- Jeremiah Love is the top prospect: The Notre Dame running back will ideally be an every-down back in his rookie season.
- A weak quarterback class: Fernando Mendoza is the only quarterback expected to be drafted in the top 10, making him the only quarterback worthy of an early dynasty rookie pick in superflex leagues.
- 2026 NFL Draft season is here: Try the best-in-class PFF Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2026's top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.
Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes
The NFL Scouting Combine is just weeks away, making this the perfect time to dig into the 2026 rookie class. Here are my initial top-60 dynasty rookie rankings, focused on superflex, PPR leagues. Naturally, how players perform at the combine in addition to where and when they get drafted will have a major impact on the rankings between now and the end of April.
Analysis for the top 10 players can be found at the bottom of the article. You can also click on the analysis column for one of those 10 players to jump to the analysis on that player.
Last updated: 5 a.m. Monday, February 16
| Rank | Name | Position | Analysis |
| 1 | Jeremiyah Love | RB | Details |
| 2 | Carnell Tate | WR | Details |
| 3 | Jordyn Tyson | WR | Details |
| 4 | Makai Lemon | WR | Details |
| 5 | Denzel Boston | WR | Details |
| 6 | Fernando Mendoza | QB | Details |
| 7 | KC Concepcion | WR | Details |
| 8 | Ty Simpson | QB | Details |
| 9 | Jonah Coleman | RB | Details |
| 10 | Kenyon Sadiq | TE | Details |
| 11 | Jadarian Price | RB | |
| 12 | Chris Bell | WR | |
| 13 | Emmett Johnson | RB | |
| 14 | Elijah Sarratt | WR | |
| 15 | Germie Bernard | WR | |
| 16 | Nicholas Singleton | RB | |
| 17 | Chris Brazzell II | WR | |
| 18 | Kaytron Allen | RB | |
| 19 | Zachariah Branch | WR | |
| 20 | Demond Claiborne | RB | |
| 21 | Ja'Kobi Lane | WR | |
| 22 | Omar Cooper Jr. | WR | |
| 23 | Mike Washington Jr. | RB | |
| 24 | Skyler Bell | WR | |
| 25 | Antonio Williams | WR | |
| 26 | Eli Stowers | TE | |
| 27 | Seth McGowan | RB | |
| 28 | Malachi Fields | WR | |
| 29 | Max Klare | TE | |
| 30 | C.J. Daniels | WR | |
| 31 | Michael Trigg | TE | |
| 32 | Jack Endries | TE | |
| 33 | Justin Joly | TE | |
| 34 | Joe Royer | TE | |
| 35 | Garrett Nussmeier | QB | |
| 36 | J'Mari Taylor | RB | |
| 37 | Deion Burks | WR | |
| 38 | Brenen Thompson | WR | |
| 39 | Ted Hurst | WR | |
| 40 | Bryce Lance | WR | |
| 41 | Eric McAlister | WR | |
| 42 | De'Zhaun Stribling | WR | |
| 43 | Eric Rivers | WR | |
| 44 | Carson Beck | QB | |
| 45 | Adam Randall | RB | |
| 46 | Kevin Coleman Jr. | WR | |
| 47 | Eli Raridon | TE | |
| 48 | Drew Allar | QB | |
| 49 | Oscar Delp | TE | |
| 50 | Jam Miller | RB | |
| 51 | Aaron Anderson | WR | |
| 52 | Marlin Klein | TE | |
| 53 | Josh Cameron | WR | |
| 54 | Le'Veon Moss | RB | |
| 55 | C.J. Donaldson | RB | |
| 56 | Noah Whittington | RB | |
| 57 | Noah Thomas | WR | |
| 58 | Roman Hemby | RB | |
| 59 | Dane Key | WR | |
| 60 | Tanner Koziol | TE |
1. RB Jeremiyah Love
Love is a top-five player on our big board and is generally expected to be drafted in the early-to-mid first round. Generally, running backs in that range have found immediate fantasy success. If a team is willing to spend that high of a pick on a back, they will often receive significant volume in their rookie season, regardless of efficiency.
Ashton Jeanty, Bijan Robinson and Jahmyr Gibbs are the only running backs who have been selected among the first 20 picks in the last five seasons, and all three finished in the top 12 in their rookie season. The other first-round picks include Najee Harris, who was RB3 his rookie season, in addition to Omarion Hampton and Travis Etienne, who dealt with injuries during their rookie seasons.
Most recent mock drafts have Love as the ninth pick to the Kansas City Chiefs, while the New Orleans Saints at eight are another potential option. Those are two of the teams with the biggest need at running back, with the possibility of Love being an immediate starter. If he joins the Saints, he could have similar offensive line problems that Jeanty had with the Las Vegas Raiders last season, but landing with Kansas City could make him a potential second-round pick in redrafts.
