My name is Jared Zhang, and I have been making draft content for a few years now on Reddit, Substack, and now TikTok. Every year I plan on releasing my grades on the first round and overall classes for every single team. I will be using a simple A-F scale with brief prospect descriptions and explanations on my grading. I will try to be generous to teams as there is info related to trades, character, interviews, etc that will impact draft picks that I would not have access to. Let’s get started!

1. Las Vegas Raiders - Fernando Mendoza - QB - Indiana - B

A pretty chalk 1.01 selection, the Raiders do a good job of not overthinking the selection and picking the top QB for a QB-needy team. While I am not the biggest fan of Mendoza as a prospect (he is a pretty raw pocket mover with a tendency to panic under pressure), I do believe he has enough tools and upside to develop into a competent starting QB if he works out his kinks as a prospect. What I love about the pick is that the Raiders are not rushing Mendoza on the field with Kirk Cousins being announced as the week one starter. Mendoza getting the luxury of time and patience before he is “the guy” makes me optimistic about his career outcome in the NFL.

Click on this to check out my detailed scouting report on Mendoza

2. New York Jets - David Bailey - EDGE - Texas Tech - F

While I try not to be overly negative, I do think this pick was pretty horrible by the Jets. David Bailey did have a lot of hype as a draft prospect, but I assumed he would slip down the draft in a similar fashion to other EDGE prospects I thought were overhyped (Ex. I had Mike Green and Donovan Ezeiruaku as Day Two players). My main issue with Bailey is that his lack of size and bend through contract severely limit his ability to win the corner on starting NFL OTs. Bailey’s length, closing speed, and coverage ability give him solid early-down ability, but I question his ability to be an impactful pass rusher outside of being a solid speed-to-power player. I personally don’t see what you’re getting out of Bailey that you’re not getting out of recent FA addition Joseph Ossai in terms of skillset and ability. I would not be shocked if we saw Ossai and McDonald out-snapping Bailey in his rookie season (assuming good health).

3. Arizona Cardinals - Jeremiyah Love - RB - Notre Dame - A

The RB market is no longer cooked! Arizona continued to build on an extensive war chest of high-end weapons by adding the very talented Jeremiyah Love. A smart big-play threat with high-end potential as a receiver out of the backfield, Love is going to help establish the Cardinal’s ground game to help build LaFleur’s play-action heavy passing attack. While I would have personally leaned QB or OT, I do like the idea of taking Love if the organization felt the talent drop off was too steep between Love and the next top QB/OT. The team is likely looking toward 2027 to fill the hole at signal caller, and whoever they select/sign is entering a great situation if they can answer RT in FA or in the draft.

4. Tennessee Titans - Carnell Tate - WR - Ohio State - B

My early-season Carnell Tate WR1 take is aging beautifully. Tate lacks high-end positional tools, but he has enough size, speed, and refinement to be a team’s lead pass catcher. While I was shocked to see Tate go as high as 4, I believe he is a great player and will be the Titans’ WR1 as a rookie. With him being a great press-man separator, RAC threat, and contested-catch winner, Tate is going to quickly become Ward’s favorite target and get a lot of passes funneled to him. A new weapon and a good play caller make me optimistic that Tennessee can turn around its offense as long as they can get a competent player at RG to compete with Volson/Slater. If I had to bet on an early OROTY winner, then I would put money on Tate.

5. New York Giants - Arvell Reese - LB - Ohio State - B

Even though I would have selected two different Ohio State defenders over him, Arvell Reese is a fun, versatile player in a very deep Giants front seven. With him playing more of a hybrid/true LB role for the team, Reese is going to play a lot of early downs near the LOS as a contain player to help the team reach third-and-longs. In these true pass situations, Reese is going to be a good coverage player and blitzing threat to make it difficult for the offense to predict pre-snap what look the defense is going into post-snap. If the team is able to get competent DTs on day two, then the Giants can quickly become one of the scariest defenses in the NFL.

6. Kansas City Chiefs - Mansoor Delane - CB - LSU - A

While some draft/Chiefs fans were confused about a DB pick this high given Veach’s history of getting value in the later rounds, I am infuriated with the Chiefs getting another highly talented DB. A smooth, high-end athlete with multi-year NFL veteran technique, Delane is one of the safest prospects in this class to be a high-level starter. Delane steps into Kansas City’s DB room as the immediate CB1 with Fulton/Nohl competing at CB2 and Kader Kohu in the slot. If they are able to get another S starter, then the Chiefs could have one of the best secondaries in the NFL next year. Some people are mad about the trade up, but high-end technicians with good NFL athleticism are hard to come by + the trade up was relatively cheap.

7. Washington Commanders - Sonny Styles - LB - Ohio State - A

Great tape, great tools, great character, Sonny Styles is one of the few true blue-chip grades I had in this draft class. A high-end processor whose play speed is even faster, Styles has ridiculous fluidity and coverage range for a 240 lb man. Even though he could have better instincts playing the ball in the air and using his athleticism to break up passes, Styles immediately replaces Wagner’s role as the team’s green dot defender. While I think he should primarily play LB, I would not be shocked if we see some creative alignments with Styles given Quinn’s usage of players like Micah Parsons and Frankie Luvu. With Styles, Luvu, and Chenal, the Commanders quietly have one of the best LB corps in the NFL.

Click on this to check out my detailed scouting report on Styles

8. New Orleans Saints - Jordyn Tyson - WR - ASU - D

My second pick I am not a big fan of, Jordyn Tyson is a player I don’t think belongs in the top ten from a tape and off-field perspective. A good-not-great athlete with issues beating press, nagging injury issues, and inconsistent ball skills, Tyson lacks the necessary physical upside to be a true WR1 in the NFL. Hating aside, Tyson’s fit in New Orleans is very good as the flanker/Z with Olave as the X and Vele in the slot. Given how impactful Devonta Smith has been in a similar role working off a dominate WR1 in Moore’s offense, Tyson could make this grade age poorly even if I think he is a worse player than Smith.

Click on this to check out my detailed scouting report on Tyson

9. Cleveland Browns - Spencer Fano - OT - Utah - C

As someone who was lower on both Utah OTs, I am not a big fan of Fano in the T10. Undersized with poor length, inconsistent technique, and average range, Fano’s physical profile is a bit of a polar bear in Arlington situation when looking historically at most OT1s/T10 selections. For a team that was aggressive in answering four of the spots besides LT, the Browns passing up on more legitimate OT prospects for Fano is questionable. I do think the Fano likely ends up as a starter for the Browns (I think he can cap out as a low-end OT starter and good IOL starter), but I would not be shocked if this ages like the Campbell selection, where we would likely take multiple of the following OTs over him in a redraft.

10. New York Giants - Francis Mauigoa - OG - Miami - A

I am honestly upping my grade since the Giants are letting Mauigoa play OG. Mauigoa is a violent OL with good size and linear athleticism who had some range questions due to his foot speed and shorter legs. By sliding him inside to OG, the Giants are minimizing Mauigoa’s range limitation and putting him at the best spot for him on the OL. Out of all the first-round OL selections, Mauigoa likely has the strongest rookie season, even if he will have a learning curve playing OG for the first time. Though there was a prospect on the board I graded much higher than Mauigoa, I do not have the process of building the trenches for a young QB.

11. Dallas Cowboys - Caleb Downs - S - Ohio State - A

Trading up two day three picks to secure the best DB (with a working knee) in the class? Hell yeah. Downs is a player I felt got heavily overthought as the process went on. A hyper-intelligent, instinctive, and physical defender with underrated athletic tools, Downs is a versatile DB who can be anything from a single-high player to a big NB. With how teams are using bigger DBs in the slot, Downs can help the Cowboys follow league trends by adding more beef in their secondary. Given that we say two LBs and a RB in the T10, I was shocked that Downs lasted this long on the board.

12. Miami Dolphins - Kadyn Proctor - OT - Miami Dolphins - A

MY GUY! Kadyn Proctor was my OT1 and one of my highest graded players in this year’s class. A smart and gritty OT with high-end positional tools, Proctor looks and plays the part. Simply put, Proctor put up the best individual starts in the entire class (Ex. Look at the Tennessee game this year). Proctor’s biggest issue is maintaining his weight off-field to make sure he is playing in ideal shape on the field. While it is always a dice role taking prospects with off-field concerns, the potential returns of taking a diamond in the rough can be great if the team is able to work with the player. Though it was a different organization, the Dolphins have a history of working with talented OTs with off-field issues when the team drafted Tunsil in 2016. Proctor does have more risk than a lot of other selections at 12, but there is no better time to swing for the fences than at the beginning of a rebuild.

Click on this to check out my detailed scouting report on Proctor

13. Los Angeles Rams - Ty Simpson - QB - Alabama - A

Despite the pick being controversial, Ty Simpson was a good pick in my opinion. While the team is in a Super Bowl window, I believe the value of securing QB play for a team that is too talented to select high for a QB is great enough to take Simpson this high. A player I have a first-round grade on, Simpson is a great fit schematically with McVay’s offense due to his experience and ability to handle under-center play action pass concepts. The pick is understandably unpopular, but these are the kind of moves that extend windows and make dynasties (Could this be Montana to Young?)

Click on this to check out my detailed scouting report on Simpson

14. Baltimore Ravens - Olaivavega Ioane - IOL - Penn State - C

This was high for Ioane in my opinion. Olaivavega Ioane was a bit of a wildcard prospect in the draft community, with opinions varying from him being the best OG prospect in the past 5 years and others thinking he was a day two prospect: I was aligned with the latter. Ioane has good size and great pass protection ability, but he is a pretty uninspiring pick for a T15 selection at OG. An average athlete who plays high, Ioane’s run game ability is pretty poor for a highly touted prospect. I do think the Ravens secured a starter at OG, but I think Vega is going to have a similar career to a lot of the day two selections at IOL in this draft class (I honestly would much rather go with Emory Jones at OG than select Vega this high).

Click on this to check out my detailed scouting report on Ioane

15. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Rueben Bain Jr - EDGE - Miami - A

Easily my favorite pick of the class, Rueben Bain Jr is a great scheme fit with Tampa’s defensive front. While I was lower on Bain as a prospect compared to other top EDGE prospects (he would have been my EDGE 3 last year behind Carter and Stewart), I believe he was the only first-round caliber EDGE rusher this year. Whether crashing on a E-T stunt with Kancey, collapsing the pocket, or containing on early downs, Bain is going to be high-end role player as a rookie while having the traits to develop into a primary pass rush option. With him being the best one-on-one winner off the EDGE for Tampa, Bain could see early two-way-go work as a rookie. Given the positional value and the great scheme fit, Bain is my current favorite to win DROTY.

Click on this to check out my detailed scouting report on Bain

16. New York Jets - Kenyon Sadiq - TE - Oregon - B

While the pick confused some fans with the teams drafting Mason Taylor high last year, Kenyon Sadiq is a very fun pick for a team that needed pass-catcher talent. With teams running more heavy packages, Sadiq and Taylor are going to be on the field a lot together, with Taylor in-line and Sadiq as the move-TE. Sadiq is an exciting prospect due to his athletic tools, physicality as a blocker/ball carrier, and ball skills. I will never complain about adding a talented offensive player to a team that needed a better offense, but I question Sadiq’s ability to see the field in 11 personnel situations, given the Jets’ later selection.

Click on this to check out my detailed scouting report on Sadiq

17. Detroit Lions - Blake Miller - OT - Clemson - D

While I do like the culture fit due to his high character, Blake Miller at 17 is a classic Lions reach on a high-effort, gritty, toolsy player that the front office falls in love with (though this time its two rounds earlier than usual). Miller has good athletic tools and great length to develop as an OT, but I question his year-one floor and his upside compared to the remaining OTs on the board. With technique lapses and strength concerns that have not improved after four years of P4 football, I wonder how much of Miller’s deficiencies as a prospect are fixable and how much are just what he is as a player. Even though I am glad the Lions got an OT high in the draft, I fear the fan base and front office may wish they went a different direction at 17 given the board.

Click on this to check out my detailed scouting report on Miller

18. Minnesota Vikings - Caleb Banks - DT - Florida - D

Back-to-back rough picks for the NFC North, the Minnesota Vikings take the gamble on Caleb Banks. Banks is a solid prospect who is a good fit for Minnesota’s attack front, but I wonder why he was the pick when there were two better talent and fit picks at DT on the board. Banks is a good athlete, but he falls in an unfortunate middle ground in his traits. Banks has good size, but he is extremely tall and high-cut, which limits his ability to push pockets well and anchor against double teams. Despite having the size for it, Banks is not really a NT due to his difficulty playing against combo blocks in the run game. Banks is a good athlete, but he is not that great of an athlete when you factor out his size and compare him to other penetrating DTs. What you are left with is a prospect who has the tools to be a starter, but he is not particularly great at any one thing on the field. Beyond not being the most talented DT on the board, Banks has major medical red flags with a foot injury that made him miss most of the 2025 season, which he broke again before the combine. A very questionable first pick for Minnesota’s new GM.

19. Carolina Panthers - Monroe Freeling - OT - Georgia - B

While I was surprised about the selection on draft day, I’m freeling better about the selection today. A great HWL prospect with good movement who greatly improved technically down the stretch, Freeling was a bit of a wildcard projection-wise whose grade rose for me as I watched him more-and-more. With all the tools to be a franchise OT, Freeling is a great addition to one of the better OLs in the NFL. With Ekwonu potentially not being the same post-patellar tendon injury and Moton being old, Carolina gives themselves a ton of flexibility in the future if they don’t extend Ekwonu and lose Moton to retirement/father time. Freeling has to compete for the starting LT job against FA Rasheed Walker, but I believe he is talented and pro-ready enough to win the week one starter job. If his injuries he sustained in his lone starting season were more of a fluke than a constant issue, then Freeling has the potential to be one of the best OTs in this draft class. I would have rather the team got another EDGE or WR at this pick, but I cannot hate the process of securing the trenches.

20. Philadelphia Eagles - Makai Lemon - WR - USC - B

There are some scheme fit question marks, but I am a big fan of this Lemon selection. With AJ Brown being as good as gone, Lemon fills in the Z/flanker role that Smith played, while Smith fills the vertical spacer role that Brown had when in 12 personnel. Out of 11, Lemon would move into the slot with recent addition Dontayvion Wicks plays X. Lemon was a player I was lower on than consensus, but getting him in the back half of the first is good value for a player I believe is one of the more pro-ready players in the class. I am not in love with Lemon’s upside as a prospect, but I am pretty confident Lemon is going to be a solid contributor for a win-now Eagles roster. I do share some of the scheme fit concerns with Lemon playing with a QB who historically is not great at targeting the middle of the field, but Lemon is talented enough for me to not be overly concerned about this.

Click on this to check out my detailed scouting report on Lemon

21. Pittsburgh Steelers - Max Iheanachor - OT - ASU - A

VINDICATION! I have been a massive fan of Max Iheanachor for a while now (I had him as a first-rounder before his meteoric rise post Senior Bowl). Iheanachor is a freaky tools prospect with high-end positional explosiveness, foot speed, and power. With the Steelers needing a potential replacement for Broderick Jones due to his play and injury situation, Ihenanachor brings another toolsy OT to take his place. If Jones can hang onto a starting OT job, then Iheanachor could also slide inside to OG or play RT with Fautanu kicking to OG. The pick will get its critics due to Iheanachor having technical issues, but Iheanachor’s frame and range give him enough of a floor to be a playable option that can blossom into one of the better OT starters in the league. Iheanachor will have his growing pains as he adjusts to the NFL, but his consistent, year-to-year improvement since he started playing football 5 years ago makes me confident that he can reach his upside.

22. Los Angles Chargers - Akheem Mesidor - EDGE - Miami - F

Akheem Mesidor begins a brutal stretch of late round selections as teams began to run out of first-round-worthy prospects at EDGE. Mesidor has overcome a lot of adversity to get to this point, but his play on the field is not worth a selection this high. Mesidor is a technically refined pass rusher who lacks the athletic traits to develop into a good enough pass rusher to make up for his lack of pocket push and run defense ability. Mesidor is a solid match-up hunter on the inside, but the Chargers have other players who do this role. While a team taking a player I graded as a day two player at 22 is not horrible, Mesidor having pretty bad medicals and being selected over several better DL prospects makes me really hate this selection. I’m glad Mesidor was able to secure a full guaranteed contract, but I think he ends up as a one-contract rotational DL player whose impact won’t match the draft capital used on him.

23. Dallas Cowboys - Malachi Lawrence - EDGE - UCF - D

As someone who was really high on Malachi Lawrence in the summer when he was relatively unknown, I have to admit this is very early for Lawrence. A high-end tester with a great frame, Lawrence, from a testing standpoint, seems like a steal this late in the draft. However, Lawrence is a good example of a player not really playing up to their testing numbers. Lawrence is fast and long, but he struggles to win the corner consistently due to being easily bothered by contact. Beyond that, Lawrence is a poor run defender without much power in his game. Lawrence should be a fine DPR who could develop into more of an early down player, but I do not see what he does better than Williams or Houston in a similar role. Lawrence does not really add anything to the existing Cowboy’s EDGE rotation while costing premier draft capital.

24. Cleveland Browns - K.C Concepcion - WR - Texas A&M - A

With a major need to revamp the offense, KC Conecpcion brings a high-end man-seperator and field-stretcher to an offense that needs to continue adding weapons. My WR2 in the draft class, Concepcion is an extremely talented player who is immediately one of Cleveland’s top pass-catching options. Even though he is on the smaller size, Concepcion is someone I think is best used outside due to his ability to get off the LOS and stack DBs vertically. Concepcion needs to improve his drop consistency, but Sanders will be the most accurate QB he has ever played with and could help limit his drops by throwing more catchable passes. Beyond his contributions on offense, Concepcion is a dynamic punt returner and will bring a spark to Cleveland’s mediocre return game if asked to play on special teams by the coaching staff

Click on this to check out my detailed scouting report on Concepcion

25. Chicago Bears - Dillon Thieneman - S - Oregon - A

After losing Kevin Byard in FA, the Chicago Bears filled a need at S with a high-end talent in Dillon Thieneman. While he has shown the ability to play near the LOS and the box, Thieneman’s best tape is when he is working in space as a split safety. A high-end range athlete with great instincts and feel for the game, Thieneman is one of the few players who may be able to replace Byard’s ball and turnover production as a rookie. Even though there were solid prospects at other positions of need, the Bears take the BPA at 25 and run away like bandits with a player I believe can be a perennial pro bowl+ starter. Another Poles offseason win.

26. Houston Texans - Keylan Rutledge - OG/OC - Georgia Tech - B

A surprising riser in the first rounder, Keylan Rutledge had smoke to potentially go in the late first a few weeks before the draft. While many are confused about a supposed depth OG in the first round with the Texans paying Wyatt Teller and Ed Ingram in the offseason, I believe the move was to get an upgrade at OC. Rutledge has not played OC in college, but he does know how to snap and has done OC drills during the pre-draft process. The pick is pretty ballsy given the minimal sample size of in-game reps, but we have seen players like Cooper Bebe make the move over to OC despite never playing the position beforehand. As someone who had Rutledge as his OG2 and an early day two pick, I honestly am a fan of the selection as long as Rutledge is able to be ready enough week 1 to play OC.

