2026 Pre-draft Guide
A lot of people draft their dynasty teams prior to the NFL Draft, so here you go!
1.01 - Jeremiyah Love
1.02 - Makai Lemon
1.03 - Carnell Tate
1.04 - Fernando Mendoza
1.05 - Jordyn Tyson
1.06 - KC Concepcion
1.07 - Omar Cooper Jr.
1.08 - Eli Stowers
1.09 - Jonah Coleman
1.10 - Jadarian Price
- Love is the safe 1.01. Top five upside at RB in year one.
- 1.02 - 1.05 are all interchangable. Tyson is the riskiest of the group due to injury concerns that could hinder developmental aspects. Mendoza, Lemon & Tate are safer options.
- Concecpion is the "home run" in the 1.06 - 1.08 region. Could see a more volatile path, but the upside is higher than Cooper Jr. & Stowers.
- Stowers is a bit of a risk, but the reward is a yearly top 6 finish the position with his receiving skillset.
- Coleman is a bit safer than Price due to LRZ projection, even if Price goes a round or so before him.
2.01 - Antonio Williams
2.02 - Denzel Boston
2.03 - Ty Simpson
2.04 - Skyler Bell
2.05 - Chris Brazzell II
2.06 - Garrett Nussmeier
2.07 - Max Klare
2.08 - Kenyon Sadiq
2.09 - Demond Claiborne
2.10 - Malachi Fields
- Antonio Williams projects to have a safe career floor with a McConkey like ceiling.
- Draft capital will matter the most for the running backs here - look for the backs who are projected early second round capital first seeing that their grades are all within the same tier. Coleman or Price could fall to the early 2nd. Claiborne likely a RD4/5 guy, but worth a late second round grab with his upside & ability.
- Boston is a safe, boring option that can give plenty of WR3/4 seasons with a WR2 performance sprinkled in. Brazzell is the lotto ticket of the round if he lands in a good environment.
- Klare is a better overall player than Sadiq, however Sadiq will get drafted higher and will likely be overdrafted in fantasy.
- Not a big Simpson fan, would rather throw the dart at Nussmeier later in the 2nd or early 3rd round.
- Washington Jr. will be drafted around 2.03 in Rookie Draft (pre-draft) too high for me with players like Williams / Boston / Stowers likely to be available.
Favorite non first two round players in Rookie Drafts
- Cole Payton, QB
-- Upside. Upside. Upside. If he sits for two seasons he has a chance to be a starter similar to Malik Willis' path. Has the traits, just needs the trust of an organization & polish at the position.
- Taylen Green, QB
-- Just like with Cole Payton, the upside is what you're shooting for with Green. Has some Colin Kaepernick to his game & is as athletic as they come on the surface level.
- Emmett Johnson, RB
-- Would take Johnson higher, however his projected capital is RD5 - if he goes higher than that to a clean room he could take off like Bucky Irving did a couple years prior.
- Nick Singleton, RB
-- He'll either become Cam Akers or Zach Evans. No in-between, but he is worth the risk in RD3.
- Eli Heidenriech, RB
-- The "positionless" propect in this cycle. Displayed enough at Navy to make you wonder what he would do with greater development at RB.Has contributor level upside in the right spot.
- Kevin Coleman Jr., WR
-- Tier B prospect for me & one that has the upside of Zay Flowers if he lands in the right environment. Priority 3rd round target that I am comfortable taking in the late 2nd.
- De'Zhaun Stribling, WR
-- Two level receiver who is a sound blocker & offers post-catch skills. Similar to Jennings in SF - worth a pick in the early 3rd.
Elijah Surratt, WR
-- One of those "boring" prospects that will stick around the league for ten years and have spikes of fantast impact.
- Sam Roush, TE
-- Could be the 26' Sam LaPorta. Blocks his rear end off & is a reliable MOF pass catcher. Perfect fit for the 12/13p dominant teams with the way the league is shifting.
- Oscar Delp, TE
-- Legitimate first round talent knocked down by poor schematic usage & injury. In TE premium he & Roush are early RD3 targets.
"Buyers Beware"
- Ty Simpson, QB
-- Simpson could end up becoming a Brock Purdy-type of player, however there are significant shortcomings in terms of decision-making & second level accuracy over the middle of the field. He has a tendency to pass up the "easy" for the "big" - if he can clean this up he can ascend to being a middle of the road type starter.
- Mike Washington Jr., RB
-- High fumble rate, and an extremely linear driven, boom/bust style of running is not a recipe for long term success. Washington has a lot to clean up before he deseves a significant snap share.
- Chris Bell, WR
-- Tantalising physical tools, however when you look at the laundry list of prospects built like Bell it isn't a good bet for long term success. December ACL surgery, and already a poor lateral mover. He is a long shot for success.