The Big Six WRs

The next Amon-Ra St. Brown, perhaps?!

Author

Ian Hartitz
March 23, 2026

At the risk of thinking anything is certain in the 2026 NFL Draft, there seem to be six specific wide receivers who have a good chance to hear their names called on April 23. Obviously, the eventual landing spots will play a big role in how we specifically rank these dudes ahead of the season, but for now, what better way to spend a Monday than getting to learn just a bit more about the fantasy heroes of tomorrow!

(Friendly reminder: You can learn a LOT more about all the draft prospects with the Fantasy Life NFL Draft Guide!)

Ohio State | WR | Carnell Tate

Olave-esque smooth customer with the ability to separate vertically with the best of 'em. The second-team All-American possesses truly elite contested-catch ability and wasn't charged with a single drop in 2025. Concerns revolve around the reality that he was never the No. 1 WR on his own team and isn't exactly prime Percy Harvin after the catch—fairly common critiques in the Buckeye pipeline.

Cool stat: Tate caught 12 of 14 contested targets (85.7%!) in 2025. Only two Power Four WRs have bested that mark since 2019 with a minimum of 10 contested targets: 2019 Justin Jefferson (12/13, 92.3%) and 2021 Jaxon Smith-Njigba (9/10, 90%). Pretty great company!

USC | WR | Makai Lemon

The reigning, defending, undisputed Biletnikoff Award winner did most of his damage out of the slot in Los Angeles, but this isn't your Grandad's boring limited slot: Lemon racked up 25 career catches on passes thrown 25+ yards downfield—none of the other projected Round 1 WRs even had 20! The ultra-competitive 21-year-old talent is as tough to get to the ground as any receiver in this class and is deserving of the common Amon-Ra St. Brown comp. The primary worry here is whether or not that ability will translate to the next level without a truly elite physical trait to fall back on.

Cool stat: Lemon's quickness makes him a nightmare against whatever coverage defenses throw his way: 2025 marks of 3.29 yards per route run vs. man (6th) and 3.09 vs. zone (4th) both rank among the very best draft-eligible Power Four WRs.

Arizona State | WR | Jordyn Tyson

We might be looking at the most talented WR in the draft here: Tyson's twitchy route-running ability has led to "XL Diontae Johnson" and "Gen-Z Amari Cooper" becoming two of my favorite comps here. Alas, the Injury Gods have been massive dickheads to Tyson over the years, making it tough to fully trust his tantalizing collegiate production and film.

Cool stat: "Unrealized air yards" is a nerdy stat that basically measures the total distance that a ball traveled from a QB to a receiver on incomplete targets … and no draft-eligible Power Four WR had more unrealized air yards than Tyson (1,457) during the past two seasons

Indiana | WR | Omar Cooper

The National Champion is responsible for probably the best catch of the 2025 college football season. Cooper combines confirmed 4.42 speed with the sort of YAC ability that will make any fanbase awfully excited to see him putting on their team's helmet. The relatively late breakout and lack of big-time production in big-time games are the primary red-ish flags here.

Cool stat: Cooper posted an ELITE missed tackles per reception mark of 0.39 in 2025—that's good for the seventh-best mark among 309 Power Four WRs with at least 50 catches in a season since 2021!

Texas A&M | WR | KC Concepcion

Balled out at NC State and Texas A&M alike, creating seamless separation against some of the best corners the country had to offer along the way. There are shades of Jordan Addison to Concepcion's game, although critics will understandably point to some rough marks in career drop rate (9.3%) and passer rating when targeted (100.5).

Cool stat: Not just a receiver: Concepcion turned 70 career rush attempts into 431 yards (6.2 YPC!) and a trio of scores during his three collegiate seasons. He also took two punts back to the house against UTSA and LSU in 2025.

Washington | WR | Denzel Boston

The latest Washington wideout set to enter the NFL, Boston's big frame (6-foot-4, 212 pounds) and jumping ability (37.5-inch vertical) helped him emerge as an elite contested-catch artist during his time in Seattle. The lack of big-time speed has led to some scary Keon Coleman comps, but personally, I think Boston offers more as a quality underneath route-runner—there's a lot of Michael Pittman to the 22-year-old's game.

Cool stat: Boston is the WR1 of this class when it comes to PFF run blocking grade. He ranked third among 276 qualified Power Four wide receivers in 2025!

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Post-NFL Free Agency Grades: All 32 Teams

NFL Teams went to school during free agency, so now it’s time to hand out some grades. Matt LaMarca reviewed all 32 teams’ work during the past couple of weeks and handed out his evaluation. One of the teams that made the biggest headlines was the Chiefs, especially after they acquired the Super Bowl MVP:

Kansas City Chiefs: B+

Notable Additions

  • RB Kenneth Walker III (3 years, $43M)

  • DT Khyiris Tonga (3 years, $21M)

  • S Alohi Gilman (3 years, $24.75M)

The Chiefs’ offense needed a turbo charge after a few down seasons, so bringing in Walker was not a huge shock. They got some of the worst RB production in the league last year, and Walker was PFF’s No. 1-rated running back. Giving him a full-time role should lead to a career year for fantasy purposes, and it has the potential to rejuvenate Patrick Mahomes as well.

Check out what the rest of the teams received, and if their moves had fantasy football implications. ⤵️

Fill QB Need in 2026 or 2027?

Some think that NFL teams are in two buckets: those who have franchise quarterbacks, and those who are looking for one.

Matthew Freedman went one step further, as he divided all 32 NFL teams into eight groups that broke up the teams’ situations into even more clearly delineated situations. Two of those teams have veteran stopgap quarterbacks as they cast an eye on the 2027 class of passers:

The depressing final tier: Two teams with veteran QBs who are hopeful bridges to a future only vaguely imaginable.

  • Arizona Cardinals: Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew  

  • New York Jets: Geno Smith

Both teams have top-three picks in the draft … but there's no QB available after Mendoza who warrants that kind of investment.

Ty Simpson (Alabama) is a reasonable option for either team at the top of Round 2. In fact, the Jets might even decide to reach for him at No. 16.

And there are still a few viable veteran QBs available via free agency: Kirk Cousins, Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco, Jimmy Garoppolo. If any of these guys signed with the Cardinals or Jets, it wouldn't be surprising.

But no one currently on the rosters now or hypothetically on the rosters in the future is good enough to keep the team from drafting a rookie QB next year.

Someone will start for the Cardinals and Jets in 2026, but they're already playing for 2027.

What are the other buckets? ⤵️

Fantasy

Around the Watercooler

The latest fantasy and NFL gossip, news, memes and more from our merry band of football nerds …

😭 Is an electric running back becoming a first-round fade in fantasy? Ugh.

📈 Bhayshul Tuten, Justin Jefferson, Ashton Jeanty, Luther Buden. What do they all have in common?

👀 Could one of those Round 1 wide receivers Ian talked about slide to Day 2?! That’s a bold prediction …

💪 The RB Super Model rolls along … Nicholas Singleton and Emmett Johnson up next.

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