27. Miami Dolphins - Chris Johnson - CB - SDSU - D

While I am on board with addressing DB with a first-round pick for Miami, I am confused why the CB2 in this draft class is Chris Johnson. Another summer scouting crush I had, Johnson has prototype size, speed, and physicality that made me high on him as a potential day two talent who could develop into a competent starter while being a day one high-end special teams player. My main issue with Johnson is that he still needs to improve his coverage technique and overall feel while having poor fluidity and recovery tools. I understand taking Johnson over smaller DBs due to size thresholds and McCoy due to injuries, but I wonder why he was selected over other DBs with similar size and movement tools (Ex. Cisse, Moore, Hood, etc). I do believe Johnson can be a good NFL player, but first-round draft capital makes me worried that he will be put on an NFL defense before he is ready.

28. New England Patriots - Caleb Lomu - OT - Utah - B

While he is overshadowed by his teammate, Caleb Lomu is a really solid OT prospect who has the length and movement to develop into a competent starter. Though I am not a fan of taking depth OL in the first round due to the year one value, New England having an aging starter in Morgan and an injury-prone starter in Vera-Tucker makes me understand the need to spend first-round capital on the future at OT. I do not think that Lomu has incredible upside due to having good-not-great movement and mediocre motor, but New England letting him sit and develop makes me optimistic about Lomu’s long-term future. While I do think he is an OT in the NFL, Lomu could be the primary back up at OG if Vera-Tucker misses time (though I would prefer kicking Campbell inside in these situations).

29. Kansas City Chiefs - Peter Woods - DT - Clemson - A

After failing to replace Tershawn Wharton with multiple cheap FAs and second round pick Omar Norman-Lott, the Chiefs get one of my highest graded DL prospects in Peter Woods. A pure attacking-front DT, Woods is a great scheme fit with the Chiefs’ scheme and brings legit pass rush juice with his fluidity, speed, and explosiveness. A good contain and stunt player, Woods can help immediately as a solid IDL roleplayer as he develops more technical winning ability to potentially develop into the Chief’s primary pass rush option. If he is able to get stronger and become more of a one-on-one technical winner, then Woods could be one of the biggest steals in the draft and be the heir to an aging Chris Jones.

Click on this to check out my detailed scouting report on Woods

30. New York Jets - Omar Cooper Jr - WR - Indiana - B

A physical and trunky WR, Omar Cooper Jr brings a tone-setting WR who fits pretty seamlessly next to Wilson and Mitchell. One of the best RAC players and skill position blockers in the class, Cooper is a prototypical block-and-RAC role player who will dominate in condensed formation and make plays in open space on designed targets/dump downs. Cooper lacks the upside to be a WR1 due to having average athletic tools and issues beating press, but he is a safe bet to be a good contributor in the NFL. My only concern with the pick is that Sadiq and Cooper’s roles in 11 personnel overlap heavily since Sadiq is unlikely to be a good enough in-line blocker, which makes me question the value of taking both players in the first round.

31. Tennessee Titans - Keldrick Faulk - EDGE - Auburn - A

A player I was lower on than consensus, Faulk was my EDGE3, and I was critical when I saw mocks taking him in the T15. Considering the DL prospects who were taken above him, Faulk at this point in the draft feels like the Louvre Heist. A seamless talent and scheme fit, Faulk fits the versatile heavy-end role that Saleh loves in his defense, as a player who can be a great early down run defender and crasher on stunts. I do question Faulk’s ability to develop into a competent one-on-one winner off the EDGE due to having fairly average athletic tools, but I think he can develop into a high-end role player who could be a match-up hunter when bumped inside. As long as he can work on his technique, pushing pockets, and getting lockout, Faulk can be a very valuable NFL player and be highly impactful for the Titans.

32. Seattle Seahawks - Jadarian Price - RB - Notre Dame - C

With Charbonet coming off an ACL tear and Walker leaving in FA, Jadarian Price is a solid talent to add, but I question the process. Price is my clear RB2, but I believe there are players in the FA market that would have only cost slightly more APY while not having to be acquired with first-round capital. People will critique Price’s lack of production, but his physicality, jump cut range, and vision will make him a good NFL ball carrier. There are questions about his pass-catching and blocking ability, but his consistent ball tracking and limited sample size do show competency. Even if he struggles to find work in true passing situations, Price can play a similar role to Walker as the team’s main RB with Charbonet being used in power running, pass blocking, and pass catching situations.

Conclusion

Given how low I am on the class, I was not shocked to see some questionable picks be taken for need. Overall, I am pretty happy for a lot of the picks in the first round and felt majority of team ended up with at least solid contributors. Here is a list of all the prospects I felt should have gotten a shot in the frist round and now fall to day two/three:

• Chris Brazzell II, WR, Tennessee

• Oscar Delp, TE, Georgia

• Zion Yong, EDGE, Missouri

• Kayden McDoanld, DT, Ohio State

• Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee

• Colton Hood, CB, Tennessee

• Brandon Cisse, CB, South Carolina

• Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, S, Toledo

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Image 1: QB Ty Simpson (15) celebrating after a big play

Height: 6’1

Weight: 211

Position: QB

Year: (RS) Jr

Background

Image 2: QB Ty Simpson (6) making a play as a ball carrier for Westview High School

Born on December 21, 2002, Ty Simpson was a Five-Star QB prospect in the class of 2022 coming out of Westview High School in Martin, Tennessee. Ranked as the 4th QB and 29th player in the nation, Simpson was highly sought after as a ready pocket passer who was coming off an impressive Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior. With every major program wanting to sign him, Simpson chose to commit to Alabama over programs like Clemson and Tennessee.

As a member of the Crimson Tide, Simpson would see minimal playtime in his first three seasons with Alabama due to talented signal callers like Bryce Young and Jalen Milroe being locked in as starters. Though a coaching change and multiple years of bench riding would cause players to seek starting opportunities elsewhere, Simpson stayed with Alabama before earning the starting job as a (RS) Jr. As a starter, Simpson flashed impressive refinement for a one-year starter. Despite interest from other college programs to stay in school and transfer, Simpson declared for the 2026 NFL draft, where he has a chance to be a franchise’s long-term answer at QB.

Athletic Tools

Simpson is not a big rushing threat, but his lateral quickness and fluidity make him an effective play extender. While he lacks great speed or explosiveness as a movement athlete, Simpson is mobile enough to alter pursuit angles and create off-structure. Simpson’s ceiling as a play extender is limited by a lack of elite positional arm talent or athletic tools, but he is going to be effective enough to play off-schedule in the NFL.

Video 1: QB Ty Simpson (15) extends the play when facing quick interior pressure and scrambles into the open field for a big rushing gain

Video 2: QB Ty Simpson (15) pump fakes and uses the open rush lane to throw on the run

Video 3: QB Ty Simpson (15) faces quick interior pressure and dances in the pocket to avoid getting a safety

Video 4: QB Ty Simpson (15) keeps the ball on the bootleg and tries to work upfield for a gain

Video 5: QB Ty Simpson (15) keeps the ball on a power-read concept for no gain

Video 6: QB Ty Simpson (15) maneuvers outside the pocket and lacks the speed to win the EDGE to get upfield

Video 7: QB Ty Simpson (15) attempts to escape the pocket, but he lacks the speed and acceleration to get into the open field

Beyond his solid lateral movement ability, Simpson’s play extension ability relies a lot on his hip-shoulder separation and arm elasticity. Similar to the game’s top play extenders (Ex. Mahomes, Williams, Jackson, etc), Simpson can effectively pass without engaging his lower body. By separating his upper and lower body mechanics in his throwing motion, Simpson is comfortable passing with an unsettled base when on the move or throwing from a messy pocket. Simpson can generate effective power when passing in these situations due to his arm elasticity. Not only can he generate sufficient lag when driving his elbow, but Simpson can also change his arm slot to throw around defenders, utilize throwing windows, and throw cross-body passes.

Video 8: QB Ty Simpson (15) passes purely with his arm and accesses his throwing window

Video 9: QB Ty Simpson (15) throws an accurate pass on the move for the trick play

Video 10: QB Ty Simpson (15) extends the play and throws an accurate pass on the run

Video 11: QB Ty Simpson (15) delivers an accurate cross-body throw from play action

Video 12: QB Ty Simpson (15) works the pass around the free rusher on the rollout

As a passer, Simpson has good touch and generates a high spin rate, which lets him throw a tight spiral with minimal wobble or inconsistency. While he is inaccurate downfield, Simpson has flashed breathtaking, layered throws and deep completions. Simpson’s raw arm strength is more adequate than exceptional, but it does give him enough juice to drive passes downfield when he is able to throw from a set base. As mentioned earlier, Simpson’s lack of truly elite pure arm strength limits the kind of throws that are possible when he is on the move and unable to set his base.

Video 13: QB Ty Simpson (15) throws a tight, fast spinning ball

Video 14: QB Ty Simpson (15) fits a perfectly placed ball while being pressured

Video 15: QB Ty Simpson (15) fits the pass over two defenders and in front of the S for the big-time play downfield

Video 16: QB Ty Simpson (15) places the ball perfectly when leading the WR downfield

Video 17: QB Ty Simpson (15) fits the ball perfectly over several defenders for the TD

Video 18: QB Ty Simpson (15) lofts the ball to hit the crossing route while under pressure

Despite having some interesting tools, Simpson has a lower ceiling as a passer due to being undersized. By being a shorter QB, Simpson will have issues with batted balls. Simpson’s high release point helps prevent some batted balls, but his frame will make many throws impossible when the pocket collapses or when he steps up. While many short QBs have been long-term starters, Simpson lacks the size and overall thickness seen in many of the successful examples (Ex. Russell Wilson, Brock Purdy, Tony Romo, etc). People often mention durability concerns with thinner QBs, but I believe the main drawback is limited passing ability while being contacted. Simpson is great at avoiding the rush and dancing around in the pocket, but he struggles to consistently deliver accurate passes while being hit mid-throw.

Video 19: QB Ty Simpson (15) attempts to fit a pass over his OG and gets it batted

Video 20: QB Ty Simpson (15) gets hit while passing and is unable to deliver a catchable ball

Technicals

With a quick, over-the-top throwing motion, Simpson does his best to work around his shorter stature as a passer. Simpson’s main mechanical issue is inconsistent balance and weight transfer due to poor hip rotation. While his ability to pass without utilizing his lower body is valuable when passing on the run, Simpson needs to be more consistent fully rotating and throwing from an established base. Simpson often finishes his throws with his weight not fully on his front foot and off balance throughout his throwing motion. With a player who has had issues with accurately driving balls downfield, Simpson rotating more can allow him to more comfortably generate power without adding greater variance from being off-balance.

Video 21: QB Ty Simpson (15) uses his high-release point to throw over his collapsing OL

Video 22: QB Ty Simpson (15) throws over two defenders playing the passing lane

Video 23: QB Ty Simpson (15) misses the deep concept and launches the ball out of bounds

Video 24: QB Ty Simpson (15) misses left when targeting his WR downfield

Video 25: QB Ty Simpson (15) fails to transfer his weight forward and finishes off-balance after the throw

Video 26: QB Ty Simpson (15) fails to transfer his weight forward and finishes with his weight on his back foot

For comparison, Russell Wilson and Brock Purdy are two smaller QBs who have been dominant deep ball throwers due to both having clean lower-body mechanics. By remaining balanced and ensuring they transfer their weight before they release the ball, Wilson and Purdy have been able to be consistent, connecting with their WRs downfield despite being smaller QBs without top-of-position arm strength.

Video 27: QB Brock Purdy (13) violently rotates his hips and finishes balanced on his front foot when driving the ball downfield

Video 28: QB Russell Wilson (3) finishes balanced on his front foot on the deep ball

Simpson needs to work on his mechanics, but his pocket movement and pressure management are phenonmenal. Whether he is stepping up in the pocket, navigating the rush, or escaping the pocket Simpson is great at avoiding sacks and contact in the pocket. With many young QBs often having issues with pocket movement and poise, Simpson being the best pocket navigator in the draft class despite his lack of experience is incredibly impressive.

Video 29: QB Ty Simpson (15) steps up and rolls out to buy time for his WR

Video 30: QB Ty Simpson (15) steps up and throws with a defender in his face

Video 31: QB Ty Simpson (15) evades the ankle swipe and runs for a big gain

Video 32: QB Ty Simpson (15) steps up in the pocket and evades the sack

Simpson is not a standout processor, but he has been competent in handling NFL-style passing concepts and playing under center. With experience with full-field reads and turning his back to the defense, Simpson has a lot of translatable experience for a college QB. For teams that want to play under center, Simpson’s experience running similar concepts should make him a seamless fit. Simpson still has some work to do trusting the coverage he sees and throwing with anticipation, but both of these are issues that will resolve themselves with more starting experience in the NFL.

Video 33: QB Ty Simpson (15) rifles the dig from under center play action

Video 34: QB Ty Simpson (15) reads from the field to the boundary side and passes for a TD

Video 35: QB Ty Simpson (15) waits for the break to ensure the dig gets open before throwing

Video 36: QB Ty Simpson (15) waits for the break to ensure the curl gets open

Draft Projection

Ty Simpson currently has a day one grade. While he needs technical refinement and lacks good tools, Simpson is a clean prospect, projection-wise, due to his experience with NFL passing concepts, play extension ability, and sack avoidance. Though he is my QB2 behind Fernando Mendoza, I have both players in the same tier, and I would not be shocked if some NFL teams preferred Simpson because he is further along as a pocket navigator and under-center passer. If he improved the previously discussed mechanical issues, then Ty Simpson can be a long-term starting option for an NFL team. With multiple teams needing a week one starter or potential successor to an aging veteran, Simpson should get drafted in the first half of the first round.

Athletic Testing

Image 4: QB Ty Simpson’s RAS card from the NFL combine

Pro Comparison

Image 4: QB Andy Dalton (14) attempting to extend the play with the Carolina Panthers

A productive and solid starting option for many years, Andy Dalton reminds me a lot of Ty Simpson. While he has aged out of starting roles, Dalton was a productive, steady starting QB due to his processing ability and adequate physical tools. While he played in a very different scheme at TCU and Cincinatti, Dalton has developed into a dependable under-center passer and has been one of the best backups in the NFL. With his familiarity with modern NFL concepts and sufficent enough tools, Simpson is a player I think could provide the talent level of young Dalton with the current refinement/familarity of current Dalton.

Date Published: 04/09/2026

Date Last Updated: 04/09/2026

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INTRODUCTIONS

My name is Jared Zhang, and I have been doing draft evaluations for the past few years. While I started off as a hobbyist, I have been blessed with the opportunity to write for a draft publication and intern for an agent during my scouting journey so far. Throughout the draft cycle, I will be dropping positional big boards as I get through initial watches and rechecks. This document will be updated throughout the cycle with updated grades, new players, and linked reports. The main updates will come after all declaration results come out about underclassman prospects.

For positions where players may switch positions in the NFL (this is mainly talking about OL), I will give a brief note at the beginning of my rankings articles on where I have the player listed currently (Ex. in 2025 I would have listed on the top of my 2025 OT big board that I had Grey Zabel as an OG despite him being a college OT).

GRADING

With grading being different per evaluator, I am grading not based on where I believe players will go in the NFL, but more on what I believe they can be as an NFL player. I have what I look for in each grade for an WR listed below. For anyone who has any off-field/medical issues that can affect their draft position, they will have a * with a note explaining the issue (Ex. I would put a * down for Josh Simmons due to his patellar tendon issue and reported off-field concerns). This means that the grade given to the players is purely based on film evaluations, so there will be players whose grades will not match up with where I believe they should be drafted (Ex. a 5th year senior with an injury history and off-field issues could have listed a day two round film grade, but they should be selected in day three). Grades themselves are range estimations for my evaluations on prospects. Players can creep into the back end of a higher tier (Ex. an early day two grade can be a late day one player).

Blue Chip - Prospects who are immediate high-level contributors on offense who provide rare positional athleticism to be a high-impact pass catcher. These players need to be big enough to be at least be capable move TEs while being elite positional athletes. The main advantage of having these players on the field is that they make defense struggle to match personnels as they cannot match size with size or speed with speed. These players should be Pro Bowl+ players and create unique blocking/receiving mismatches (Ex. Brock Bowers, Vernon Davis, Kyle Pitts)

Day One - Prospects who can play in-line year one while being good positional athletes. These players should be good year-one ready pass catchers. The main difference between Day One and Blue Chip TEs are the difference in athletic tools that create size/speed matchup issues for defenses. These players should be perennial Pro Bowl players (Ex. T.J Hockenson, Colston Loveland, Tyler Warren)

Early Day Two - Prospects with in-line bodies who are good pass catchers who need to improve as blockers, or high-end pure H-Back/Wing TE prospects who play primarily in 12 personnel. These players can be Pro Bowlers, but they generally cap out as quality TEs (Ex. Hunter Henry, Gerald Everett, Cole Kmet)

Mid-to-Late Day Two - Prospects who are great blockers with athletic upside, prospects who have solid pass-catching abiltiy who have in-line TE potential once they gain weight, or prospects who are move TEs who could play in 11 personnel as a power slot player. These players lack the upside to be Pro Bowlers, but they should develop into capable TEs who have the floor of being a good 12 personnel player (Ex. Dawson Knox, Dan Campbell, Harold Fannin Jr).

Early Day Three - Prospects who have sufficient size and passing game ability to project into a future 11 personnel role, or prospects who are high-end blockers with limited passing catching value. This grade is the last round where any in-line 11 personnel starting potential is possible. While starting potential is possible, these payers are often replacement level players (Ex. AJ Barner, Cade Otton, John Bates).

Mid-to-Late Day Three - Prospects too small to be in-line TEs with the athletic tools to be usable wing TEs/big slots or prospects who have the technique and frames to be capable in-line blockers. These players will see limited snaps on offense and will primarily serve special team roles as depth players. Some of these players could see a role on offense as a FB (Ex. Elijah Higgins, Robbie Outz, Ko Kieft).

PUDFA-Camp - Prospects who do not have draftable talent, but can develop into rosterable NFL players with time on a PS or with multiple stints on preseason rosters. The main difference in the undrafted prospects is what kind of roster spot they are ready to compete for (PUDFA grades are practice squad locks with a chance at a 53-man spot, UDFA are preseason T-90 locks with a chance at a practice squad spot, who should win a T-90 preseason spot, Camp grades have a chance at a preseason T-90 roster spot). While these players don’t have draft grades, it is common to see players with PUDFA grades end up as late round fliers (Ex. Mo Alie-Cox, Brady Russell, Maximilian Mang).

Reject - Prospects that do not have any realistic future in the NFL as a player. These players can have a future in other leagues (mainly UFL and CFL), but they often retire from the sport to pursue careers outside of football. The main reasons for lacking any NFL future are having the combination of poor athletic tools and frame.

