffs and punts, earning all-state honors at defensive back and all-district honors at WR and returner. He also lettered in basketball but did not receive any college scholarships.
In 2022, Sarratt began his college career at St. Francis, an FCS program. He grabbed 42 passes for 700 yards and produced a program-record-tying mark of 13 receiving touchdowns. He collected FCS Freshman All-America and was tabbed first-team All-Northeast Conference. Afterwards, he transferred to James Madison for one season. As a member of the Dukes, Sarratt was named All-Sun Belt First Team after catching 82 passes for 1,191 yards and eight scores.
Once again, Sarratt transferred upward in competition to the Big Ten, following his coach, Curt Cignetti, across the country. In 2024, he proved skeptics wrong, earning All-Big Team Second Team honors with 53 receptions for 957 yards and eight touchdowns. PFF graded the Hoosiers’ receiver as the No. 4 receiver in the Big Ten and No. 13 among P4 teams with an 80.8 score. In 2025, he missed two games, but still recorded 55 catches for 727 yards and 13 touchdowns. Omar Cooper Jr. and Sarratt were just the fifth pair of Big Ten teammates this century to both finish the campaign with double-digit receiving touchdowns, and the first since Ohio State’s Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson. During Sarratt’s amazing journey, he collected all-conference honors during all four of his collegiate crusades.
https://twitter.com/CFBPlayoff/status/2006867174594589030
Film Breakdown and Skills
Sarratt is a professional-ready chain mover at 6’2″ and 213 pounds with reliable hands and prodigious body control. He is a refined route runner who excels on intermediate routes and contested-catch battles, demonstrating strong hand-eye coordination and body positioning. Standing out on intermediate routes, he wins in traffic, adjusts to the ball in flight, and consistently finds the first down marker.
With good mental concentration, the four-year competitor smoothly plucks the pass away from his body and shines at back shoulder throws. He also moves well downfield along the boundary and is a sneaky home-run hitter despite a lack of elite speed. He employs pace, leverage, and angles to create separation. In pressure situations, Sarratt remains calm and poised to make the catch. Nicknamed “Waffle House” by teammates because he is always open.
The first criticism from most analysts focuses on Sarratt’s lack of separation, which is true, and it will knock him down on some draft boards. To get open, he relies too much on his hands, and he lacks high-level fluidity and lateral agility. He occasionally struggles to beat press coverage and has limited yards after catch potential. Lacking vertical burst, he is not explosive after the catch and does not threaten safeties deep. He is also an inconsistent run blocker despite his good size.
Still, I like to focus on “how does a player win?” and Sarratt has many traits and skills that will translate to success at the next level. He might be a little scheme-dependent, but in the right one, the former Hoosier will be a successful fantasy player.
Scholar’s Grade: B
6. Denzel Boston, Washington
Prospect Resume
When Denzel Boston walked onto campus as a freshman in 2022, he entered a very crowded wide receiver locker room with Rome Odunze, Jalen McMillan, and Ja’Lynn Polk. The same trio remained in Washington for Boston’s sophomore season, and he did not earn many snaps or targets as the Huskies reached the National Championship Game. But over the past two campaigns, Boston has ascended to the top of Washington’s aerial assault and delivered back-to-back productive seasons.
Last year, Boston captured Washington’s Offensive Skill Player of the Year Award for the second season in a row after leading the Huskies in receptions (62), yards (881), and receiving touchdowns (11). His 11 receiving touchdowns tied for sixth all-time in single-season school history. He was named All-Big Ten Third Team at wide receiver and All-Big Ten honorable mention as a return specialist. In the classroom, he earned a spot on the Big Ten All-Academic team.
In 2024, the junior playmaker was named an All-Big Ten honorable mention and earned Fall Academic All-Big Ten honors. He started all 13 games and paced Washington in receiving with 63 catches for 834 yards and nine scores, averaging 13.2 ypc. During his campus career, he also returned 25 punts for 212 yards and a touchdown. He finishes his Washington tenure ranked 12th in school history in career receptions (132), 16th in yards (1,781) and eighth in receiving touchdowns (20).
Boston attended high school in Puyallup, Washington, was a three-star recruit, and ranked No. 71 among receiver prospects nationally. Playing four years on the high school varsity team, he corralled 105 passes for 1,572 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Film Breakdown and Skills
A prototypical X-receiver, Boston stands at 6’4″ and 210 pounds and has the athleticism to be highly productive on the boundary. A long strider, he has outstanding body control and ball skills and is a great leaper who skies over opponents to secure the pass with strong hands. He beats press coverage with a quick first step and is a very good route runner.
The former Husky uses double moves and sinks his hips to gain separation and finds openings in zone coverage. Boston has very good long speed, but he does need time to gear up to full throttle. With a massive catch radius, he shines in the red zone on fade throws and positions his frame to block out defenders on contested passes. He can be employed all over the formation and is a willing run blocker on the perimeter.
In terms of negatives, Boston is not a twitchy athlete and lacks high-level change-of-direction skills. On vertical routes, a dearth of top-end speed will limit his separation against corners. He does not have elite explosiveness in and out of breaks or off the line of scrimmage. Bigger defensive backs can slow him with press coverage. From time to time, he rounds off routes at the top of the stem. In spite of these limitations, Boston will clearly entice an organization in need of a boundary receiver, and he likely comes off the board within the first 50 selections in the Draft.
Scholar’s Grade: B-
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