As long as he doesn’t land with a team with an established running back where the two would form a committee, Love should be the clear top option in dynasty rookie drafts.
2. WR Carnell Tate
Tate is expected to be a top-10 pick in the NFL draft. The best-case scenario is that he ends up like Ja’Marr Chase or Malik Nabers, who were both top-six options at their position in their rookie season. Jaylen Waddle, Garrett Wilson and Tetairoa McMillan were other recent top-10 wide receivers who immediately worked out to be fantasy starters.
While Jordyn Tyson is the top wide receiver on our big board, Tate is just one spot behind, is higher on consensus big boards and is expected to be the first wide receiver off the board during the NFL draft. Tyson graded better, in part because he had a higher target rate at Arizona State, as he had less competition for targets. While Tyson had more positively graded receptions over the last three seasons, Tate had more big plays.
Tate projects to be an X receiver, which fits nicely with several of the teams picking in the top 10. The Tennessee Titans, New York Giants, Cleveland Browns and New Orleans Saints could all use a true X receiver. All four of those teams had rookie quarterbacks starting last season, and it’s possible Tate becomes the favorite target for one of those quarterbacks.
3. WR Jordyn Tyson
The gap between Tate and Tyson is incredibly small at this point. Tyson is another wide receiver expected to get selected in the top 10. While Tate spent most of his collegiate career as an X receiver, Tyson has more experience lined up at various spots in the offense. Tyson fits more nicely as a Z receiver, which is still a need for the teams with a rookie quarterback, outside of the New York Giants.
The wide receiver who will get ranked higher will ultimately depend on the landing spot. Three of the four teams are currently without offensive play-callers, making it harder to judge which spot is currently the most attractive. While the Saints have Chris Olave and the Giants have Malik Nabers, there will be an opportunity for both wide receivers to be immediate contributors and instant fantasy starters.
4. WR Makai Lemon
Lemon is another wide receiver expected to get selected in the first round, but his landing spots have varied much more than the first two receivers. Our mock draft simulator leaderboard has both Tyson and Tate typically in the top-10, while Lemon is typically just outside of that range.
Lemon is a unique receiver in that he spent most of his college career in the slot. There have been a few other wide receivers in recent drafts who were selected in the top 20 and also played significantly in the slot, including Drake London, Treylon Burks, Malik Nabers and Emeka Egbuka. All four were able to transition to playing more on the outside in the NFL, but they were also taller and larger than Lemon.
The fact that he could get drafted later means he will likely land in a better offense than Tate or Tyson, but it could also mean significant competition for targets. The New Orleans Saints have been a common spot for him at the eighth spot, which would be ideal. Saints head coach Kellen Moore has a history of successful fantasy wide receivers in the slot, and Lemon could continue that tradition. However, other occasional landing spots, such as the Baltimore Ravens or Minnesota Vikings, would lead to a lower target rate early in his career.
There is a clear gap between the top four players and everyone else. These first four are, by far, the most likely to be fantasy starters in their rookie season, while every other running back could be in a part-time role. If you have the fifth or sixth rookie picks, I would be comfortable trying to trade back now.
5. WR Denzel Boston
The run of wide receivers continues for another two picks. Both Boston and KC Concepcion are expected to be selected in the back half of the first round, while the next running back isn’t expected to be selected until the end of the second round or the start of the third.
In general, the hit rate for wide receivers in the second half of the first round is higher than the hit rate for running backs in that range. Jordan Addison, Brian Thomas Jr. and Emeka Egbuka were top-24 wide receivers in their rookie seasons, while Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Zay Flowers and Quentin Johnston improved after their rookie seasons. De’Von Achane is the only running back selected from Picks 61-90 to be a top-24 running back in his rookie season, as Tyjae Spears was the only one to rank in the top 40. James Cook III eventually emerged from that group, but there is also a much higher bust rate of players who ended up with no fantasy value, including Trey Sermon, Velus Jones Jr., MarShawn Lloyd and Kaleb Johnson, although there is still time for some of these backs.
Boston improved each year during his time at Washington. He has the body of an X receiver but has also found significant success in his limited snaps at other receiver positions. That is an ideal combination for a fantasy receiver.
6. QB Fernando Mendoza
Mendoza is widely expected to be the first overall pick by the Las Vegas Raiders and their quarterback of the future. Typically, quarterbacks who are the first overall pick end up higher in dynasty rookie superflex rankings, but there are a few reasons why Mendoza is lower in these rankings than the typical first overall pick.
Mendoza will bejoining the Raiders, who had the third-lowest team offensive grade last season. Ideally, the team will have left tackle Kolton Miller back at full strength and can add reinforcements to the wide receiver room and offensive line this offseason. The better the Raiders look, the more he could move up these rankings.