GRADES

1. Kenyon Sadiq (Day One) - 6025 - 241 - Oregon - Jr

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   Pros

   • Elite positional athlete in terms of speed and acceleration

     • Speed allows him to stretch the field vertically and threaten the seam

   • Great fluidity to make cuts in the open field as a ball carrier

   • High-end RAC/YAC player due to contact balance and physicality

   • Alignment versatile and can play as a power slot in 11 personnel

     • Allows for disguised personnels that are difficult to match on defense

   • High-end play strength for his size and has a rocked-up frame

   • Great move-TE blocker and will excel in 12 personnel

     • Capable enough blocker to play in-line as a rookie

     • Extremely physical as a blocker and plays above his weight

   • Great ball skills and secures the ball outside his frame consistently

   • Good at using his hands to push off defenders at the stem

   Cons

   • Undersized TE in terms of height, weight, and length

     • Likely bars him from being a great in-line blocker

   • Developing nuance as a route runner in terms of head fakes and false steps

     • Could limit some of the early effectiveness of the power slot snaps

   • Mediocre fluidity reduces his effectiveness separating from DBs

   • Rounded breaks on in and out breaking concepts

     • Needs to improve to be more consistent when covered by DBs

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2. Oscar Delp* (Early Day Two) - 6045 - 245 - Georgia - Sr

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   Pros

   • Great positional athlete in terms of speed and acceleration

     • Speed allows him to stretch the field vertically and threaten the seam

   • Good ball skills and secures passes outside of his frame

   • Good fluidity to cut in space to get RAC as a ball carrier

   • Good fluidity so speed cut as a route runner

   • Frame could carry more weight to become more of an in-line player

   • Active, physical blocker who is a good Wing-TE blocker

     • Good anchoring ability in pass protection

   • Special teams experience on kick return and field goal block

   Cons

   • Slightly undersized and not ready for in-line work as a rookie

   • Mediocre play strength when attempting to dig out EDGEs in the run game

   • Early-on pure Wing-TE who will be a 12 personnel package player only

     • Needs to fill out his frame to play in-line in 11 personnel

     • Not enough of a route runner to separate consistently against DBs

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   *Post season hairline fracture in foot

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3. Joe Royer (Mid-to-Late Day Two) - 6046 - 247 - Cincinnati - (RS) Sr

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   Pros

   • Prototypical HWL for a in-line TE

   • Solid top speed and acceleration as an athlete

   • Solid fluidity to get out of his breaks cleanly as a route runner

   • Good play strength when anchoring in pass protection in-line

   • Good ball skills and consistently secures balls outside his frame

   Cons

   • Mediocre physicality and effort as a blocker in the run game

     • Not much of a man mover and is not going to be a force multiplier

   • Poor consistency when attaching onto defenders in the second level

   • Limited special teams experience

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4. Sam Roush (Mid-to-Late Day Two) - 6055 - 267 - Stanford - Sr

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   Pros

   • Great positional height and weight

     • Short arms for his frame

   • Great trunkiness as a blocker in pass protection to anchor against EDGEs

   • Good physicality and play strength to dig out EDGEs in the run game

     • Immediately capable of playing in-line as a rookie

   • Great at chipping and redirecting EDGEs’ rush path

   • Solid fluidity athlete with ok ability coming out of his breaks

   • Good at using his hands to be physical at the stem

   • Special teams ace with experience on all phases

   Cons

   • Average acceleration and speed athlete at TE

     • Great for a player his size and for a blocking TE

   • Inconsistent hands with body catches, double catches, and drops on tape

   • Inconsistent boxing out and elevating for contested catches

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5. Max Klare (Mid-to-Late Day Two) - 6041 - 246 - Ohio State - (RS) Jr

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   Pros

   • Prototypical height and length profile

     • Has in-line TE potential

   • Solid speed and acceleration athlete

     • Good range as a move TE blocker to climb and cross the formation

   • Good fluidity out of his breaks as a route runner

     • Flashes false steps and head fakes

   • Athletic enough to play in the slot in 11 personnel

   • Good ball skills and consistently secures balls outside his frame

   • Willing to be physical as a blocker when engaging defenders

     • Capable chipper in pass protection

   Cons

   • Slightly undersized and not ready for in-line work as a rookie

   • Poor displacement ability and play strength as a blocker

     • Gets ran through when anchoring in pass protection

   • Bothered by contact easily as a route runner

   • Linear ball carrier with limited RAC/YAC ability

   • Poor consistency sealing off defenders in the second level

   • Limited special teams experience

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6. Josh Cuevas* (Mid-to-Late Day Two) - 6030 - 245 - Alabama - (RS) Sr

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   Pros

   • Solid weight for his frame with a developed lower body

     • Has in-line TE potential

   • Good chipper in pass protection and disrupts the rush paths of EDGEs

   • Great fluidity with quick transitions upfield

     • Good speed cuts as a route runner

   • Flashes good fakes and false steps as a route runner

   • Great ball skills and consistently secures balls outside his frame

   • Willing to lower the shoulder to get RAC yardage

   • Good anchor when taking on defenders in pass protectors

   • Special teams ace with experience on all phases

   Cons

   • Shorter and stumpier frame for a TE

     • Limited upside as an in-line blocker

   • Average acceleration and speed for the position

   • Lacks physicality as a blocker and needs to improve his block sustain

   • Inconsistent connecting with blocks in space

     • Poor as the lead blocker as a FB or climbing to the second level

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   *Broken foot in 2025

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7. Miles Kitselman (Early Day Three) - 6046 - 251 - (RS) Senior

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   Pros

   • Prototypical height, weight, and length for an in-line TE

   • Great ball tracking and ball control to adjust to passes

   • Great play strength and easily displaced defenders in the run game

   • Great trunkiness to anchor against defenders in pass protection

     • Immediate year one capable in-line blocker

   • Hard-nosed blocker who plays to the whistle

   • Special teams experience on kick return and field goal block

   Cons

   • Poor acceleration and speed athlete

   • Poor fluidity out of his breaks limit route running potential

   • Limited RAC/YAC ability due to athletic limitations

   • Inconsistent ball skills with a tendency to occasionally body catch

     • Great when he is consistent with attacking the ball in the air

   • Needs more consistency attaching to defenders on the move

     • Athletic limitations limit his abilities as a move TE/FB

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8. John Michael Gyllenborg (Early Day Three) - 6056 - 249 - Wyoming - (RS) Sr

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   Pros

   • Prototypical height and weight

     • Shorter arms make in-line upside limited

   • Great acceleration, speed, and fluidity as an athlete

     • Great range as a blocker and is great at climbing into the second level

   • Great effort as a run blocker as a move TE

     • Great when aligned on DBs and LBs

   • Potential power slot usage due to his athletic tools

   • Clean out of his breaks when speed cutting

   • Special teams ace with experience on all phases

   Cons

   • Poor attaching and sealing to defenders as a blocker

   • Poor hands with body catches, drops, and double catches

     • Poor in traffic catching ability

   • Poor at chipping in pass protection

   • Mediocre play strength limit his ability to play in-line

     • Could play in-line if he is able to get stronger

   • Poor using his hands to work through contact in his routes

   • Poor fakes and false steps as a route runner

     • Needs to develop more salesmanship to separate from DBs as a power slot

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9. Eli Stowers* (Early Day Three) - 6036 - 239 - Vanderbilt - (RS) Sr

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   Pros

   • Great speed and acceleration for the position

   • Good body control and ball tracking of passes

     • Great at elevating to adjust to high passes

   • Good range as a move-TE blocker when climbing or playing space

   • Flashes of solid salesmanship at the stem for a TE

   • Great hand usage when playing physically throughout his routes

   • Trick play potential due to QB background

   Cons

   • Zero in-line value due to thin, wiry frame

   • Non-functional blocker near the LOS due to horrible play strength

     • Pure slot prospect until he is able to improve his pay strength

     • Unable to handle assignments on LBs and EDGEs

   • Positional tweener who could have a difficult time fitting a role

     • Lacks WR route running and does not add a blocking boost over slot WRs

   • Poor boxing when in contested catch situations

   • Needs more consistent securing passes outside his frame as a pass catcher

   • Zero special teams experience

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   *Torn PCL and meniscus injury in high school

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10. Will Kacmarek (Early Day Three) - 6055 - 261 - Ohio State - (RS) Sr

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    Pros

    • Great positional height, length, and weight

    • Solid displacement ability in the run game

    • Immediate in-line blocking ability as a rookie

    • Willing to be physical as a blocker when engaging defenders

      • Capable chipper in pass protection

    • Great ball skills and consistently secures balls outside his frame

    • Good special teams experience on coverage units and field goal block

    Cons

    • Mediocre speed and acceleration athlete

    • Mediocre fluidity out of his breaks as a route runner

      • Limited upside as a route runner

    • Inconsistent sealing of defenders due to high pad level and wide hands

      • Leverage issues and let defenders under his pads

    • Loses footing and balance often during reps

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11. Eli Raridon* (Early Day Three) - 6056 - 245 - Notre Dame - Sr

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    Pros

    • Good positional height and length

      • Can fill out more to have in-line potential

    • Good ball tracking downfield with highlight in-traffic catches

    • Good leverage and effort as a blocker

      • Immediate capable blocker as a power slot/move TE player

    Cons

    • Slim frame with poor play strength

      • Lacks the size to drive defenders in the run game

    • Average speed and acceleration athlete

    • Mediocre fluidity out of his breaks as a route runner

      • Lacks fakes and false steps as a route runner

    • Inconsistent ball skills with a tendency to body catch

    • Bothered by contact throughout the route and loses his stride

    • Lacks physicality as a blocker to drive defenders out of running lanes

    • Limited special teams experience

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    *Back-to-back ACL tears in 2021 and 2022

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12. Dae’Quan Wright (Early Day Three) - 6035 - 246 - Ole Miss - Sr

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    Pros

    • Good build-up speed that lets him threaten the seam

    • Good ball skills and secures the ball outside his frame

    • Good physicality as a blocker for a move TE

      • Willing to drive defenders out of the gap

    • Frame should allow for more weight gain to be a potential in-line TE

    Cons

    • Thinner, smaller frame with very long legs

    • Extremely stiff athlete with limited RAC/YAC and route running ability

    • Not fluid enough to speed cut out of his breaks as a route runner

    • Mediocre play strength as a blocker when anchoring as a blocker

      • Lacks the strength to dig out EDGEs in the run game

    • Minimal special teams experience

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13. Michael Trigg*** (Early Day Three) - 6035 - 240 - Baylor - (RS) Sr

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    Pros

    • Great positional length with an extremely long wing span

    • Good ball skills and secures his frame

    • Solid fluidity allows for clean breaks as a route runner

    • Solid false steps and fakes as a route runner in the slot

    • Experience as a power slot in 11 personnel

    • Extremely physical and willing to run through defenders for yards

    • Good physicality as a blocker who is willing to block with effort

      • Great on LBs and DBs

    Cons

    • Slender, shorter frame that limit in-line potential

    • Average speed and acceleration athlete

      • Poor for a smaller move TE

    • Needs to be more consistent squaring up as a blocker

    • Poor play strength when on EDGEs as a blocker

      • Struggles to get displacement and gets run through in pass protection

      • Poor at chipping due to his lack of size

    • Inconsistent connecting to blockers in space

    • Poor positioning in contested catch situations

    • Minimal special teams experience

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    *Older player that will be 24 during his rookie year

    **Character concerns in terms of maturity

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14. Riley Nowakowski (Mid-to-Late Day Three) - 6020 - 250 - Indianna - (RS) Sr

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    Pros

    • FB/move TE player who is going to be valuable in 12/13 personnel

    • Great trunkiness when taking on defenders as a pass blocker

      • Great displacement when chipping defenders

    • Good ball skills and secures passes outside his frame

    • Great effort as a blocker and plays past the whistle

      • Great at using his frame to win leverage when blocking

    • Special teams ace with experience on all phases

    Cons

    • Smaller H-back body type limits his ability to play in-line

      • Lacks the length to consistently lock out and seal EDGEs when in-line

    • Average speed and acceleration athlete

      • Short and quick strides when running

    • Tight athlete without fluidity out of his breaks or in the open field

      • Linear ball carrier when in the open field

    • Lacks the size or athleticism to be playable in 11 personnel

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15. Justin Joly (Mid-to-Late Day Three) - 6035 - 241 - NC State - Sr

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    Pros

    • Good ball skills to secure passes outside his frame

    • Solid route runner with good fakes and false steps

    • Good at using his length to push off and hand fight

    • Solid trunkiness as a pass blocker taking on power

    • Good effort and physicality as a move TE blocker

      • Solid at sealing off LBs and EDGEs from plays

    Cons

    • Narrow frame with mediocre size, height, and length

    • Mediocre positional speed and acceleration as an athlete

      • Slower for a move-TE type

    • Stiff athlete who lacks the fluidity to cleanly get out of his breaks

    • Mediocre RAC/YAC player due to his athletic and size deficiencies

    • Limited special teams player who only played on field goal block

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16. Nate Boerkircher (Mid-to-Late Day Three) - 6055 - 245 - Texas A&M - (RS) Sr

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    Pros

    • Prototypical height, weight, and length for an in-line TE

    • Solid build-up speed when running routes downfield

    • Physical ball carrier who is willing to run through defenders

    • Good play strength when displacing defenders in the run game

    • Good special teams experience with snaps on coverage units

    Cons

    • Poor acceleration acceleration

    • Poor fluidity out of his breaks limits his ability as a route runner

    • Linear ball carrier with limited ability in space

    • Poor technique when setting his base when anchoring in pass protection

      • Has the frame and strength to improve

    • Inconsistent ball skills with bobbles and body catches on tape

    • Poor consistency locking out and sealing defenders in-line and on the move

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17. Jack Endries (Mid-to-Late Day Three) - 6046 - 245 - Texas - (RS) Jr

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    Pros

    • Prototypical positional height and length give in-line potential

    • Solid build-up speed downfield

    • Good ball skills and secures passes outside his frame

    • Good contested catch player who can secure passes in traffic

    Cons

    • Narrow frame for his size prevent immediate ability to play in-line

      • Has the potential to fill out more

    • Bothered by contact throughout routes

    • Average positional acceleration and fluidity

    • Horrible blocker in terms of play strength and physicality

      • Plays soft when engaging defenders

      • Easily displaced and shed in the run game

    • Not athletic for a year one move TE that needs to put on weight

    • Minimal special teams experience

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18. Jaren Kanak (PUDFA) - 6017 - 234 - Oklahoma - Sr

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    Pros

    • Great positional athlete in terms of speed and acceleration

      • Speed allows him to stretch the field vertically and threaten the seam

      • Athletic enough to play as a slot WR

    • Good fluidity to cut in space to get RAC as a ball carrier

    • Shows effort as a blocker and is willing to put his body on the line

    • First year playing TE and has upside as he develops upside

    • Good ball skills and constantly secures passes outside his frame

    • Special teams ace with experience on all phases

    Cons

    • Extremely undersized and is a WR/TE tweener

    • Poor play strength and struggles to consistently dig out DBs as a blocker

    • Lacks the frame to currently to block LBs/EDGEs

      • Questionable ability to see the field on offense

    • Limited route salesman and needs to develop better fakes/false steps

    • Poor at remaining in stride when contacted during routes

    • Poor box out and catch point physicality in contested catch situations

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19. Rohan Jones (PUDFA) - 6016 - 236 - Arkansas - Sr

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    Pros

    • Great positional athlete in terms of speed and acceleration

      • Speed allows him to stretch the field vertically and threaten the seam

    • Great fluidity and gets out of his breaks like a receiver

    • Big slot potential due to his athletic tools

    • Good effort and physicality as a blocker

      • Limitations are primarily physical

    • Special teams ace with experience on all phases

    Cons

    • Extremely undersized and is a WR/TE tweener in build

      • Zero potential in-line value

    • Poor play strength as a blocker and cannot displace bigger defenders

    • Questionable hands with double catches, bobbles, and body catches

    • Limited route salesman and needs to develop better fakes/false steps

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20. Tanner Koziol (UDFA) - 6064 - 247 - Houston - Sr

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    Pros

    • Great positional length and height

    • Elite ball skills with consistent ability to secure balls outside his frame

      • Major security blanket in traffic and when contacted

    • Great body control to adjust to passes

    • Elite high-point ability and can make secure great jump passes

    • Length gives potential blocking upside if he is able to size up

    Cons

    • Rail thin frame for his height and needs to gain weight

    • Average acceleration and top speed

    • Stiff, sloppy mover with limited route running ability

      • Not able to get out of breaks cleanly or have fakes/false steps

    • Horrible play strength as a blocker and is outmatched at the LOS

    • Easily shed and struggles to generate displacement in the run game

    • Re-route easily by contact throughout his routes

    • Incapable of playing Y/F TE and not athletic enough to play in the slot

      • Hard player to find a consistent use/role on offense

    • Limited special teams player who only played on field goal block

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Date Published: 03/23/2026

Date Last Updated: 03/23/2026

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INTRODUCTIONS

My name is Jared Zhang, and I have been doing draft evaluations for the past few years. While I started off as a hobbyist, I have been blessed with the opportunity to write for a draft publication and intern for an agent during my scouting journey so far. Throughout the draft cycle, I will be dropping positional big boards as I get through initial watches and rechecks. This document will be updated throughout the cycle with updated grades, new players, and linked reports. The main updates will come after all declaration results come out about underclassman prospects.

For positions where players may switch positions in the NFL (this is mainly talking about OL), I will give a brief note at the beginning of my rankings articles on where I have the player listed currently (Ex. in 2025 I would have listed on the top of my 2025 OT big board that I had Grey Zabel as an OG despite him being a college OT).

GRADING

With grading being different per evaluator, I am grading not based on where I believe players will go in the NFL, but more on what I believe they can be as an NFL player. I have what I look for in each grade for an WR listed below. For anyone who has any off-field/medical issues that can affect their draft position, they will have a * with a note explaining the issue (Ex. I would put a * down for Josh Simmons due to his patellar tendon issue and reported off-field concerns). This means that the grade given to the players is purely based on film evaluations, so there will be players whose grades will not match up with where I believe they should be drafted (Ex. a 5th year senior with an injury history and off-field issues could have listed a day two round film grade, but they should be selected in day three). Grades themselves are range estimations for my evaluations on prospects. Players can creep into the back end of a higher tier (Ex. an early day two grade can be a late day one player).

Blue Chip - Prospects who are immediate high-level contributors with the potential to be OPOTY level talents. These players change how your offense can function beyond just being efficient ball carriers. Blue-chip RBs should be high-level ball carriers, pass catchers, and athletes (Ex. Ashton Jeanty, Bijan Robinson, Saquon Barkley)

Day One - Prospects who are immediately your lead RB with the ability to be playable on all three downs. These RBs will eventually be perennial Pro Bowl+ level starters and also change how defense have to play the run. The main difference between day one and blue chip grades is the lack of elite necessary positional traits or skillsets (Ex. a RB being stiffer, smaller, etc) (Ex. Jahmyr Gibbs, Travis Etienne, Mark Ingram).

Early Day Two - Prospects who can immediately be your lead RB, but have athletic or third-down limitations that prevent Day One+ grading. These RBs should be productive starters with the potential to make occasional Pro Bowls in good years. (Ex. Javonte Williams, Miles Sanders, Dalvin Cook).

Mid-to-Late Day Two - Prospects who are capable of being a lead RB, but they would operate best in a committee with a capable RB2. These players lack the athletic tools to be eventual Pro Bowl talents, but they are backs worth seeing major playing time on offense (Ex. Devin Singletary, David Montgomery, Rachaad White).

Early Day Three - Prospects who project primarily as quality RB2 pieces who are unlikely to be capable of being a lead RB due to physical limitations. These RBs are capable of receiving carries while being good special teamers, blockers, and pass catchers. By being able to do multiple depth roles well, these RBs are really valuable despite limited rushing workload (Ex. Sione Vaki, Ray Davis, Will Shipley).

