It took over four hours, but we finally made it. The 2026 NFL Draft now has three rounds complete, which makes it a good time to take a survey of the skill positions.
Understand, this year’s draft class isn’t the buzziest group for immediate fantasy purposes. In a sense, this almost feels like a gap year — an ellipses before the loaded Class of 2027 gets ready for its NFL close-up. But any seasonal fantasy player needs to be up to date with rookies who hold plausible upside, and we’ll address that here.
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Let’s break down some active teams by position, starting with the signature spot, wide receiver.
Wide receiver all the rage
A whopping 17 wideouts have been selected through the first three rounds, and we know from experience that even second- and third-round wideouts have a chance to pop in their first season. Let’s highlight the teams making the most noise.
Eagles passing game ready to fly again?
The Eagles have remodeled their receiver room more than any other team this offseason, surely with the knowledge that A.J. Brown will be traded in June. USC star Makai Lemon was drafted in Thursday’s first round, on the heels of several veteran additions (Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown, Elijah Moore). The Eagles also took seam TE Eli Stowers with a second-round pick, no immediate threat to Dallas Goedert but an interesting future option, and OT Markel Bell to fortify the offensive line.
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With Jalen Hurts heading into his sixth full season as a starter, I wonder if the Eagles will become more pass-friendly. Hurts only has one season with more than 500 pass attempts. Lemon won’t be handed a starting job on arrival, but he has enough talent to push for flex value as a rookie.
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Browns and Dolphins give WR rooms much-needed makeovers
The Browns also recognized they needed an offensive makeover, and four of their first five picks landed on that side of the ball. First-round WR KC Concepcion is a splash play waiting to happen, and given how pedestrian the Cleveland receiver room was last season, he should get reps right away. While Concepcion is a smaller speed merchant, second-round WR Denzel Boston is a power forward, checking in at 6-foot-3 and 212 pounds. He’s terrific at making contested catches, and could quickly become a trust throw for whoever the Browns start at quarterback.
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These picks don’t reflect well on Jerry Jeudy, who is coming off a poor season. It’s also very likely second-year TE Harold Fannin Jr. will lead this team in receiving in 2026. But for once, it’s nice to see the Browns teeming with upside at the pass-catcher spots. Your move, Todd Monken.
The Dolphins entered this month with the worst receiver room in the NFL, so it was no surprise to see them select Caleb Douglas and Chris Bell in the third round. Douglas offered more tools (4.39 speed; 6-foot-4, 206 pounds) than output in his college career, though he did post 114-1,723-13 numbers for Texas Tech the last two years. There’s no reason he can’t be one of the team’s primary receivers early in 2026. Bell is a wait-for-it upside pick, coming off ACL surgery in mid-December. He had a possible first-round grade before the injury; keep expectations tempered for 2026.
Quick-hitters
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The Titans needed a legitimate No. 1 target and they trust Carnell Tate (the fourth pick Thursday) can be that guy, even if Tate was a secondary option at Ohio State (Jeremiah Smith is that good).
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The Saints will be happy if WR Jordyn Tyson is a solid second target next to Chris Olave, and the Jets have similar hopes for Omar Cooper Jr. (a slot playmaker to complement Garrett Wilson).
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WR De’Zhaun Stribling is probably a future pick for the 49ers, given they already have Mike Evans and Ricky Pearsall on the roster. He’s a physical player and a willing blocker, which makes me wonder if he’s Jauan Jennings 2.0. He’ll need an injury break to become fantasy relevant this season.
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The Steelers have an outstanding track record finding values at WR, but second-round pick Germie Bernard won’t need to be fast-tracked, given the depth Pittsburgh already has.
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Malachi Fields perhaps lasted to the third round because of his slow 40-time, but the Giants like him to be a physical receiver who complements alpha target Malik Nabers.
Day 2 turns into the RB dead zone
It’s almost like the entire NFL is embracing Zero RB right now. Oh, the Cardinals stepped up with Jeremiyah Love (adding to their RB collection) and the Seahawks closed the first round with Jadarian Price, the likely successor to the departed Kenneth Walker III. Just one running back was called for Rounds 2 and 3 — Kaelon Black, heading from Indiana to the 49ers, set to challenge for the backup job to Christian McCaffrey.
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Keep in mind this draft shift is a commentary on the supply of the position, not necessarily the talent. A handful of backs who are taken on Saturday will be worth immediate fantasy dissection, depending on their landing spots.
Rookie QBs will likely have to play waiting game
You know how it goes with the quarterback spot, it’s enormously important in real-life football but something of an afterthought in the fantasy space. We’ve seen four of them taken through three rounds, and none of them profile for immediate use.
— Fernando Mendoza, Raiders: The No. 1 pick won’t have to be rushed into action. Las Vegas understands this is a rebuild. Mendoza can learn from veteran Kirk Cousins, who he reminds me of, a little bit. If the Raiders are lucky, perhaps Mendoza is as good as another common comp, Matt Ryan. But I doubt Mendoza starts early in 2026.
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— Ty Simpson, Rams: He’s going to wait at least 1-2 years before the Rams hand him the keys to the offense. He’s here to provide clipboard or headset support, and learn, while Matthew Stafford pilots the Sean McVay offense.
— Carson Beck, Cardinals: He was an interesting pick for Arizona, leading off the third round. Jacoby Brissett was passable last season but is still a journeyman, and Gardner Minshew is a known commodity, a steady backup but not a legitimate starting candidate. Beck’s career took off at Miami and perhaps the Cardinals can find some upside here. If not, well, next year’s draft will have plenty of front-page quarterback options.
— Drew Allar, Steelers: I liked Pittsburgh making a similar upside pick with Allar, a big kid and a strong-armed prospect from Penn State. The Steelers have a project on their hands with Allar, who had a mediocre completion percentage and too many turnovers in college, but at least he has most of the measurables. We’ll probably see another year of Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh, but I hope Allar gets a chance to play this fall. His draft stock was probably higher back in 2024; he wasn’t great in his final college season.
Landing spots leave tight end class with uphill battle
Crowding was a problem with several of the tight ends picked Thursday and Friday.
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Kenyon Sadiq heads to a Jets offense that has a similar player in Mason Taylor.
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Max Klare landed with the Rams in the second round and joins an offense that has tight ends all over the place.
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Eli Stowers has upside in Philly, but he’s blocked by Dallas Goedert, and certainly no one expects third-round pick Sam Roush to threaten Colston Loveland in Chicago.
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A bunch of the tight end rookies will be asked to block more than they’re asked to run routes; let them come to you in 2026, don’t chase them proactively.