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2026 NFL Draft WR Rankings: CFN's College Football Perspective
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- 2026 NFL Draft WR Rankings: CFN's College Football Perspective
It's a strange NFL Draft year for wide receivers.
It's a loaded crop with at least five, maybe six, going in the first round, but the one everyone wants - Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith - is still in college for one more year.
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Here's the issue - wide receiver is the new running back. You can get great ones late, but as a position overall, the receivers are right there with edge rushers as the strength this year.
From the college football perspective - doing this since 1998 - here are CFN's 2026 NFL Draft Wide Receiver rankings.
At a Glance: CFN Top 2026 NFL Draft WRs
- Carnell Tate (Ohio State) – Another great NFL WR from OSU
- Makai Lemon (USC) – Smooth, tough, productive
- Elijah Sarratt (Indiana) - Maybe the biggest draft steal
- Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State) – A true No. 1, but can he stay healthy?
- Omar Cooper Jr. (Indiana) – A four-year IU player who thrived under Cignetti
CFN 2026 Position Previews
QBs
| RBs
| WRs
| TEs
| OTs
| OGs
| Cs
Edge/DEs
| DTs
| LBs
| CBs
| Safeties
Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Carnell Tate (17) celebrates during the NCAA football game against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Nov. 29, 2025. Ohio State won 27-9.© Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
CFN 2026 NFL Draft WR Rankings: A Loaded First Round of Targets
Best of the Rest Wide Receivers
(In alphabetical order, with the projected draft round in parentheses) Dillon Bell, Georgia; Germie Bernard
, Alabama; Malachi Fields
, Notre Dame; De'Zhaun Stribling, Ole Miss; Antonio Williams
, Clemson
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Denzel Boston
College:Washington
CFN WR Rank:10
Projected Draft Round:2
Height/Weight:6-4, 212
2025 Stats:62 catches, 881 yards, 14.2 ypc, 11 TD
Physical and ultra-reliable, he's not fast, but he might be the toughest receiver in the draft.
Skyler Bell
College:UConn
CFN WR Rank:9
Projected Draft Round:3
Height/Weight:6-0, 192
2025 Stats:101 catches, 1,278 yards, 12.7 ypc, 13 TD
His speed and reliability make him an instant starter. Not physical, but he's a fantastic route-runner.
Chris Brazzell II
College:Tennessee
CFN WR Rank:8
Projected Draft Round:3
Height/Weight:6-4, 198
2025 Stats:62 catches, 1,017 yards, 16.4 ypc, 9 TD
Great frame, blazing speed, and can hit the home run, but he's likely not a volume catcher at the next level.
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Zachariah Branch
College:Georgia
CFN WR Rank:7
Projected Draft Round:2
Height/Weight:5-9, 177
2025 Stats:81 catches, 811 yards, 10 ypc, 6 TD
Super small but sub-4.4 fast, he needs the ball in his hands. However, he needs to make more big plays.
KC Concepcion
College:Texas A&M
CFN WR Rank:6
Projected Draft Round:1
Height/Weight:6-0, 196
2025 Stats:61 catches, 919 yards, 15.1 ypc, 9 TD, 10 carries, 75 yards, 1 TD
A lightning-quick target, he's terrific at simply being a receiver. The speed is deceptive - he looks like he's gliding.
Omar Cooper Jr.
College:Indiana
CFN WR Rank:5
Projected Draft Round:1
Height/Weight:6-0, 199
2025 Stats:69 catches, 937 yards, 13.6 ypc, 13 TD
A baller's baller with speed to go along with a tough-guy mentality, he's as rock-solid as any receiver in the draft.
Nov 28, 2025; Tempe, Arizona, USA; Arizona State Sun Devils wide receiver Jordyn Tyson (0) against the Arizona Wildcats during the 99th Territorial Cup at Mountain America Stadium.© Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Jordyn Tyson
College:Arizona State
CFN WR Rank:4
Projected Draft Round:1
Height/Weight:6-2, 203
2025 Stats:61 catches, 711 yards, 11.7 ypc, 8 TD
Tough as nails with a No. 1 receiver mentality, he has one big issue - staying healthy. Other than that, he's fantastic.
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Elijah Sarratt
College:Indiana
CFN WR Rank:3
Projected Draft Round:3
Height/Weight:6-2, 210
2025 Stats:65 catches, 830 yards, 12.8 ypc, 15 TD
Not smooth and without elite NFL tools - whatever. There isn't a better route runner in the draft, and good luck finding anyone who'll battle for the ball like he does. Get him out there, get him the ball, enjoy the production.
Makai Lemon
College:USC
CFN WR Rank:2
Projected Draft Round:1
Height/Weight:5-11, 192
2025 Stats:79 catches, 1,156 yards, 14.6 ypc, 11 TD
He does everything right. The only issue is that he doesn't have the size to play as physically as he'll want to at the next level. He'll be a Day One No. 1 target for someone's passing game.
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Carnell Tate
College:Ohio State
CFN WR Rank:1
Projected Draft Round:1
Height/Weight:6-2, 192
2025 Stats:51 catches, 875 yards, 17.2 ypc, 9 TD
The only knock is that he's not Jeremiah Smith, who took all the attention away in the Ohio State passing game. However, Tate helped draw defenders away from the superstar, too.
He doesn't have warp wheels, but he's terrific at tracking the deep ball. He's not going to be too physical, but he'll fight. Technically, he's a pro's pro who might not be Jaxon Smith-Njigba
, or Emeka Egbuka
, or Smith, but he'll be yet another great NFL receiver from Ohio State.
Jan 19, 2026; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Elijah Sarratt (13) kisses the trophy after winning the CFP National Championship college football game at Hard Rock Stadium. © Rich Janzaruk-USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
Best Value Prospect
Elijah Sarratt, IndianaBecause there's so much talent and so many options this season, Surratt will fall through the cracks and potentially all the way to Day Three.
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He doesn't have the elite tools, or the speed, or what the scouts may fall in love with, but he's been one of college football's best receivers for the last three years - one at James Madison with Curt Cignetti, and for two years at Indiana. He's a dream No. 2 or 3 target.
Top Sleeper Prospect
Kaden Wetjen, Iowa
Going deep
into the sleepers here, Wetjen only caught 20 passes for 151 yards and a score last year with the Hawkeyes, and was a bit more of a factor as a runner.
However, he's a superstar kick returner who averaged 27.5 yards on kicks and 17.7 on punt returns. Electric, he's worth a fifth-round flier as a special teamer, but remember, he was a receiver at Iowa. He didn't get the ball enough.
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Will Go Too Early
KC Concepcion, Texas A&M
It's not that he isn't a terrific prospect, but this is a very, very deep group of receivers, and it'll take a first-rounder to get him. There will be NFL-caliber targets available deep into the fourth round this year.
CFN 2026 Position Previews
QBs
| RBs
| TEs
| OTs
| OGs
| Cs
Edge/DEs
| DTs
| LBs
| CBs
| Safeties
CFN has covered every NFL Draft prospect from a college perspective since 1998.
Related: 2026 NFL Draft RB Rankings: CFN's College Football Perspective
This story was originally published by College Football News on Apr 14, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL Draft section. Add College Football News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