Mid-to-Late Day Three - Prospects who project purely as depth to fill in the back-end of rosters. The main difference between early day three and mid-to-late day three RBs is the inability to fill in multiple roles for a team and/or limitations as ball carriers. Commonly, these are pure third-down RBs without ball carrying ability, slow power RBs without pass catching ability, or fast scat backs who lack the size to block and run between the tackles (Ex. Dylan Laube, Kenny McIntosh, Boston Scott).

PUDFA-Camp - Prospects who do not have draftable talent, but can develop into rosterable NFL players with time on a PS or with multiple stints on preseason rosters. The main difference in the undrafted prospects is what kind of roster spot they are ready to compete for (PUDFA grades are practice squad locks with a chance at a 53-man spot, UDFA are preseason T-90 locks with a chance at a practice squad spot who should win a T-90 preseason spot, Camp grades have a chance at a preseason T-90 roster spot). While these players don’t have draft grades, it is common to see players with PUDFA grades end up as late round fliers (Ex. George Holani, Emmanuel Wilson, Emari Demercado).

Reject - Prospects that do not have any realistic future in the NFL as a player. These players can have a future in other leagues (mainly UFL and CFL), but they often retire from the sport to pursue careers outside of football. The main reasons for lacking any NFL future is having the combination of poor athletic tools and frame.

GRADES

1. Jeremiyah Love (Blue Chip) - 6000 - 212 - Notre Dame - Jr

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   Pros

   • Good frame in terms of height, weight, and length

     • Long-limbed and carries weight well

   • Elite top speed to rip off big runs and stress pursuit angles

     • Big play threat whenever he gets past the second level

   • Good acceleration and reaches top speed quickly

   • Great fluidity as a ball carrier with the ability to cut and juke in stride

     • Can change tempos and speeds as a ball carrier

   • Good contact balance to stay up from ankle swipes and arm tackles

   • Good vision to hit the correct holes on run concepts

     • Capable of running skinny between gaps

   • Good range on his jump cuts to target different gaps

   • Creative ball carrier who uses spins and hurdles

   • Good pass catching ability with the ability to secure passes outside his frame

     • Showcases some good fluidity out of breaks as an out-wide route runner

   Cons

   • Wide-back usage is more gimmicky than a true-mismatch weapon right now

     • Has the tools, but he needs to develop better fakes and releases

   • Lacks great anchoring ability when picking up free rushers as a pass blocker

     • Needs to get lower in his pads to be better squaring up with defenders

     • Potentially too lean in his frame to be a good NFL pass blocker

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2. Jadarian Price (Early Day Two) - 5105 - 203 - Notre Dame - Jr

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   Pros

   • Protoypical frame in terms of height, weight, and length

   • Good range on his jump cuts to target different gaps

   • Great acceleration as a runner and is explosive out of his cuts

   • Good fluidity as a ball carrier with the ability to cut and juke in stride

   • Good contact balance to brush off arm tackles

   • Good vision to hit the correct holes on run concepts

     • Capable of running skinny between gaps

   • Extremely hard runner that grinds out dirty yards

   • Good pass catching ability with the ability to secure passes outside his frame

   Cons

   • Average long speed when he does reach the open field

   • Needs to get better at anchoring down against defenders

     • Potentially lacks the frame to be a good pass blocker

   • Limited sample size as a pass catcher

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   *Achilles injury in 2022

   

3. Rahsul Faison (Mid-to-Late Day Two)* - 5107 - 208 - South Carolina - (RS) Sr

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   Pros

   • Prototypical frame in terms of height, weight, and length

   • Good fluidity as a ball carrier to cut in stride

   • Good acceleration as an athlete

   • Good jump cut range to target multiple gaps

   • Good blocker with good trunkiness to take on defenders square-on

   • Good vision to hit the correct holes on run concepts

     • Great usage of his jump cut to change his targeted gap

   • Good ball skills and tracking for a RB

   • Return man upside due to his ball skills and athletic tools

   Cons

   • Average build-up and breakaway speed

   • Mediocre contact balance and goes down easily with contact

     • Not going to get dirty, tough yardage

   • Needs to be more effective when chipping in pass protection

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   *Old player who will be 26 year old rookie

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4. Mike Washington Jr (Mid-to-Late Day Two) - 6010 - 223 - Arkansas - (RS) Sr

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   Pros

   • Great positional size, length, and weight

   • Good range on his jump cuts as a runner

   • Great breakaway speed and long speed for a large RB

     • Capable of breaking off long runs in the open field

   • Good contact balance to brush off tacklers

   • Size shows up when chipping and when he is anchoring as a blocker

   • Good vision to hit the correct holes on run concepts

   • Great blocking potential due to his size

   Cons

   • Mediocre fluidity to change directions and cut in space

     • Poor at cutting back to hit the cutback lane on run concepts

   • Poor run-blocking technique when cutting or remaining square

     • Needs to be more consistent making firm, active contact with his hands

   • Body catcher who needs to secure the ball outside his frame more consistently

   • Build-up speed athlete that needs a run way to reach his top speed

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5. J’Mari Taylor (Mid-to-Late Day Two) - 5091 - 199 - Virginia- (RS) Sr

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   Pros

   • Prototypical frame in terms of height, weight, and length

   • Good fluidity as a runner to cut in stride to affect defenders’ angles

   • Creative ball carrier who uses jukes and cuts

   • Good contact balance to bounce defenders and brush off arm tackles

   • Good range on his jump cuts to target different gaps

   • Great blocker with good trunkiness to take on defenders square-on

     • Good aggressiveness when cracking or chipping defenders

   • Good pass catcher with good ball skills to secure the ball outside his frame

   • Good route salesmanship at the stem of the route for a RB

   • Return upside due to his ball skills, fluidity, and ball carrier creativity

   Cons

   • Average acceleration and breakaway speed

   • Has to be more aggressive accessing his cutback lane on run concepts

     • He has the range and fluidity to get better at this

   • Questionable decision-making as a ball carrier using his cuts

     • Cuts into the wrong gap or does not use the open rush lanes

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   *Older prospect that will be a 24 year old rookie

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6. Nicholas Singleton (Early Day Three) - 6000 - 219 - Penn State - Sr

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   Pros

   • Good frame in terms of height, weight, and length

   • Good breakaway speed when in the open field

   • Great blocker with good trunkiness to take on defenders square-on

   • Good pass catcher with good ball skills and ball tracking

   • Elite kick return prospect due to athletic tools and experience

   Cons

   • Horrible stiffness as an athlete and struggles to cut in space

   • Poor acceleration and takes a long time to reach his top speed

   • Horrible jump cut range without the ability to target multiple gaps

     • Unnable to use cutback lanes effectively

   • Needs better consistency hitting the correct hole on outside zone

     • Not capable of changing his target gap once he is in stride

   • May be a pure kick returner in the NFL

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   *Broken foot in the Senior Bowl that likely forces him to miss time as a rookie

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7. Le’Veon Moss (Early Day Three)* - 5106 - 203 - Texas A&M - Sr

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   Pros

   • Prototypical frame in terms of height, weight, and length

   • Good contact balance to break arm tackles

   • Good blocker with good trunkiness to take on defenders square-on

     • Good physicality when cutting and chipping

   • Willing to lower the shoulder for tough yards

   • Good vision to hit the correct holes on run concepts

     • Good at running skinny between blocks

   Cons

   • Average positional athlete in terms of acceleration and top speed

     • Capable of winning angles and getting big runs

   • Limited pass-catching ability in college

   • Some stiffness as an athlete with mediocre lateral ability

   • Limited jump cut range and cannot target multiple gaps effectively

   • One cut-and-run runner without much wiggle in the open field

   • Questionable return ability due a lack of pass catching or returning

     • Could be answered at pro day or combine

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   *Missed major time in 2024 and 2025 due to injuries

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8. Adam Randall (Early Day Three)* - 6025 - 233 - Clemson - Senior

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   Pros

   • Elite positional size, height, and weight

   • WR to RB convert who is still only a year into the position convert

   • Good breakaway speed for someone his size

     • Can win angles on defenders going laterally

     • Can rip off big runs when in the open field

   • Good contact balance to brush off arm tackles

   • Size gives high-end potential as a pass blocker

   • Great pass catching ability for a RB due to WR background

   • Good range on his jump cuts to target other gaps as a runner

   • Good kick returner due to experience and athletic tools

   Cons

   • Extremely stiff athlete with limited ability to cut in stride

     • Struggles to cut back on toss and outside zone concepts

   • High-cut one-cut and run running style

   • Poor acceleration limits his upside as a ball carrier

   • Inconsistent blocking technique and needs to position his frame better

     • Likely gets better as this is his first year being asked to block

   • Overly patient as a ball carrier and waits too long in the backfield

   • Lacks physicality as a ball carrier and does not use his frame fully

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     *Constant injury issues with an ACL tear in 2022, broken hand in 2023, and foot stress fracture in 2024

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9. Jonah Coleman (Mid-to-Late Day Three) - 5084 - 220 - Washington - Sr

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   Pros

   • Thick frame with great size for a smaller RB

   • Good fluidity as a runner to change direction mid-stride

   • Ok contact balance to brush off arm tackles

   • Good creativity as a runner to change angles and use cuts to affect defenders

   • Good vision to hit the correct holes on run concepts

   • Willingness to lower the shoulder to be physical as a ball carrier

   • Aggressive and active pass protector who is willing to crack block

     • Needs to be more willing to be square and punch in pass pro consistently

     • Has the frame to anchor down more effectively

   • Solid salesmanship at the stem as a route runner

   • Good hands and consistently secures the ball outside his frame

   • Potential PR upside due to fluidity and hands

   Cons

   • Extremely slow top speed limits big play potential in the open field

   • Poor acceleration limits his ability to force defenders to miss in space

   • Limited jump cut range and cannot target multiple gaps effectively

   • Easy to tackle when defenders are square and wrap up

   • Lacks the speed to win angles on toss/wide zone concepts

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10. Kaytron Allen (Mid-to-Late Day Three - 5111 - 216 - Penn State - Sr

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    Pros

    • Good frame in terms of height, weight, and length

    • Good vision to hit the correct holes on run concepts

    • Good blocker with good trunkiness to take on defenders square-on

    • Solid hands with the ability to secure passes outside his frame

    • Good contact balance to brush off arm tackles

    Cons

    • Horrible acceleration and long speed athlete

      • Struggles to breakaway from defenders

      • Not going to win angles on outside zone/toss concepts

    • Stiff athlete without the ability to cut in stride

    • Limited jump cut range and cannot target multiple gaps effectively

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11. Noah Whittington (Mid-to-Late Day Three) - 5075 - 205 - Oregon - (SR) Sr

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    Pros

    • Good speed and acceleration athlete

    • Good contact balance for his size to break arm tackles

    • Good physicality and effort for a smaller back

    • Good ball skills for a RB and can secure passes outside his frame

      • Needs to get better at adjusting to passes and tracking balls

    • Good vision to hit the correct holes on run concepts

    • Good blocking technique to square up with blitzers

    • Special teams ace with experience on kick/punt units

    • Good kick returner due to athletic tools and experience

    Cons

    • Undersized in terms of height, weight, and length

    • Poor fluidity for a small back and struggles to cut in stride

    • Mediocre jump cut range to target multiple gaps

    • Limited ability as a blocker due to his frame

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12. Eli Heidenreich (Mid-to-Late Day Three) - 5112 - 198 - Navy - Sr

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    Pros

    • Solid positional fluidity and acceleration

    • Good fluidity as a route runner to speed cut

    • Solid deceleration as a route runner to square cut

    • Great blocker who can anchor down square against free rushers

      • Good lead blocker on sweeps and as a FB/TE

    • Impressive flashes of contested catch ability for a RB

    • Good ball tracking and adjustment to passes downfield

    • Special teams ace who has experience covering kicks/punts

    • Punt return upside due to his fluidity and ball tracking

    Cons

    • Undersized frame in terms of weight

    • Mediocre top speed athlete who plays slower than testing

      • Struggles to break away from defenders

      • Not going to win angles on outside zone

    • Odd offensive role in Navy’s option offense

      • Very limited experience reading blocks on non-sweeps

    • Poor contact balance when contacted by defenders

    • Poor ball skills with a tendency to body catch

      • Has drops and bobbles on tape

    • Linear ball carrier that does use jukes or jump cuts to find the open field

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13. Jam Miller (Mid-to-Late Day Three) - 5095 - 209 - Alabama - Sr

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    Pros

    • Good positional weight for a shorter back

    • Good activity as a pass blocker when looking for work as a blocker

    • Good trunkiness to take on free rushers as a blocker

    • Flashes solid long speed when he is given open rush lanes

    • Great flashes of blocking flashes in pass protection with good chipping reps

    • Willing to lower his shoulder to get extra yardage

    • Good special teams experience with coverage usage

    Cons

    • Mediocre athlete in terms of acceleration who players slower than testing

      • Struggles to break away from defenders

      • Not going to win angles on outside zone

    • Stiff, linear athlete without much ability to cut in stride

    • Mediocre jump cut range limits his ability to target multiple gaps

    • Needs to make faster decisions as a ball carrier

    • Inconsistent hands as a pass catcher with body catches on tape

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14. Demond Caliborne (Mid-to-Late Day Three) - 5094 - 188 - Wake Forest - Sr

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    Pros

    • Great athlete in terms of acceleration and long speed

      • Homerun threat whenever he can get into the open field

    • Solid fluidity to cut in space and take varied angles

    • Solid contact balance for a smaller RB to brush off arm tackles

    • Good ball skills to adjust to poor passes and secure balls outside his frame

    • Solid effort as a blocker and does more than other smaller RBs

    • Good KR ability and production due to his athletic tools

    Cons

    • Extremely short and slim frame

      • Built more like a WR than a RB

      • Questions on blocking ceiling and ball security

    • Limited between-the-tackles ability as a ball carrier

    • Easily taken down on first contact

    • Needs to use cuts and lateral agility more between the tackles

    • Limited third-down ability due to him lacking the size to be a good blocker

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15. Robert Henry Jr (PUDFA)* - 5087 - 196 - UTSA - Sr

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    Pros

    • Good contact balance to brush off arm tackles

    • Solid jump cut to hit the hole on run concepts

      • Fluid runner that is capable of changing angles well in stride

    • Solid long speed to break off big runs when in the open field

    • Good vision to hit the correct holes on run concepts

    • Great effort as a runner and fights for extra yards

    • Puts effort into chipping in pass protection

    Cons

    • Undersized back with a thin, short frame

    • Poor size and strength limit his abilities in blitz pick up

    • Not shifty or twitchy for a smaller RB

      • One-cut and run running style

    • Unable to break tackles by lowering the shoulder

    • Goes down easily when defenders take good angles and wrap up well

    • Limited special teams experience on returns or coverage

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    *Old

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16. Seth McGowan (PUDFA)* - 5115 - 223 - Kentucky - Senior

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    Pros

    • Good positional height, weight, and length

    • Physical player who is willing to take on extra contact as a runner

    • Good blocker who is willing to blow up defenders

      • Good lead blocker on sweeps

      • Good at squaring up with blitzing defenders

    • Good vision to hit the correct holes on run concepts

    • Smart runner who uses angles to get extra yardage in the open field

    • Good creativity to use cuts to mess with defenders’ approach angles

    Cons

    • Poor acceleration athlete who plays slower than testing

      • Unable to win angles on toss/wide zone

      • Struggles to break away from defenders

    • Stiff and upright runner with limited lateral mobility and agility

    • Limited jump cut range to target multiple gaps

    • Inconsistent pass-catching ability with bobbles, drops, and double catches

      • Limited third down upside due to hands

    • Limited special teams ability outside of blocking

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    *Old player that took two years away from football due to legal issues (charges for robbery, conspiracy/assault/battery with a dangerous weapon)

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17. Kaelon Black (PUDFA) - 5093 - 213 - Indiana - (RS) Sr

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    Pros

    • Good positional weight for a shorter back

    • Good vision to hit the correct holes on run concepts

    • Physical runner who gets good leg drive in tough yard situations

    • Great blocker who can anchor down square against free rushers

    • Special teams experience with snaps on kick/punt coverage

    Cons

    • Poor speed and acceleration athlete

      • Unable to win angles on toss/wide zone

      • Struggles to break away from defenders

    • Limited experience as a pass catcher in college

    • Extremely stiff athlete without the ability to cut in stride

      • Very limited ball carrier and struggles to change his targeted gap

    • Limited jump cut range when cutting in space

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    *Old player that will be a 25 year old rookie

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18. Roman Hemby (PUDFA) - 5115 - 205 - Indiana - (RS) Sr

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    Pros

    • Prototypical frame in terms of height, weight, and length

    • Good vision to hit the correct holes on run concepts

      • Willing to run skinny between blocks

    • Solid contact balance can stay upright from arm tackles

    • Great blocker who can anchor down square against free rushers

      • Aggressive when chipping in pass protection

    Cons

    • Poor speed and acceleration athlete

      • Unable to win angles on toss/wide zone

      • Struggles to break away from defenders

    • Good pass catching ability with good ball tracking and adjustment to passes

    • Extremely stiff athlete without the ability to cut in stride

      • Very limited ball carrier and struggles to change his targeted gap

    • Limited jump cut range when cutting in space

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    *Old player that will be a 25 year old rookie

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19. Emmett Johnson (PUDFA) - 5102 - 202 - Nebraska - (RS) Jr

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    Pros

    • Good ball skills to secure the ball outside his frame as a pass catcher

    • Flashes solid salesmanship at the stem of routes

    • Creative runner who uses cuts to affect defenders’ angles

    • Solid contact balance to brush off arm tackles

    • Punt return upside due to his ball tracking and hands

    Cons

    • Slimmer body type with mediocre weight

    • Poor speed and acceleration athlete

      • Not a significant threat to break away from defenders

      • Inconsistent at winning angles on outside zone

    • Mediocre jump cut range to target multiple gaps

    • Stiff athlete without much wiggle or twitch for a smaller RB

    • Goes down easy when defenders tackle him square

    • Questionable decision-making in the open field using his cuts

      • Needs to be more aggressive running into open space

    • Poor blocker who struggles to effectively square up with free rushers

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20. Desmond Reid (UDFA)* - 5056 - 174 - Pitt - Sr

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    Pros

    • Good fluidity and quickness to cut in stride

    • Good acceleration as an athlete and reaches his top speed quickly

    • Good jump cut range for his size due to lateral explosiveness

    • Good route runner with good salesmanship at the stem of routes

    • Willingness to go low on defenders and chip as a blocker

    Cons

    • Tiny RB with outlier height, weight, and length

    • Mediocre breakaway speed for a player his size

    • Instantly goes down to contact from defenders

    • Questionable hands for a route-running and return prospect

      • Bobbles, drops, and double catches on tape

      • Inconsistent tracking and securing punts

    • Questionable decision making as a ball carrier

      • Poor decisions in the open field, on returns, and reading blocks

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    *Missed several games in 2025 due to injury

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21. Jamal Haynes (UDFA) - 5065 - 184 - Georgia Tech - Sr