He also doesn’t have the rushing potential of most recent first-round quarterbacks. Based on PFF tracking data, he ranks in the bottom three in athleticism and top speeds among first-round quarterbacks of the last three seasons, joining Bryce Young and Cam Ward. They both average under 16 rushing yards per game. He similarly has a 69.3 career rushing grade, only ahead of Young, Stroud, Michael Penix Jr. and Kenny Pickett.
As a passer, he is the best option in the class, but he ranks ninth out of 14 quarterbacks by career pass grade among the first-rounders of the last five years. He’s ahead of Jayden Daniels, Kenny Pickett, Ty Simpson, Cam Ward and Anthony Richardson.
This makes Mendoza riskier than the typical first overall quarterback. When you compare that to the number of proven quarterbacks in the league, as well as the high-end upside at wide receiver in the class, it’s okay to hold off a few picks on Mendoza.
7. WR KC Concepcion
Concepcion started his career as a slot receiver for NC State but was more well-rounded in his alignment at Texas A&M. He’s another wide receiver expected to be selected near the end of the first round. Luckily, there are a few landing spots that would be great for a rookie wide receiver.
The Buffalo Bills need a top wide receiver, and partnering with Josh Allen would be ideal. The San Francisco 49ers are another high-scoring offense that could use more receiving options, as Ricky Pearsall is the top option under contract with not many options after him. The Philadelphia Eagles also fit that description if they choose to trade away A.J. Brown. There are a few spots that would hurt their value in the short term but could be helpful in the long run, such as the Pittsburgh Steelers or the Los Angeles Rams.
8. QB Ty Simpson
Simpson is the clear second quarterback of the class. Most mock drafts have him going in the first round, but he’s outside of the top-32 players on our big board. On the bright side, his rushing metrics are slightly better than Mendoza’s, but not to the point where his rushing should be considered an asset.
His career passing grade is only higher than Cameron Ward and Anthony Richardson in terms of first-round quarterbacks of the last five seasons, and he also had the second-fewest career dropbacks ahead of Richardson.
This makes Simpson a risky choice, but in superflex leagues, that draft is more-worth taking over running backs expected to be selected in the third round, or running backs expected to be selected in the second.
9. RB Jonah Coleman
There are four running backs ranked among the top 90 backs on our big board, and they are the same four backs in the top 90 on consensus big boards, making them the four backs expected to be selected on Day 1 or 2 of the draft.
Jeremiyah Love is the clear top back of the group, leaving Coleman competing with Jadarian Price and Emmett Johnson for the second spot. A lot will depend on the landing spot and the potential opportunity. Sixteen running backs were selected from Picks 50-98 in the last five drafts, and Brian Robinson was the only one to surpass 150 carries, while De’Von Achane was the only one with over 800 yards. Those were the only two players with at least 550 rushing yards, making opportunity key.
Coleman has a slight edge over the other running backs at the moment. He was the highest graded running back of the three options in both rushing and receiving grades. He has 249 pass-blocking snaps, more than Price and Johnson combined.
He is also a unique size for a running back, listed at 5-foot-9 and 220 pounds on Washington’s website. No NFL running back weighs that much while being that short. Doug Martin is the best comparison to Coleman’s unique size who has found success in the NFL over the last 20 years. While Coleman’s naturally not as strong as changing direction as some of the other backs, his max speeds are nearly the same.
In a league full of speedy running backs, Coleman’s size could help him stand out, particularly at the goal line. His ability to score touchdowns helps give him an early lead over the other running backs with an expected similar ADP.
10. TE Kenyon Sadiq
There is no equivalent to Brock Bowers, Tyler Warren or Colston Loveland in this tight end class, but Sadiq is the one tight end expected to be drafted in the first round, while no tight end is expected to go in the second round.
Sadiq is one of seven tight ends who were expected to go in the first round of the last six drafts. Sadiq is more like Bowers, Loveland, Kyle Pitts and Dalton Kincaid in that they are lighter tight ends known mostly for their receiving ability, rather than Michael Mayer and Warren, who are more well-rounded tight ends.
Sadiq is on the shorter side for tight ends, like Kincaid, but his speed is elite, like the other receiving tight ends. While Sadiq is similar to these tight ends in terms of athleticism, he doesn’t have the same production as the other receivers. He has a 73.7 PFF receiving grade in his career, while the other four comparable receivers were at 88.0 or better. He played behind Terrance Ferguson in 2023 and 2024, which didn’t help him. While he led Oregon in receiving production last season, the leading wide receivers, and even his backup, Jamari Johnson, had higher target rates.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Philadelphia Eagles are common landing spots in mock drafts, in large part because Cade Otton and Dallas Goedert are free agents. We should have a better understanding of his potential new teams after free agency.
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