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    Pros

    • Solid acceleration and breakaway speed as an athlete

    • Good pass catching ability in terms of ball tracking and ball skills

    • Willing to go low as when cracking defenders

    • Creative ball carrier willing to use cuts to affect defenders’ angles

    • Solid contact balance for a smaller RB

    • Return man upside due to his ball skills and athletic tools

    Cons

    • Tiny RB with outlier height, weight, and length

    • Stiff athlete who does not have much wiggle in space

    • Limited jump cut range to target multiple gaps

    • Size limits his ability to pick up free rushers as a blocker

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22. Dean Connors (Camp) - 5113 - 206 - Houston - Sr

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    Pros

    • High-effort blocker who is willing to go low when crack blocking

    • Good hands and the ability to adjust to poorly placed passes

    • Special teams ability with experience on punt/kick coverage

    • Potential return upside due to hands and ball tracking

    Cons

    • Mediocre size with a lanky build for a RB

      • Looks smaller than his listed weight

    • Lacks the frame to pick up free rushers square

    • Bad athlete in terms of acceleration and speed

      • Inable to win angles on outside zone/toss concepts

    • Stiff athlete without the ability to cut in stride

    • Bad jump cut range and is unable to target multiple gaps

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23. CJ Donaldson (Camp) - 6011 - 230 - Ohio State - Sr

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    Pros

    • Elite positional size, length, and weight

    • Physical back who is willing to dive forward for yards

    • Good blocker who can anchor down square against free rushers

    • Good contact balance to brush off arm tackles

    Cons

    • Tall high-cut RB who is a one-cut and run back

      • High-pad level limit his ability to be goal-line/powerback

    • Stiff athlete without cutting ability in stride

    • Horrible athlete in terms of acceleration and breakaway speed

    • Limited pass catching usage in college

      • Flashes of ball skills to secure the ball outside his frame

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24. Cash Jones (Camp) - 5106 - 180 - Georgia - (RS) Sr

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    Pros

    • Solid acceleration and fluidity as a ball carrier

    • Solid hands and pass catching ability for a RB

    • Special teams ace with extensive experience on all phases

    Cons

    • Extremely undersized RB that is built like a WR

    • Mediocre speed to pull away from defenders

    • Practically zero value taking carries

    • Too small to block on blitz pick up

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25. Star Thomas (Reject) - 5106 - 209 - Tennessee - Sr

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    Pros

    • Prototypical frame in terms of height, weight, and length

    • High-effort blocker who is willing to be aggressive crack blocking

    • Experience on punt and kick coverage

    Cons

    • Stiff athlete without much ability to cut in stride

    • Mediocre speed and acceleration as an athlete

      • Struggles to breakaway from defenders

      • Can not win angles on outside zone/toss concepts

    • Limited jump cut range to target multiple gaps

    • Limited pass catching ability

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26. Davon Booth (Reject) - 5084 - 202 - Mississippi State - (RS) Sr

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    Pros

    • Solid positional weight for a shorter back

    • Gutsy blocker who is willing to put his face in the fan

    • Plays above his weight as a runner and runs physically

    Cons

    • Mediocre speed and acceleration as an athlete

      • Struggles to breakaway from defenders

      • Can not win angles on outside zone/toss concepts

    • Stiffer athlete without the ability to cut in stride

      • Poor for a smaller RB

    • Poor jump cut range makes targeting multiple gaps difficult

    • Questionable hands with bobbles and drops on tape

    • Poor hands and athletic tools limit his special teams ability

      • No experience as a coverage team player

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Date Published: 03/01/2026

Date Last Updated: 03/01/2026

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Image 1: Franchise legend Cam Newton pounding the drum at the first Panthers playoff game in a decade

Introductions

Hello everyone! My name is Jared Zhang, and I make NFL Draft content that I post on Reddit and Twitter. These past few weeks I was the GM for the Carolina Panthers for the r/NFLDraft Discord mock offseason. Firstly, I want to shout out Amelia, Zack, and Greg for helping me during the off-season, while also shouting out the administrators and agents that helped make this mock off-season possible. I will be covering all the restructures, extensions, trades, free agent signings, and draft decisions made and the philosophy behind them all. I will also be including film on external players who are not on the team. Let’s first discuss the vision for the offseason.

The Plan

Image 2: WR Tetairoa McMillan after winning the OROTY

With the team finally making a playoff appearance and Bryce Young coming into his own as a player, I wanted to be aggressive in acquiring talent to make a push in a continually weak NFC South. Due to having clean books in future years and easy restructuring options to free up 2026 cap space, the team is in a position to be able to spend big on FAs and take on contracts from teams with bloated cap sheets.

On offense, the team has a pretty clear need at pass catcher. While McMillan flashed impressive ability as a rookie, the team lacked a reliable number two option on offense with Coker being hurt and the other options on offense (Tremble, Sanders, Legette, etc) being average/mediocre. Coker being tendered and returning for 2026 helps with the issue, but the team still needs to add more competent pass-catching options. Beyond playmakers, Carolina needs to address the options at OT with Ikem Ekwonu being unavailable due to a late patellar tendon injury and Taylor Moton getting older. With a potential one-year starter and long-term answer being needed, OT is a position we likely need to double-dip assets on.

Besides addressing holes on offense, a big goal of this offseason was to re-innovate the offensive scheme. With Carolina primarily existing out of 11 personnel, we wanted to add pieces to the offense to be able to run more 12 personnel to help out the play-action/run game. Beyond copying the trend of multi-TE sets seen in the top offenses in the NFL, we wanted to add something not generally seen in Canales’ offenses: a fullback. With 9 of 16 playoff teams rostering a fullback (the Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks technically rostered two), the addition of a fullback could help increase the efficiency of our run concepts by adding a more legitimate lead blocker on run concepts than what our current array of TE/DT/WRs would provide.

On defense, the team’s FA additions of Tre’von Moehrig and Tershawn Wharton alongside rookie Nic Scourton have revamped Carolina’s defensive unit. Alongside stars like Horn and Brown, Carolina has the bones to create a great defense if they are able to address two main position groups: EDGE and LB.

At EDGE, Scourton has shown to be a genuine building block, but the majority of the room has looked mediocre, been hurt, or are young. While the majority of our pass rush looks will be going to Brown, another player who could receive pass rush looks while doing secondary roles to set up other members of our DL would be a major addition. Though we want to make a big splash in FA, draft, or trade, we still need competent role players to fill in the rotation as Umanimelen has been primarily a team player with limited ability when on the field and Patrick Jones II is a solid player who is coming off a season-ending back injury.

At LB, there is a lot less to build on. While rookie Martin-Scott has been a core ST player as a UDFA, the Panthers had one of the worst LB corps in the NFL last season. While Roseboom has carved out a good career as a former UDFA, he has continued to struggle in space due to his athletic limitations and is not a player that we plan on re-signing this offseason. Wallace has shown a lot of growth as a player, but he still has a lot of warts as a player that make him a difficult linebacker to start for a playoff contender’s defense. As a run defender, Wallace has grown a lot from last year in terms of consistency in his processing and tackling. As a coverage player, Wallace has good range, but his heavy feet and stiff movements make it difficult for him to be a truly impactful coverage player as a linebacker. Wallace is a player we want to keep on the team as an ongoing project due to his HWS combination, but we are likely going to look for an upgrade at one of our starting LB spots for next year. Though he is a quality depth player and special teamer, Wallace is someone who could still wind up being a starter down the road due to his age (he just turned 23 on February 22nd).

On special teams, the kicking and coverage teams were extremely solid, but we need an upgrade at returner. With Etienne being the primary player on punt and kick return, the team did not benefit a lot from getting easy additional yardage with the new dynamic kickoff rules. While Etienne will have a chance to prove himself next year to keep his roster spot, we will be looking for cheap options in FA, draft, and undrafted free agency to give competition to Etienne as the team’s return specialist.

Restructures and Extensions

Image 3: CB Michael Jackson Sr (2) and CB Jaycee Horn (8) celebrating in game

To free up 2026 cap space, we are restructuring Derrick Brown (frees up 11,623,333), Robert Hunt (frees up 11,856,667), and Jaycee Horn (frees up 12,315,000). For extensions, we are extending Tommy Tremble (2 yr 16m, 8 APY, 11.67 guaranteed) and Michael Jackson (2 yr 33m, 16.5 APY, 23.65m). With both being key starters for us, Tremble and Jackson’s extensions allow us to not worry about replacing in-line TE and CB2 while reducing their 2026 cap hits. For Young, we decided to pick up his fifth year option and not pursue an extension at this time. While he has looked better than previous seasons, Young still has looked inconsistent and we are delaying another year in case we decide we need to move off from Young for a different option at QB.

Pre-Draft Trades

Image 4: EDGE Rashan Gary (52) in a three-point stance for the Green Bay Packers

Carolina Panthers: 5.157 and A’Shawn Robinson (Carolina eats 3.5 of Robinson’s contract)

Green Bay Packers: Rashan Gary

With the team desperately needing EDGE talent and needing to move off Robinson’s contract, Rashan Gary kills two birds with one stone. A good contain and stunt player, Gary is a high-end role player who instantly becomes our best complementary piece to Derrick Brown. If the rush does not win quickly, Gary’s closing speed and ability to slip contain quickly make him our best late winner who can clean up to get coverage sacks. When we need to give Brown a rest or Brown gets injured, Gary is capable of receiving two-way goes and being our primary rush option. While he has done this less in Green Bay’s current defensive scheme, Gary has experience rushing stand up and dropping into coverage. Overall, Gary is just a very cheap option at EDGE that immediately revamps our ability to rush the passer while being a scheme fit. In terms of money, Gary’s contract does not have any guaranteed money, so a simple restructure turning most of the base salary into a signing bonus and adding voids makes his cap hit in 2026 very manageable. For 2027, Gary is an easy extension and restructure candidate who can prove his value in an expanded role for this defense.

Video 1: EDGE Rashan Gary (52) contains and then slips to make the tackle

Video 2: EDGE Rashan Gary (52) uses speed-to-power to get the sack on the two-way go

Video 3: EDGE Rashan Gary (52) sets an edge and makes a play in the backfield

Video 4: EDGE Rashan Gary (52) loops and uses his closing speed to register a QB hit

Image 5: S Xavier Woods (25) climbing the ladder to break up a pass

Carolina Panthers: 6.199

Tennessee Titans: Xavier Woods

While his final year in Carolina was not great, Xavier Woods has been a solid starter with the Tennessee Titans and rebounded majorly. A good starter at S, Woods having a homecoming with Carolina was tempting as he would be a cheap, one year cap hit for a position that is being bloated in contract value (Ex. Nick Cross received 17.5 APY and Jalen Thompson received 15 APY in this mock offseason). With Carolina using Trevon Moe’hrig primarily near the LOS as a big NB, Woods becomes our best in-space cover player while being incredibly physical when crashing on ball carriers as a tackler. We will need to find his eventual replacement in the draft, but Woods lets a starting split safety not be a pressing need.

Video 5: S Xavier Woods (25) reads the QB and quickly drives on the ball for an interception

Video 6: S Xavier Woods (25) fits the run and submarine hits the RB

Video 7: S Xavier Woods (25) reads the screen and prevents the WR from staying in bounds

Image 6: WR Xavier Legette (17) adjusting his body to make a difficult catch

Carolina Panthers: Xavier Legette, 7.235

Cincinnati Bengals: 4.110

With us burning a ton of day three capital and looking to look for better starting options at WR, Xavier Legette being moved is not surprising. After another disappointing year filled with mental errors, poor separation, and poor ball skills, Carolina cannot afford to roll the dice on Legette ever being a starting-caliber WR. There still is some upside with Legette due to his rare height, weight, and speed combination, but we will let the Bengals attempt to fix this reclamation project as we look for immediate contributors for a playoff hopeful.

Video 8: WR Xavier Legette (17) gets jammed to the dirt when attempting to get off the LOS

Video 9: WR Xavier Legette (17) body catches and fails to secure the ball in bounds

Video 10: WR Xavier Legette (17) fails to box out the smaller DB to make the contested catch

Internal Free Agents

Image 7: LS JJ Jansen (44) and K Ryan Fitzgerald (10) helping P Sam Martin (6) with his pads

JJ Janson - LS - 1 year - 1.6 m - 1.6 m APY - 1.1m guaranteed

Sam Martin - P - 1 year - 1.6 m - 1.6 m APY - 1.6m guaranteed

With the Panthers punting and kicking game being great, we made sure to secure JJ Jansen and Sam Martin to bring back the same core special teams unit. Though we are going to sign UDFAs for camp/preseason competition, these players are mainly going to be players to stash on the PS to be potential future options to replace the aging Martin and Jansen.

Image 8: LB/S JJ Isaiah Simmons (27) with the Carolina Panthers

Isaiah Simmons - ST/LB/NB - 2 years - 6 m - 3 m APY - 4m guaranteed

While his NFL career has gone awry from his initial billing, Isaiah Simmons has been a good special-teams ace for Carolina due to his combination of size and speed. With the size to be a good punt protector and the speed to be a great gunner, Simmons’ versatility on special teams is incredibly useful. Beyond special teams, Simmons’ athletic profile makes him a perfect candidate to potentially develop into a big NB. With how defenses have been deploying position versatile DBs (Ex. Kyle Hamilton, Nick Emmanwori, and Derwin James), Simmons with an offseason/training camp with Evero could have him turn into a real difference maker on defense. Though this conversation has been had with him for about his entire career, Simmons’ floor as a good, versatile special teams player still makes him worth the contract even if he never develops enough to see the field on defense.

Video 11: LB/S Isaiah Simmons (27) beats the rest of his coverage team to the returner due to his coverage range

Video 12: LB/S Isaiah Simmons (27) beats his coverage unit to the returner as a gunner

Video 13: LB/S Isaiah Simmons (27) bulldozes the blocker and makes a tackle on the kickoff

Image 9: OG/OT/OC Brady Christensen (70) in pass protection

Brady Christensen - OG/OT/OC - 1 year - 4 m - 4 m APY - 4m guaranteed

With experience playing three spots on the line, Brady Christensen is an important glue guy for our OL by being a solid backup at three spots. While he is older and coming off an Achilles injury that will sideline him for the early part of this season, Christensen’s versatility will make him a valuable piece when he returns for our hopeful playoff push in the second half of the season. By signing him to a cheap one-year contract to evaluate what he looks like post-injury, Carolina secures capable depth at three positions for half a season while also not being tied down with paying an aging, injured Christensen over multiple seasons.

Video 14: OG/OT/OC Brady Christensen filling in at OG

Video 15: OG/OT/OC Brady Christensen filling in at OC

Video 16: OG/OT/OC Brady Christensen filling in at OT

External Free Agents

Image 10: QB Gardner Minshew (17) with the Kansas City Chiefs

Gardner Minshew - QB - 1 year - 1.4 m - 1.4 m APY - 400k guaranteed

While we still intend to get a young QB to compete for the QB3 spot, Carolina signing Gardner Minshew gives us a capable rosterable QB for 2026. There are many inherent limitations with Minshew due to his arm and physical tools, but he has shown the ability to be a playable backup and has plenty of experience working heavy amounts of under-center play action. For a player who we were able to sign for close to the vet minimum, we are thrilled to have Minshew on the roster.

Video 17: QB Gardner Minshew (17) pump fakes and scrambles up field

Video 18: QB Gardner Minshew (17) escapes the pressure and makes a throw on the run

Video 19: QB Gardner Minshew (17) makes a big throw under pressure from under center

Image 11: FB Pat Ricard (42) catching a touchdown for the Baltimore Ravens

Pat Ricard - FB - 2 years - 9 m - 4.5 m APY - 6 m guaranteed

While the Panthers have not rostered a FB with Canales, Pat Ricard is a truly difference-making player. As a 300+ lb fullback, Ricard is unsurprisingly great at being the lead blocker on run concepts that can detonate LBs that he climbs onto. However, Ricard is a special player due to his ability to work as an extension of the TE room. By being the weight of many OTs, Ricard is the best pass-protecting FB in the NFL. With the Panthers running a lot of under-center play action passing concepts, Ricard working as the Y/F TE would buy a lot more time for Bryce to process the field and get the ball out for explosive plays. Ricard will not be much of a rushing or pass-catching threat individually, but his impact as an elite blocking multiplier would have a momentous impact on our offense.

Video 20: FB Pat Ricard (42) aligned as a Wing-TE and double teams in pass protection

Video 21: FB Pat Ricard (42) as the lead blocker on a run concept and detonates a LB

Video 22: FB Pat Ricard (42) chips in pass protection and catches the check down

Image 12: RB Chris Rodriguez Jr (36) getting a carry for the Washington Commanders

Chris Rodriguez Jr. - RB - 1 year - 3 m - 3 m APY - 3 m guaranteed

With Rico Dowdle being a pending FA and Chubba Hubbard taking a step back, Chris Rodriguez Jr provides a stable secondary RB option for a room with more question marks than you would want. A smart back with good vision, contact balance, and blocking, Rodriguez is a very well-rounded player that will play an amount of snaps in a committee with Hubbard. Given Brooks’ health and Etienne’s lack of blocking ability, Rodriguez would also be our lead RB in case of an injury to Hubbard due to his ability to play on all three downs.

Video 23: RB Chris Rodriguez Jr (36) jump cuts and rips off a big run

Video 24: RB Chris Rodriguez Jr (36) breaks the first tackle and rips off a big run

Video 25: RB Chris Rodriguez Jr (36) blocks the blitzing LB and helps get the ball out

Video 26: RB Chris Rodriguez Jr (36) catches the pass and makes the first defender miss

Image 13: WR Dyami Brown (5) making a play in space for the Jacksonville Jaguars

Dyami Brown - WR - 1 year - 7 m - 7 m APY - 7 m guaranteed

With Xavier Legette off the team, Carolina needs to add in a field-stretching WR option to potentially be the WR3 of this team. Dyami Brown is an excellent budget one year rental for this exact role. Though his previous one-year prove it deal with Jacksonville did not get him the payday he hoped for, Brown’s deep speed allowed him to be a capable field-stretching option for the team. While we will still be looking for options in the draft that may bump Brown outside the starting 3, Brown is solid in a depth role due to his experience as a gunner and kick returner. For a team that had a mediocre return game, Dyami can help us get better starting field position. Also a fun addition due to him being from Charlotte.

Video 27: WR Dyami Brown (5) speed cuts and gets open on the dig

Video 28: WR Dyami Brown (5) busts the coverage for an explosive play down field

Video 29: WR Dyami Brown (5) uses his physicality to beat press coverage for the touchdown

Image 14: WR/PR Kalif Raymond (11) returning a punt for a TD against the Tennessee Titans

Kalif Raymond - WR/PR - 1 year - 1.5 m - 1.5 m APY - 1.5 m guaranteed

While there is a bit of redundancy between him and Jimmy Jorn Jr, Kalif Raymond is an awesome depth piece to add for a cheap one year contract. A capable rotation WR who provides value as a return player, Raymond is going to compete for WR4 with Horn and a rookie. By being a capable veteran who helps give a good return body to a team that lacks return talent, Raymond brings a lot of value for a low price.

Video 30: WR Kalif Raymond (11) gets easy yardage on a screen

Video 31: WR Kalif Raymond (11) reads his blocks and rips off a punt return for a touchdown

Video 32: WR Kalif Raymond (11) wins the edge for a good gain on the punt return

Image 15: TE Kylen Granson (83) celebrating after a catch with the Philadelphia Eagles

Kylen Granson - TE - 2 years - 5 m - 2.5 m APY - 3.5 m guaranteed

While his production on offense is pretty poor, Kylen Granson brings an athletic Wing-TE body who was one of the best punt/kick coverage players in the NFL last season. Granson is too poor of a blocker and too small to handle in-line duties, but his athleticism does allow him to climb to the second level and run routes well. The main reason why we are signing Granson is to upgrade to Ja’Tavion Sanders as Granson provides more blocking, route running, and special teams ability while having fewer injury concerns. With us adding more TE talent and signing a FB, Mitchell Evans and Ja’Tavion Sanders are two early cut/trade candidates for the 2026 season.

Video 33: TE Kylen Granson (83) fakes outside and gets open on the dig

Video 34: TE Kylen Granson (83) showcases his speed when climbing to the second level and sealing off the DB on the outside zone run

Video 35: TE Kylen Granson (83) blows up the second returner and gets a special teams tackle

Video 36: TE Kylen Granson (83) runs through the blocker and gets a special teams tackle

Image 16: OT Larry Borom (79) as the starting RT for the Miami Dolphins

Larry Borom - OT/OG - 12 m - 6 m APY - 9 m guaranteed

With Ekwonu missing a good portion of next season, Carolina needs to pursue a potential short-term starting option at LT. After being a solid swing OT for Chicago and Miami, Larry Borom is an affordable swing OT who gives us an option at LT for the first half of the season. Borom has footspeed and length limitations that prevent him from being a great starting option, but heavy amounts of chip from Ricard and Tremble should let the OL function as we wait for Ekwonu to return from his injury. When Ekwonu gets back, Borom brings valuable two-position depth with an aging starting 5 who have gotten banged up recently.

Video 37: OT Larry Borom (79) vertical sets and drives the EDGE upfield with a good punch

Video 38: OT Larry Borom (79) gets chip help and beats the EDGE to the spot

Video 39: OT Larry Borom (79) seals off the C-Gap on the run play

Image 17: OG Jordan McFadden (74) playing OG for the Chicago Bears

Jordan McFadden - OG - 3 years - 16 m - 5.333333 m APY - 11.810000 m guaranteed

The signing is admittedly very questionable initially, but Jordan McFadden is a very underrated OG. While he primarily played special teams for Chicago, McFadden stepped into the starting lineup against the LA Rams and looked pretty incredible. With great positional strength, length, and quickness, McFadden looked like a quality starter despite being a depth player all season. By being a really high-end puller, McFadden brings athleticism at IOL that we currently lack in our starting three. If Borom is not able to be a playable OT for us, then we would kick Robert Hunt out to OT and play McFadden at OG. While some would argue this is a pretty hefty contract for the single game sample size, I matched the Nick Allegretti contract from two years ago, which was a multi-year contract for a depth OG. Even if McFadden primarily is depth for us in 2027, he would be a future starter as we would cut/trade one of Lewis or Hunt next year to free up cap for a Young + Ekwonu extension.

Video 40: OG Jordan McFadden (74) anchors down against Kobie Turner on a two-way go

Video 41: OG Jordan McFadden (74) executes a textbook pass off against the TT Stunt

Video 42: OG Jordan McFadden (74) anchors against the bullrush from Jared Verse

Video 43: OG Jordan McFadden (74) showcases his athleticism when pulling

Video 44: OG Jordan McFadden (74) mirrors to seal the non-play side of the screen pass

Image 18: OC Connor McGovern (66) identifying the MIKE for the Buffalo Bills

Connor McGovern - OC - 3 years - 45 m - 15 m APY - 30 m guaranteed

While we missed out on signing Cade Mays, Carolina has still gotten premier talent at OC with Connor McGovern. Another OG → OC convert, McGovern brings a similar size profile that made Cade Mays a key part of our scheme. While he is a positionally average run blocker, McGovern is a dominant one-on-one pass protector that can anchor down and mirror against the best on the IDL. With us likely playing a sub-starter level LT for a good portion of next season, McGovern’s one-on-one pass protection ability allows us to slide more OG help to protect Young’s blindside.

Video 45: OC Connor McGovern (66) gets a pancake on a combo block

Video 46: OC Connor McGovern (66) climbs into the second level and seals the LB

Video 47: OC Connor McGovern (66) pass protects one-on-one with the NT

Image 19: EDGE Mike Danna (51) running out of the tunnel for the Kansas City Chiefs

Mike Danna - EDGE - 2 years - 10 m - 5 m APY - 6 m guaranteed

With our EDGE rotation needing a potential replacement to Patrick Jones II pending on his play post-back injury, Mike Danna is an affordable EDGE3/4 option who can play a similar role to Jones. A solid contain player, edge setter, and stunt player, Danna is a solid role player who will free up our pass rushers and control the C-Gap. While he lacks the athletic tools to be a great one-on-one winner off the edge, Danna is a capable interior pass rusher on true passing downs. With Jones being a key matchup hunter for us when aligned on OGs and OCs who cannot match his quickness, Danna is a good alternative for this role if Jones is cut, injured, or resting.

Video 48: EDGE Mike Danna (51) sets the edge and helps clean up the tackle

Video 49: EDGE Mike Danna (51) sets the edge and disengages for the tackle

Video 50: EDGE Mike Danna (51) hits a cross chop on the OC and gets quick interior pressure

Video 51: EDGE Mike Danna (51) crashes on the stunt and splits the blocks for a QB hit

Image 20: LB Devin Bush (30) playing in the snow for the Cleveland Browns

Devin Bush - LB - 3 years - 39 m - 13 APY - 26 m guaranteed

A former notorious draft bust, Devin Bush has been extremely good for the Cleveland Browns this season and is a clear upgrade to our LB room. A super rangy and physical athlete, Bush brings a good coverage player and a blitzing threat that we have not had since Frankie Luvu. As a run defender, Bush is great at striking blocks and locking out to get tackles. As a processor, Bush may not have had green dot duties, but he has grown a lot in his ability to recognize run concepts and fit the run.

Video 52: LB Devin Bush (30) uses his elite fluidity and speed to get a sack as a blitzer

Video 53: LB Devin Bush (30) uses his elite range and pushes Lamar Jackson out of bounds

Video 54: LB Devin Bush (30) recognizes the run concept, strikes the block to force a jump cut, and spins out to get the tackle

Video 55: LB Devin Bush (30) strikes the block and disengages to get the tackle

Video 56: LB Devin Bush (30) strikes the lead blocker and blows up the run play

Video 57: LB Devin Bush (30) fits the run and meets the RB in the hole

Image 21: LB Patrick Queen (6) on the field for the Pittsburgh Steelers

Patrick Queen - LB - 2 years - 28 m - 14 APY - 19 m guaranteed

While this signing may get some flak, Patrick Queen has been a player I believe has been overhated by fans. Though I never thought he was an All-Pro level talent at LB, Queen has been a good starter due to his downhill speed and run processing. By having good closing burst and range, Queen can comfortably fit all gaps and chase down fast RBs to create splash plays/prevent explosive runs. In coverage, Queen does have some stiffness, but his range and burst lets him be an effective coverage player as the hook/curl/flat defender. Queen also brings another blitzing threat to our defense so we can further supplement our pass rush by sending 5+ pass rushers or disguise our rush looks by dropping an EDGE and sending Queen. By being a player with experience wearing the green dot, Queen brings a veteran presence to make calls and ensure proper alignment of our fronts.

Video 58: LB Patrick Queen (6) strikes the block and disengages for a tackle

Video 59: LB Patrick Queen (6) fits the run and meets the RB at the hole

Video 60: LB Patrick Queen (6) reads the cutback and gets a TFL

Video 61: LB Patrick Queen (6) penetrates the backfield and chases down the RB for a TFL

Video 62: LB Patrick Queen (6) fits the cutback lane and gets a TFL

Video 63: LB Patrick Queen (6) drives on the ball and almost gets a PBU

Video 64: LB Patrick Queen (6) covers the flat and has the range to not get beat upfield

Image 22: CB/NB Amik Robertson (21) locking up Justin Jefferson for the Detroit Lions

With the team needing a player to be the backup boundary CB and an upgrade at NB, Amik Robertson kills two birds with one stone. A feisty coverage player and run defender, Robertson is a great starting NB who is capable of playing on the outside despite his size. While this signing would relegate Smith-Wade to a depth role, Robertson playing on the outside in case of Jackson/Horn needing rest/getting hurt would have Smith-Wade rotate in the slot. With a starting three of Jackson, Horn, and Robertson, Carolina has built one of the best DB rooms in the NFL.

Video 65: CB/NB Amik Robertson (21) beats Ja'Marr Chase at the catch point for the interception

Video 66: CB/NB Amik Robertson (21) breaks up the pass at the catch point despite having a size mismatch against Harold Fannin Jr

Video 67: CB/NB Amik Robertson (21) fits the run against the outside zone run concept

Draft Day Trades

Carolina Panthers: 2.51 & 4.119

Atlanta Falcons: 2.45 & 7.235

Carolina Panthers: 4.102, 6.184, 2027 6th

Seattle Seahawks: 3.96

Carolina Panthers: 4.137 & 5.168

Los Angeles Chargers: 4.123 & 6.203

Image 22: OG/OT Tyler Steen with the Philadelphia Eagles

Carolina Panthers: 4.110 & 2027th 4th

Philadelphia Eagles: 4.137 & Tyler Steen & 2027 5th & 2027 7th

With us still having questions on what our starting five on the OL looks like before Ekwonu returns, Tyler Steen is a versatile player who brings talent to an extremely deep OL. Steen has been only an OG in the NFL, but he is a former college OT who has enough athleticism to have a reasonable shot of winning the starting LT job week one. In a situation where we go with Hunt at LT, Steen is a very safe floor bet on a starting LG in case the bullish signing of McFadden does not work. Even if he does not end up a starter for us, Steen would be our best depth OL piece who has proven to be a starting caliber player in the NFL. With our project 2027 spending being fairly meager, we could potentially earn a solid comp pick when Steen leaves for more opportunity in free agency.

Video 68: OG Tyler Steen (56) mirrors in space in pass protection

Video 69: OG Tyler Steen (56) reaches the NT to free up the run lane

Video 70: OG Tyler Steen (56) uses his athleticism to climb to the second level

Image 23: RB Johnathon Brooks during training camp

Carolina Panthers: Johnathon Brooks & 7.235

Denver Broncos: 5.168 & 7.246

Though there was a lot of hype around him entering last season, Brooks getting a second ACL tear really puts his NFL future into question. With many quality backs dropping during the draft, we decided to move off Brooks to get four cost-controlled years of another RB without the same injury baggage/availability concerns.

The Draft

Here are the picks we had in this draft class:

1.19

2.45

3.96

4.123

4.137

6.203

7.247

Image 23: 1.19 - Oregon TE Kenyon Sadiq breaking a tackle in space

Our top player on our board, Kenyon Sadiq is going to revolutionize how we will be able to play offense. By having elite positional athleticism, solid blocking ability, and alignment versatility, Sadiq gives a lot of versatility that Carolina’s offense did not have beforehand. With the team primarily being forced to play out of 11 personnel last year due to lacking TE talent, Sadiq opens up the offense to have a lot more creative play calls and designs. Due to his athleticism and blocking combination, Sadiq is a hard player for defenses to match personnel with.

Due to this, Sadiq will be used less like a traditional TE and more like a hybrid power slot/wing TE player (look at the usage of players like Puka Nacua, Brock Bowers, and Harold Fannin Jr as examples). By rotating Sadiq, it makes it hard for defenses to guess our pre-snap look. If we have Tremble and Sadiq in the package, then we could flex between traditional 11 personnel looks with Sadiq in the slot or 12 personnel looks with Sadiq as the wing TE. If we just have Sadiq, then we can flex between traditional 11 personnel looks with Sadiq in-line or spread looks with Sadiq and 3 WRs spread out wide. By having numerous potential looks from the same package, we can hunt for blocking or speed advantages by putting Sadiq in motion.

Click here to read my scouting report + film analysis on Kenyon Sadiq

Image 24: 2.45 - Tennessee WR Chris Brazzell II making an acrobatic catch in the air

Needing another option at WR, Carolina adds length and speed with Chris Brazzell II. While he is a bit of a one-trick pony, Brazzell brings important field-stretching ability to a WR room whose primary starters are below-average speed athletes. Though he will be primarily a field-stretching player running deep concepts, Brazzell is capable of running a more complete NFL route tree due to his solid deceleration and fluidity for a taller player. With Brown being signed in FA, Brazzell is not forced to start if he is not ready, but I would be shocked if he did not see a large amount of snaps as a rookie. In terms of usage, Brazzell’s size and ability to get off the LOS would make him the perfect X-WR for our offense with McMillan and Coker rotating at Z/slot.

Brazzell is an exciting addition, as he allows for more creative usage for McMillan. While he was primarily used as the X as a rookie, McMillan can be unlocked as a player by having Brazzell on the line. With this, McMillan is going to get more looks with him as the slot/Z, which allows him to get more matchups on smaller NBs and get free releases from motion. Similar to how players like London got more productive when used beyond a traditional X-WR role, McMillan can become even more dangerous as a playmaker from the freedom and spacing created by Brazzell.

Click here to read my scouting report + film analysis on Chris Brazzell II

Image 25: 3.96 - Miami S Jakobe Thomas securing a difficult interception

With Carolina using Moehrig in the slot heavily in big nickel packages, Carolina needs to get a safety to compete with Ransom for the third safety spot and eventual full-time starter job once Woods is off the team. With our S room being filled with physical goons with good positional size, Jakobe Thomas is perfect for our type of S. The main reason why we wanted Thomas is that he would be the fastest S we have in our room (Simmons is in our LB room) and thus is the rangiest player in the room. Even though Ransom played a good amount of snaps for a day three S as a rookie and looked capable, Thomas’s athletic tools make him a better upside option to take the future reins as the primary split safety starter in two-S sets.

The main issues with Thomas are his inconsistent angles as a run defender and hip stiffness that limit his recovery ability in coverage. Thomas’ physicality and athletic gifts help mitigate some of these issues, but there is a chance Ransom with another year of experience is more ready than Thomas as a rookie. If this happens, then Thomas just slides in as one of our primary gunners on special teams with a chance to compete for the starting job next season.

Image 26: 4.123 - Texas A&M Albert Regis (17) starting down the OG

Though he was inevitably going to be off the team due to his cap hit, Robinson still played a valuable role as a pocket-pushing 3T/4i who was also good against doubles. Albert Regis was drafted due to his year-one ability to fill in this role in the rotation at a very low price. With good leverage, size, and strength, Regis is one of the best immediate two-gapping players in the class. While there are solid DTs in the draft class, the majority of the day three options are smaller penetrating types or players with run defense tools who lack technique to not get moved against doubles. While he lacks the athletic tools to become a real one-on-one pass rush option, Regis has good play strength, which makes him capable of pushing pockets and crashing on stunts. Regis has experience being an NT, but we likely would go toward Jackson as the back-up/successor to Brown III. Regis is unlikely to turn into a very high-snap player for Carolina, but his ability to be a cheap immediate rotation player due to his run defense ability makes him very valuable to an increasingly expensive team.

Image 27: 4.137 - Cal CB Brent Austin (4) tackling the ball carrier

While there are frame concerns with him, Brent Austin is a DB I have been high on since he was with USF. With great fluidity, speed, and explosiveness, Austin has every movement tool needed to be a potential starting-caliber CB in the NFL. With great ball skills and processing, Austin is great at using his short area burst to disrupt passes for PBU/interceptions. In terms of technique, Austin is really clean in his mirroring footwork and positioning with WRs. Austin’s biggest barrier to having a career in the NFL is his lack of good positional frame and tackling ability. Though this does limit his potential special teams impact and upside, Austin’s coverage fundamentals and athletic tools make him too talented of a coverage prospect to not have the upside to potentially develop into one of our starting CBs.

Image 28: 6.203 - Ole Miss OT Diego Pounds (61) in his pass set

While we attacked OL aggressively in FA and the trade market, Carolina should try to bring in another young OL piece due to most of their starters being 2/3rd contract players. With the positional size we value on the OL, Diego Pounds is a body type fit who projects as a solid future swing OT option for us. By having good positional length and size, Pounds has solid play strength for a young OT when punching in his pass set or anchoring down against power. Technically, Pounds has good refinement in his punch timing and placement for a college OT. Pounds biggest barrier from having starting potential is his mediocre lateral athletic tools and poor reactions to inside counters. While he is not going to consistently beat very fast EDGEs to the spot on vertical sets, Pounds will be capable enough as a strength and technical player to survive if good chip help and slides come his way.

Image 29: 7.247 UTSA RB Robert Henry Jr (3) breaking off a long run

The player with probably the smallest chance of making the active roster, Robert Henry Jr was mainly drafted to not fight for him in FA. While he is an old, small RB with minimal third-down ability, Henry’s long speed, fluidity, and vision make him a natural at ripping off big runs when he has good blocking. With Etienne being disappointing in his consistency as a return man this past season, Henry is mainly being brought in to be a potential upgrade to return man if Etienne continues to struggle. Even if he does not make the roster, Henry is someone we would love to have on the PS to be a game-time activation player due to the increased workload on returners (though he probably gets signed to an active roster if he is waived).

UDFAs

Image 30: Tennessee QB Joey Aguillar (6) throwing a pass

Image 31: Georgia WR Colbie Young (8) stiff arming a DB

Image 32: Vanderbilt EDGE Kordae Syndor (96) celebrating with a teammate

Image 33: Texas A&M DT Tyler Onyedim (96) celebrating with his teammates

Image 34: Louisville DT Rene Konga (90) on the field between snaps

Image 35: Houston DT Carlos Allen Jr (5) celebrating after a defensive stop

Image 36: LSU DT Bernard Gooden (88) taunting an opposing player

Image 37: Arizona CB Ayden Garnes (8) celebrating a teammate’s interception

Image 38: Iowa Kicker Drew Stevens (18) kicking a field goal in practice

Though we did not sign a lot of UDFAs, I am very excited about the players we acquired. On offense, Joey Aguilar and Colbie Young were both interesting tools dart throws on players to compete for spots on the active roster/practice squad. While Young likely does not make the active roster due to the WR room being crowded, Aguilar has a good shot to win the QB3 job, as he currently has the biggest arm and frame in the QB room.

On defense, Kordae Syndor is a good scheme fit as he is a long, big EDGE with experience rushing stand-up. With very similar tools to Patrick Jones II, Syndor could develop into a real rotation player if he develops better run defense fundamentals. Given the similarity with the rest of the room, I would not be shocked if Syndor beats out Ummanmielen due to having better size, length, and strength. For the DTs, we signed a lot of penetrating-style players to compete for PS spots, but the amount of talent of this group is pretty ridiculous. Tyler Onyediem is a player I believe has real draft potential once he tests at the combine, and the rest (Gooden, Allen, Konga) are all talented players who likely get hefty FA deals or late-round consideration. Though his chance of making the roster and getting drafted are slim, Ayden Garnes is a really fun player that has NFL athleticism. Even though he is extremely skinny and old, Garnes moves better than all the DBs in UDFA pool and has the biggest potential to develop into a rosterable NFL player if he can gain more size in the NFL.

While our kicking game was solid, Drew Stevens is a player I would easily take over Ryan Fitzgerald. With an insane leg, solid frame, and good mechanics, Stevens has a better chance of being the first kicker selected instead of being a UDFA. With our offense hopefully being more efficient to avoid short field goals, Stevens dramatically increasing our potential range is the biggest impact a UDFA could have for our team.

Cap Space Situation

Image 39: Our 2026 53-Man Special Teams Roster for Week One

While the negative number in 2027 looks scary, our rollover cap covers the amount we owe, and the amount of projected cap could be much higher than anticipated. In terms of moves to free up cap, there are a host of extension + restructure (ex. Young and Gary), restructure (Ex. Tershawn Wharton), and cut options (Ex. Bobby Brown III) that could be down to sign our 2027 rookie class and pay any free agents.

Post Draft Depth Charts

Image 40: The color key for the depth chart

Image 41: Our 2026 Post-Draft Offensive Depth Chart

Image 42: Our 2026 Post-Draft Defensive Depth Chart

Image 43: Our 2026 Post-Draft Special Teams Depth Chart

Conclusion & Projected 53 Man Roster

Overall, I am thrilled with our offseason. With more versatility on offense, great depth all around, and more LB/DL talent, Panthers have gotten significantly better from last year. The jury is still out on what Bryce Young can be in the NFL, but we are setting up this team with the best chance for success next season that we could have.

Image 44: Our 2026 53-Man Offensive Roster for Week One

Image 44: Our 2026 53-Man Defensive Roster for Week One

Image 45: Our 2026 53-Man Special Teams Roster for Week One

In terms of the projected 53-man roster, the only draft pick that likely does not make the team is Robert Henry Jr. As long as Etienne shows minor improvement as a returner and Henry does not look like an All-Pro returner in camp, Etienne’s age and size make a more desirable player to roster. In terms of the OL, I would likely first try out Hunt at OT due to the quality of the FA/trade market OG pick ups. If Hunt and/or McFadden struggle too much early on, then we would likely have Steen fill in at either position due to his positional versatility. On defense, there is a hole at the penetrating DT spot behind Wharton, but we would likely just use Jones and/or Danna at times on the inside due to both having experience being match up hunters that can condense down. On special teams, Stevens is a huge upgrade to K and we pray that we get more productive returns out of Etienne, Raymond, and Horn Jr. In terms of the coverage teams, we have a great collection of size and athleticism to have pretty nice range to prevent big runs against us. Overall, I think this is a roster that is capable of winning the division. If Young takes another step up as a player, then I think there is a shot this team could be a legitimate Super Bowl contender.

Date Published: 02/24/2026

Date Last Updated: 02/24/2026

If you enjoyed my writing or my content, then consider checking out my articles on Substack! Though I generally do not make mock offseason content (I will do another version of this next year for a different team), I do make scouting reports that feature film breakdowns for college draft prospects. If you would like to support my work, then consider sharing my content on social media and subscribing for free to my Substack. If you want a Substack report, grades, or scouting notes on players not published, then consider a paid subscription where subscribers can commission one detailed report per month on a declared/eligible draft prospect, get copies of my personal scouting notes on any prospect I have graded, and request scouting notes/grades on any players I have not watched.

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INTRODUCTIONS

My name is Jared Zhang, and I have been doing draft evaluations for the past few years. While I started off as a hobbyist, I have been blessed with the opportunity to write for a draft publication and intern for an agent during my scouting journey so far. Throughout the draft cycle, I will be dropping positional big boards as I get through initial watches and rechecks. This document will be updated throughout the cycle with updated grades, new players, and linked reports. The main updates will come after all declaration results come out about underclassman prospects.

For positions where players may switch positions in the NFL (this is mainly talking about OL), I will give a brief note at the beginning of my rankings articles on where I have the player listed currently (Ex. in 2025 I would have listed on the top of my 2025 OT big board that I had Grey Zabel as an OG despite him being a college OT).

GRADING

With grading being different per evaluator, I am grading not based on where I believe players will go in the NFL, but more on what I believe they can be as an NFL player. I have what I look for in each grade for an WR listed below. For anyone who has any off-field/medical issues that can affect their draft position, they will have a * with a note explaining the issue (Ex. I would put a * down for Josh Simmons due to his patellar tendon issue and reported off-field concerns). This means that the grade given to the players is purely based on film evaluations, so there are going to be players whose grades will not match up with where I believe they should be drafted (Ex. a 5th year senior with an injury history and off-field issues could have listed a day two round film grade, but they should be selected in day three). Grades themselves are range estimations for my evaluations on prospects. Players can creep into the back end of a higher tier (Ex. an early day two grade can be a late day one player).

Blue Chip - Prospects who have an immediate ability to be a team’s WR1 on offense while having elite positional tools. Blue chip prospects should provide immediate Pro Bowl-level play with the ability to develop into OPOTY level talents. (Ex. Ja’Marr Chase, Calvin Johnson, Marvin Harrison Jr).

Day One - Prospects who can immediately be a team’s WR1 or a WR2/3 with the tools to develop into a WR1. These players should immediately step into an offense and be a productive contributor. While they may not have the gifts to be OPOTY level players, these players should be able to be multi-year Pro Bowl+ level starters (Ex. Brian Thomas, Devonta Smith, Drake London).

Early Day Two - Prospects who have an immediate ability to be a WR2/3 who lack the tools necessary to be a true WR1. Generally, prospects with this grading are capped out due to size or athletic tools. Despite this, prospects with early day two grading could be a low-end WR1 if a team is unable to get a more talented WR to be the offense’s primary target (Ex. Ladd McConkey, Courtland Sutton, Christian Watson).

Mid-to-Late Day Two - Prospects who are true WR2/3s who should be able to compete for a starting job as a rookie or high-end developmental projects with the tools to be WR1/2s. Project picks generally lack the separation ability to play beyond a rotational as a rookie, but they have the tools to develop into WR1/2s (Ex. Tank Dell, Savion Williams, Isaac TeSlaa).

Early Day Three - Prospects who lack starting talent/refinement, but they can provide immediate value as special teamers/rotation players. These prospects should have enough physical tools to potentially develop into WR2/3s for an offense, but many will remain as depth players (Ex. Chimere Dike, Charlie Jones, Devontez Walker).

Mid-to-Late Day Three - Prospects who lack the talent to be more than rotation players, but they can provide value as depth pieces who can potentially have sub-package roles. These prospects generally are career special teamers (Ex. Dareke Young, Casey Washington, Ronnie Bell).

PUDFA-Camp - Prospects who do not have draftable talent, but can develop into rosterable NFL players with time on a PS or with multiple stints on preseason rosters. The main difference in the undrafted prospects is what kind of roster spot they are ready to compete for (PUDFA grades are practice squad locks with a chance at a 53-man spot, UDFA are preseason T-90 locks with a chance at a practice squad spot who should win a T-90 preseason spot, Camp grades have a chance at a preseason T-90 roster spot). While these players don’t have draft grades, it is common to see players with PUDFA grades end up as late round fliers (Ex. Xavier Gipson, Jackson Meeks, Isaiah Williams).

Reject - Prospects that do not have any realistic future in the NFL as a player. These players can have a future in other leagues (mainly UFL and CFL), but they often retire from the sport to pursue careers outside of football. The main reasons for lacking any NFL future is having the combination of poor athletic tools and frame.

GRADES

1. Carnell Tate (Day One) - 6’3* - 195* - Ohio State - Jr

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   Pros

   • Good positional length and height

   • Great catch point player and dominant at contested situations

   • Fluid athlete with the ball in his hands

     • Good at getting additional yardage

   • Good build up speed to eat up cushions and threaten deep

   • Great body control to adjust to passes down field

   • Good deceleration ability on square cuts and comebacks

   • Good release package off the LOS

   • Athletic and fluid enough to run a full NFL route tree

   • Potential to be a WR1 for an NFL offense

   Cons

   • Skinny build for his frame and will need to gain more mass

     • Has the frame to support it

   • Needs snappier breaks at the stem of routes

   • Needs more fakes and salesmanship at the stem

   • Lacks great positional athleticism

   • Inconsistent down-to-down effort

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   *Unverified

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2. KC Concepcion* (Early Day Two)* - 5’11** - 190** - Texas A&M - Jr

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   Pros

   • Great positional athleticism with great positional deep speed

     • Going to stress coverages vertically and change how defenders play

   • Good deceleration and acceleration

   • Fluid enough to speed cut at an NFL level

   • Great release package when getting off the LOS

   • Good route technician in terms of fakes and false steps

   • Good hand fighting off the LOS and throughout his routes

   • Good ability to climb the ladder for difficult catches for a smaller player

   • Good effort and displacement ability in the run game

     • Cannot match up with LBs or EDGEs

   • Value as a return man with good production on punt return in HS and 2025

   Cons

   • Smaller WR in terms of height, length, and weight

     • Harder target to hit downfield

   • Size creates limitations with long DBs with proper press technique

   • Mediocre fluidity for a smaller player

     • Reduced benefit from playing in the slot

     • Whip routes and multi-break concepts are poor

   • Average RAC/YAC prospect without tackle breaking ability

   • Occasional focus drops and bobbled passes

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   *Reported character concerns

   **Unverified

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3. Omar Cooper Jr (Early Day Two) - 6’0* - 210* - Indianna - (RS) Sr

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   Pros

   • Good height, weight, and length prospect

   • Elite contact balance and play strength to stay upright

     • Capable of bouncing defenders

   • Great fluidity to change directions and speed cut

   • Good deceleration to square cut and run comebacks

   • Good fakes and false steps as a route runner

   • Good acceleration as a ball carrier

   • Great RAC/YAC player due to fluidity and contact balance

   • Solid hands with the ability to adjust to difficult catches

   • Good skill position blocker who can block bigger assignments

   Cons

   • One speed athlete with mediocre long speed

   • Struggles with physicality throughout his routes

     • Needs to learn how to hand fight better

   • Slot-only prospect due to vertical limitations

     • Not someone who is going to stack corners vertically in the NFL

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   *Unverified

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4. Makai Lemon (Early Day Two) - 5’11* - 195* - USC - Jr

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   Pros

   • Filled out frame for his height

   • Solid contact balance, quickness, and acceleration

     • Solid RAC/YAC player

   • Great deceleration ability when square-cutting

   • Good fludity to speed cut

   • Good fakes and false steps as a route runner

   • Good ball skills for his size and can high-point balls in traffic

   • Acceptable run blocker when on DBs

     • Cannot match up with LBs or EDGEs

   Cons

   • Mediocre physical tools prospect in terms of size and speed

   • Mediocre deep speed limits his effectiveness downfield

     • Limits the effectiveness of comebacks and fakes

   • Struggles with long, physical corners when on the boundary

   • Slot only prospect for the NFL due to frame and speed

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   *Unverified

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5. Jordyn Tyson (Early Day Two)* - 6’2** - 200** - Arizona State - (RS) Jr

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   Pros

   • Good positional length and height

   • Good fluidity and deceleration as an athlete

   • Great release package when getting off the LOS

   • Good route technician in terms of fakes and false steps

   • Good awareness in the open field as a ball carrier

   • Acceptable blocker when on DBs on the perimeter

   Cons

   • Thin build and plays much smaller than listed HWL

   • Poor play strength and size create issues against press

     • Struggles to separate against man coverage

   • Average positional athleticism and is less athletic than starting DBs

   • Average RAC/YAC player without great agility or contact balance

   • Size creates limitations at the catch point and in contested situations

   • Questionable hands with double catches and drops on tape

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   *Major injury issues and has never finished a season in college healthy

   **Unverified

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6. Chris Brazzell II (Early Day Two)* - 6’5** - 200** - Tennessee - (RS) Jr

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   Pros

   • Great height and length profile

   • Good build-up speed and can stretch up the field vertically

     • Going to force defenses to change how they play/call their coverage

   • Great body control and flexibility when adjusting to difficult passes

   • Effective at square cutting into in and out breaking concepts

   • Solid deceleration ability for a taller WR

   Cons

   • Very thin player with mediocre play strength

   • Long-strider athlete with large, clunky movements and poor acceleration

   • Pure deep threat without much short-to-intermediate ability

   • Mediocre RAC/YAC player due to acceleration and poor tackle breaking

   • Mediocre fluidity that limits his ability to speed cut

   • Needs better hand fighting off the LOS and at the stem of routes

   • Poor matchups with long, physical corners

   • Extremely poor effort when engaging defenders as a blocker

     • Takes plays off routinely and does not try in the second level

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   *Reported character concerns

   **Unverified

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7. Bryce Lance (Early Day Two) - 6031 - 207 - NDSU - Senior

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   Pros

   • Great frame with high-end length and height

   • Great acceleration and buildup speed

     • Going to force defenses to change how they play/call their coverage

   • Good fluidity and can speed cut well for a tall WR

   • Good effort and play strength as a blocker

   • Solid hand fighter when using his frame and length to separate

   • Good quickness as an athlete for a taller WR

   • Capable RAC/YAC player for a X-WR

   • Solid variety of releases to get off the LOS

   • Good positioning when attempting to box out defenders

   Cons

   • Average weight for his frame

   • Poor deceleration and struggles to throttle down

     • Limited ability on comeback route concepts

     • Not going to be great square cutting

   • Needs more effective fakes and false steps as a WR

   • Inconsistent ball skills when attacking the ball in the air

     • Tendency to body catch and does not maximize his frame

   • Mediocre play strength at the catch point for a bigger WR

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8. Brennan Thompson (Mid-to-Late Day Two) - 5’9* - 170* - Senior

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   Pros

   • Elite positional athleticism in terms of speed and acceleration

     • Going to be one of the fastest players in the NFL

   • Great deceleration ability and can square cut well

   • Solid RAC/YAC player with the ability to make defenders miss in space

     • Not going to break many tackles or bounce defenders

   • Good ball skills with a good tendency to secure passes outside his frame

   • Good speed control and can change tempos during routes

   Cons

   • Extremely undersized player in terms of height, weight, and length

     • Small target that is harder to hit down field

   • Poor match-up against longer corners who can press him

   • Poor in-traffic pass catcher with tipped balls and dropped passes

   • Mediocre fluidity for a small WR

     • Can speed cut but lacks elite change of direction ability

   • Minimal special teams usage despite his athleticism

   • Horrible blocker due to his lack of size

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9. Ted Hurst Jr (Mid-to-Late Day Two) - 6032 - 207 - Georgia State - Sr

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   Pros

   • Great positional height, weight, and length

   • Dominant contested catch target

   • Good ball skills and is capable of securing passes outside his frame

   • Solid build up speed to stretch the field vertically and break away

   • Good fluidity for a WR his size and length

   • Elite deceleration ability and is great at square cutting

   • Good route runner with various fakes and false steps

   • Great releases to get off the LOS consistently

   • Great skill position blocker who can block bigger assignments

   Cons

   • Long stride athlete with a mediocre first step and acceleration

     • Not great winning immediately off the LOS

   • Limited lateral ability reduces his RAC/YAC ability

   • Needs to be better playing through contact throughout routes

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10. Germie Bernard (Mid-to-Late Day Two) - 6006 - 209 - Alabama - Sr

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    Pros

    • Good positional height, weight, and length

    • Great skill position blocker who can block larger assignments

    • Good contact balance to break arm tackles and stay upright

    • Great fluidity in the open field when changing direction

      • Fluid when speed cutting

    • Good variety of fakes and false steps as a route runner

    • Varied releases to get off the LOS

    • Good ball skills and body control to adjust to difficult passes

    • Smart ball carrier who takes smart angles to set up defenders

    Cons

    • Mediocre athlete in terms of deep speed, acceleration, and twitch

      • One speed athlete who lacks the ability to change tempos

    • Struggles to separate on the boundary

      • Will do best in a power slot role

    • Occasional body catching issue on tape

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11. Eric Rivers (Mid-to-Late Day Two) - 5096 - 179 - Georgia Tech - (RS) Sr

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    Pros

    • Elite positional speed with high-end deep speed and acceleration

    • Good fakes and false steps as a route runner

    • Good ball skills and contested catch ability for someone his size

      • Not going to be a great 50/50 ball winner due to height

    • Great production on gadget touches and has high-end returner potential

    Cons

    • Extremely undersized player in terms of height, length, and weight

    • Poor strength when engaging defenders as a blocker

      • Not someone who will be great in condensed formations

    • Mediocre fluidity for a smaller player

      • Lacks great lateral twitch or ability in space

    • Mediocre RAC/YAC player due to lack of size and short area quickness

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12. Deion Burks (Mid-to-Late Day Two) - 5’9* - 188* - Oklahoma - (RS) Sr

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    Pros

    • Good speed and acceleration

    • Good speed to stretch the field vertically

    • Good at adjusting his body to make difficult catches

    • Solid RAC/YAC player with impressive contact balance and agility

      • Productive on gadget touches

    • Great fluidity to speed cut when running routes

    • Good fakes and false steps as a route runner

    • Good potential as a return man due to athletic tools

    Cons

    • Poor height, weight, and length

    • Bobbled passes and body catches on tape

    • Poor ability to make contested catches due to his lack of length and strength

    • Horrible blocker that will get blown up by DBs

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    *Unverified

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13. Denzel Boston (Mid-to-Late Day Two) - 6’4* - 210* - Washington - (RS) Jr

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    Pros

    • Great positional length and height

    • Good at playing physically through reps

      • Good at handfighting at the LOS and the stem

    • Solid build-up speed and can stretch the field vertically

    • Good ball skills to secure catches outside his frame

    • Good football IQ and knows where to settle in soft spots

    Cons

    • Skinny frame that creates play strength issues on tape

      • Poor positioning at the catch point and boxing out DBs

    • Long-stride athlete with heavy movements and poor explosiveness

      • Poor at beating man coverage off the LOS

    • Poor RAC/YAC player due to his lack of lateral quickness

    • Lacks the fluidity to effectively use fakes and false steps as a route runner

      • Unlikely to develop technical separation ability as a route runner

    • Poor matchup with bigger DBs who can match up with his length/size

    • Mediocre blocker with poor strength and effort

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    *Unverified

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14. Chris Bell (Mid-to-Late Day Two)* - 6014 - 227 - Louisville - Sr

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    Pros

    • Rocked-up build with great size for his height

    • Good at using his frame to box out DBs

    • Great build-up speed to eat up cushions and stretch the field

    • Great skill position blocker who can block larger assignments

      • Great in condensed formations

    • High-end special teams potential due to his speed and size combination

    Cons

    • Extremely poor acceleration, deceleration, and fluidity

      • Heavy mover that struggles to separate against man coverage

    • Lacks the athleticism to speed cut or square cut

    • Cannot perform false steps or fakes as a route runner in stride

    • Inconsistent ball winner in contested situations

    • Needs to improve his hand fighting off the LOS and throughout the rep

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    *Torn ACL in 2025 and will miss a large portion of his rookie season

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15. Zachariah Branch (Early Day Three) - 5’10* - 180* - Georgia - Jr

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    Pros

    • Great acceleration and transitions upfield as a ball carrier

    • Solid speed and deep speed to stretch the field

    • Very well-built frame for a player his height

      • Dense and strong for a smaller WR

    • Good fluidity and competent at speed cutting

    • Solid contact balance for a smaller WR to break tackles

    • Capable of varying tempos as a route runner

    • Good fakes and false steps as a route runner

    • High-end returner potential

    Cons

    • Poor height and length

    • Constant body catcher with questionable ball skills

    • Production came heavily from gadget looks

    • Poor contested catch target due to his frame and size

    • Smaller target that is harder to hit downfield

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    *Unverified

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16. Malachi Fields (Early Day Three) - 6040 - 218 - Notre Dame - Sr

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    Pros

    • Rocked up frame with great positional height, length, and weight

    • Good deceleration for a player his size

    • Good at using his frame to box out defenders.

      • Can run through the press of smaller DBs

    • Elite skill positional blocker with high-end strength and effort

      • Can play on the LOS as a TE and can block LBs/EDGEs

    • Good physicality after the catch with the willingness to pick up tough yardage

    • Good ball skills and consistently attacks the ball in the air

    • Good contested catch and jump ball player

    • Good body control to adjust to the ball in the air

    • Ok build up speed when given a runway to accelerate

    • Solid fakes and salesmanship for a bigger WR

    Cons

    • Sluggish athlete with horrible acceleration and play speed

      • Not athletic enough to warrant a full-time starter role

    • Lacks the first step to separate from man coverage with proper releases

    • Speed and explosiveness limitations limit his ability to be a separator

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17. J.Michael Sturdivant (Early Day Three) - 6024 - 209 - Florida - (RS) Sr

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    Pros

    • Good positional height, weight, and length

    • Solid build-up speed and can stretch the field vertically

    • Good fluidity for a WR his size

      • Good at speed cutting as a WR

    • Solid RAC/YAC player for a bigger WR

    • Solid ball skills when adjusting to balls outside his frame

    Cons

    • Long stride athlete with mediocre acceleration

    • Poor route salesmanship with limited fakes and false steps

      • Has the fluidity to develop this as a route runner

    • Mediocre blocker due to poor effort

      • Has the length and strength to be solid

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18. Lewis Bond (Early Day Three) - 5110 - 197 - Boston College - (RS) Sr

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    Pros

    • Solid speed and acceleration as an athlete

    • Solid RAC/YAC player who falls forward and takes good angles

    • Flashes impressive catch point ability for a WR his size

    • Good fluidity as an athlete and transitions upfield well

    • Good technician with false steps and fakes

    • Capable blocker on DBs

      • Not a player you want on bigger assignments

    • Capable return man with experience on punt and kickoff

    Cons

    • Average positional height, length, and weight

    • Poor at playing through contact and gets rerouted

    • Lowlight hand moments with drops and body catches

    • Tendency to round break when speed cutting

    • Struggles to get off the LOS against longer, bigger DBs

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19. Ja’Kobi Lane (Mid-to-Late Day Three) - 6041 - 196 - USC - Jr

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    Pros

    • Great positional height and length

    • Solid build up speed and can be a target downfield

    • Good deceleration for a tall WR and can square cut well

    • Solid fluidity for a tall WR

    • Solid fakes and false steps for a tall WR

    • Elite body control and ball skills in contested situations

    Cons

    • Extremely skinny frame and has poor play strength

    • Long-stride athlete with mediocre acceleration

    • Struggles to get off the LOS and struggles against long, press DBs

      • Lacks the size to run through contact effectively

    • Long releases and needs to learn to get off the LOs quicker

    • Poor separator and struggles to beat man coverage

    • Needs to use his length better as a hand fighter at the stem and LOS

    • Bad blocker due to his lack of play strength

      • Good at using length, but he has to get stronger to be a capable blocker

    • Zero special teams value

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    *Unverified

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20. Antonio Williams (Mid-to-Late Day Three)* - 5’11** - 190** - (RS) Jr

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    Pros

    • Solid deceleration ability to square cut well

    • Good gadget potential due to skill position passing

    • Good ball skills and consistent attacks the ball in the air

    • Flashes false steps and fakes as a route runner

    • Competent return man on punt

    Cons

    • Mediocre speed, explosion, and acceleration athlete

      • Less athletic than starting NFL DBs

    • Average height, weight, and length

    • Average RAC/YAC player

    • Struggles to deal with contact throughout routes

    • Occasional issues with focus drops

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    *Hamsting injury in 2025

    **Unverified

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21. Aaron Anderson (PUDFA) - 5075- 177 - LSU - (RS) Jr

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    Pros

    • Solid fluidity and acceleration

    • Ok deep speed to stretch the field

    • Snappy breaks when speed cutting

    • Flashes solid fakes and false steps as a route runner

    • Competent return player with experience on kickoff

    Cons

    • Extremely undersized WR that is a pure slot prospect

    • Not athletic enough to be a starter at his size

    • One speed athlete without great shiftiness or tempo as an athlete

    • Poor ball skills with a tendency to body catch

    • Bad contested ball target due to his frame

    • Easily bothered by contact when running routes

    • Uselsss blocker with the inability to get better due to his frame

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22. Caullin Lacy (PUDFA)*** - 5083 - 189 - Louisville - (RS) Sr

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    Pros

    • Gadget player with the ability to play wildcat and pass

    • Solid long speed with the ability to stretch the field

    • Good return man with experience on punt and kickoff

    Cons

    • Extremely undersized WR that is a pure slot prospect

    • Mediocre acceleration and takes a long time to build up speed

    • Mediocre RAC/YAC player for his size

    • One speed athlete without great quickness or twitch

    • Useless blocker due to his lack of strength and length

      • Has good effort but is unable to displace DBs

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    *Older prospect that will turn 25 during his rookie season

    **Suffered a season ending collarbone injury in 2024

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23. Harrison Wallace III (PUDFA) - 5115 - 190 - Ole Miss - (RS) Sr

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    Pros

    • Good tempo and varied speed when running routes

    • Great deceleration and effective at square cutting

    • Good fluidity and effective at speed cutting

    • Capable RAC/YAC player who takes smart angles as a ball carrier

    • Smart zone settler when finding soft spots in coverage

    • Good contested catch player for a player his size

    • Verified fakes and false steps as a route runner

    Cons

    • Average positional height, weight, and length

    • Poor acceleration and deep speed as an athlete

      • Less athletic than starting NFL DBs

    • Poor at separating from bigger, faster DBs

    • Inconsistent ball skills with double catches, body catches, and tipped balls

    • Poor run blocker due to his lack of length and strength

    • Limited special teams ability due to his athletic and blocking limitations

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24. Josh Cameron (UDFA) - 6012 - 223 - Baylor - Senior

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    Pros

    • Great positional height, length, and weight

    • Great play strength and flashes great ability to box out DBs

    • Great fluidity for a player with high-end size

    • Good deceleration and can square cut well

    • Good at using frame to push off and hand fight

    • Solid RAC/YAC player with the ability to break tackles

    • Good fakes and false steps as a route runner

    • Good skill position blocker and can block bigger assignments

    • Competent special teams ability with the ability to return punts

    Cons

    • Poor speed and acceleration make separation difficult

      • Less athletic than starting NFL DBs

    • Struggles to get off the LOS consistently

      • Lacks the first step to separate when he does get off the LOS

    • Struggles to play big throughout plays and gets rerouted by physicality

    • Needs to be more consistent using his size to box out DBs

    • Struggles to beat man coverage despite refinement as a route runner

    • Needs greater consistency securing passes outside of his frame

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25. Elijah Sarratt (Camp) - 6016 - 206 - Indiana - Senior

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    Pros

    • Solid positional height, length, and weight

    • Solid fluidity and can speed cut at an NFL level

    • Good declaration to square cut and run come backs

    • Solid blocker who can seal off DBs in the run game

      • Not a player you can ask to block bigger assignments

    • Physical player who uses push offs and hand fighting

    • Good adjustment for poorly placed passes

    Cons

    • Lacks elite length, weight, and strength to play with high-end physicality

    • Horrible acceleration and top speed

      • Incapable of stacking NFL DBs vertically and DBs sit on his routes

    • Struggles separating against man coverage on the boundary

    • Poor RAC/YAC player due to athletic limitations

    • Mediocre contested catching ability and needs greater consistency

    • Needs to box out and use his length more consistently

    • Limited special teams ability due to his lack of athletic tools

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Date Published: 02/19/2026

Date Last Updated: 02/19/2026

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Image 1: WR Denzel Boston (12) making a play with as a ball carrier

Height: 6’4

Weight: 209

Position: WR

Year: (RS) Jr

Background

Image 2: WR Denzel Boston (2) during his time with Emerald Ridge High School

Born on December 6th, 2003, Denzel Boston was a Three-Star WR prospect in the class of 2022 coming out of Emerald Ridge High School in Puyallap, Washington. Ranked as the 146th WR and 17th player in Washington, Boston was an under-recruited prospect with only 6 offers in his senior year. While he had offers from other West Coast P4 programs, Boston stayed local and committed to Washington.

As a Huskie, Boston saw limited playing time early on in his career with Washington having several quality WRs ahead of him on the depth chart (Ex. Rome Odunze, Ja’Lynn Polk, Jalen McMillan, and Germie Bernard). With most of the talent on Washington leaving for the draft or Alabama with the departure of HC Kalen DeBoer, Boston seized this opportunity and established himself as a WR2 behind veteran Giles Jackson. Though he was draft eligible, Boston returned to Washington to have another year as a starter and become Washington’s WR1. In his (RS) junior season, Boston produced an impressive season, leading Washington in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. Entering the 2026 NFL draft, Boston’s size makes him an intriguing prospect for teams wanting to add length to their receiving corps.

Athletic Tools

With great positional height and length, Denzel Boston fits the HWL thresholds teams look for in an X-WR. By being longer and bigger than most DBs, Boston does a great job of using his frame and hands to get separation off the LOS or at the stem of routes. For a player that lacks rare fluidity or movement for his size, Boston’s willingness to play physical as a route runner will help him separate in the NFL. Though his RAC/YAC ability is not great, Boston is capable of occasionally breaking tackles by simply being larger than the defenders pursuing him.

Video 1: WR Denzel Boston (12) uses his hands off the LOS and stacks the DB

Video 2: WR Denzel Boston (12) pushes off at the stem and gets open

Video 3: WR Denzel Boston (12) gets rerouted and remains in stride

Video 4: WR Denzel Boston (12) hand fights at the stem and gets open

Video 5: WR Denzel Boston (12) breaks several arm tackles and continues moving forward

As an athlete, Boston has solid build-up speed when he is given a runway. For teams playing off-coverage, Boston’s top speed and long strides should let him eat up cushions and threaten deep on coverages. While he lacks the true game-changing deep speed to break off huge explosive gains through the air, Boston has enough athletic juice to not be a useless player down the field.

Video 6: WR Denzel Boston (12) stretches the field vertically when given space to run

Video 7: WR Denzel Boston (12) runs past the coverage and fails to make the difficult catch

Beyond solid vertical speed, Boston has very little going for him athletically. With a poor first step and lateral fluidity, Boston is a very limited RAC/YAC player. Even when given clear lanes to cut into, Boston lacks the athletic juice and fluidity as a mover to do more than move forward and get tackled. Not only does his lack of fluidity create issues as a ball carrier, but it also creates issues as a separator. With slower lateral movements, Boston struggles to separate from DBs on in and out breaking concepts when attempting to speed cut. Boston’s only positive trait is his deceleration for a player his size. By being able to throttle down and drive his hips well, Boston is capable of square-cutting into breaks or running comebacks.

Video 8: WR Denzel Boston (12) catches a bubble screen and lacks the speed to win the edge

Video 9: WR Denzel Boston (12) moves in a straight line and gets tackled

Video 10: WR Denzel Boston (12) attempts to decelerate to cut back, but he cannot get back into the open field

Video 11: WR Denzel Boston (12) catches the ball on a pick play, but he lacks the first step to pull away for RAC/YAC

Video 12: WR Denzel Boston (12) runs a whip route with a lot of hitches and cannot get open

Video 13: WR Denzel Boston (12) rounds the break when speed cutting the dig

Video 14: WR Denzel Boston (12) decelerates well at the stem of the route

Video 15: WR Denzel Boston (12) decelerates and square cuts the out

Beyond lacking great athletic tools, Boston’s thin frame for his height creates issues against man coverage. With good separators, either having high-end size and/or lateral quickness to beat press, Boston lacks the tools needed to be a reliable man-beater in the NFL. By being tall, thin, and unexplosive, Boston has moments where press coverage can stall him at the LOS and remove him from plays. With a lot of his draft value stemming from his projection as an X-WR, Boston is too poor a player against press coverage to be a great player in this role.

Video 16: WR Denzel Boston (12) gets stalled by press off the LOS and can’t stack the DB

Video 17: WR Denzel Boston (12) gets pressed by the DB and gets off the timing of the route

Video 18: WR Denzel Boston (12) releases inside, but he lacks the speed and acceleration to pull away from the DB

Video 19: WR Denzel Boston (12) gets blanketed off the LOS by the DB

Video 20: WR Denzel Boston (12) releases outside and gets pushed out of the play by the DB

Even though Washington used him heavily in a power-slot role, Boston is not great when projecting inside. Despite being a bigger WR, Boston is a mediocre blocker whose lack of size, play strength, and motor limits his ability to contribute in the run game. With the inability to block bigger defenders like LBs or EDGEs, Boston does not provide much more of a blocking advantage than smaller, more athletic Slot WRs. Beyond blocking, Boston lacks the lateral quickness to benefit from free releases and the space created from being off the LOS.

Video 21: WR Denzel Boston (12) tries to block the DB and gets hip tossed

Video 22: WR Denzel Boston (12) climbs to the second level and fails to seal off the DB

Video 23: WR Denzel Boston (12) fails to get open in the slot after faking inside

Technicals

As a technical prospect, Boston attempts to use various fakes and false steps to get open, but he lacks the fluidity to get DBs to bite. Lacking the fluidity to fake in stride or exhibit exaggerated movements, Boston lacks the movement skills necessary to be a great technician as a route runner. Combined with his issues with getting out of his breaks when not square-cutting, Boston is unlikely to turn into a quality NFL separator. While he has the physicality and length to be an aggressive hand-fighter, Boston lacks the size and strength to be great at this. Even if he can match up well on smaller DBs, Boston is going to have difficult match-ups with DBs who have the length/size to counter Boston’s hand fighting (Ex. JPJ, Mike Jackson, Jaycee Horn).

Video 24: WR Denzel Boston (12) does not sell that he is going vertically or out well

Video 25: WR Denzel Boston (12) attempts to fake outside and can’t get the DB to bite

As a ball skills prospect, Boston is very intriguing. With long arms and solid tracking, Boston does a good job of securing passes outside his frame. By having solid body control and great length, Boston has some highlight moments, making catches in traffic. However, Boston is not a super consistent 50/50 ball winner due to his lack of high-end positional play strength and size. Boston needs to play bigger at the catch point in terms of positioning himself among defenders and making sure the ball survives contact with the ground. With coverages getting tighter in the NFL, Boston needs to learn to box out and play bigger to be a good catch point player in the NFL.

Video 26: WR Denzel Boston (12) secures the ball outside his frame and continues upfield

Video 27: WR Denzel Boston (12) makes an impressive highpoint catch downfield

Video 28: WR Denzel Boston (12) secures the ball outside his frame, but he is unable to keep the ball in his frame to survive contact with the ground

Video 29: WR Denzel Boston (12) bobbles the contested target that results in an interception

While I have been fairly negative about him as a prospect, Boston has incredible football IQ for finding soft spots in zone coverage. By constantly settling in the open space in zone coverages, Boston does a great job of creating easy throws for his QB and acting as a safety valve for the offense. Though he lacks the separation and YAC/RAC ability to project as a WR1, Boston can be a solid WR2/3 who can rotate inside and outside as a zone beater who can occasionally stretch the field vertically and make contested catches.

Video 30: WR Denzel Boston (12) settles in the soft spot and continues upfield

Video 31: WR Denzel Boston (12) settles in the soft spot, but the QB was not able to hit the layered through above the LB

Video 32: WR Denzel Boston (12) settles in the soft spot and begins scramble drill

Draft Projection

Denzel Boston currently has a mid-to-late day two grade. While I am a lower than consensus, Boston’s zone IQ, ball skills, and deceleration are an interesting enough combination to be a solid safety blanket in the NFL. Though he lacks the athleticism to be an offense’s top target, Boston provides enough of a skill set to be a starting-caliber WR that rotates across the formation. If he can get stronger to get better at fighting off the LOS, securing passes outside his frame, and blocking bigger assignments in the run game, Boston has the potential to develop into a good WR2/3.

Athletic Testing

Will be updated after the NFL Combine/Washington Pro Day

Pro Comparison

Image 3: WR Michael Pittman Jr (11) making an acrobatic catch with the Indianapolis Colts

While he had better play strength as a prospect and player, Michael Pittman Jr reminds me a lot of Denzel Boston. A long WR with solid athleticism for a taller, bigger WR, Pittman Jr. has been a valuable contributing offensive piece for Indianapolis, who was often typecast into roles beyond his talent level. Simply put, Pittman’s size, zone IQ, and hands make him a starting-caliber WR, but he is not the caliber of player who can be the top target of a competent NFL passing offense around. If he can get stronger and bigger, Boston can develop into a similar style and caliber of player to Pittman (though he hopefully gets to be paired with a true WR1).

Date Published: 2/11/2025

Date Last Updated: 2/11/2025

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Image 1: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) celebrating after a big reception

Height: 6’2

Weight: 200

Position: WR

Year: (RS) Jr

Background

Image 2: WR Jordyn Tyson (4) during his time at Allen High School

Born on August 12th, 2004, Jordyn Tyson was a Three-Star WR prospect in the class of 2022 coming out of Allen High School in Allen, Texas. Despite having 80 receptions for 1512 yards and 12 TDs, Tyson was under-recruited as a prospect and primarily received offers from FCS and G5 programs. Despite this, Tyson received one P4 offer: Colorado. Wanting to prove his ability to play at the highest level of college football, Tyson committed to Colorado.

As a Buffalo, Tyson immediately proved that he belongs, leading Colorado in yards and touchdowns in nine games as a true freshman. However, Tyson’s season was cut short by a knee injury that tore his ACL, MCL, and PCL. Not only did this cut his impressive freshman season short, but Tyson missed out on Colorado’s 2023 season that featured the first season of Deion Sanders, Shedeur Sanders, and Travis Hunter to Colorado. Despite missing the 2023 season, Tyson entered the 2023 transfer portal as a Four-Star WR prospect and transferred to Arizona State. As a Sun Devil, Tyson proved that missing time did not affect his play as he led ASU in receptions, yards, and touchdowns. While the team made the playoffs, Tyson missed the entire CFB playoffs due to a collarbone injury. Despite being draft eligible, Tyson returned to school to hopefully have a healthy season for another playoff run. While he started the season strong, Tyson suffered a hamstring injury that caused him to miss time and lower his level of play. Entering the 2026 draft, Tyson is a clearly talented WR whose extensive medical history creates major volatility with his draft stock and NFL future.

Athletic Tools

While he lacks elite athletic tools, Jordyn Tyson is a well-rounded athlete with solid speed and acceleration. Tyson is not going to a high-end field stretcher or deep threat, but he has enough vertical speed to rip off explosive plays when he gets DBs out of position with his route running. Tyson’s best athletic traits are his deceleration and fluidity. As a route runner, Tyson is great at decelerating on square cuts and being snappy with his speed cuts. By cleanly getting out of breaks on these routes, Tyson is a high-end in-and-out breaking route runner. With dig and sail routes being staples of NFL offenses, Tyson is going to be ready to handle roles as a flanker for offenses.

Video 1: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) takes an outside release and stacks the DB for an explosive play

Video 2: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) fakes out the DB with an outside fake and gets open deep

Video 3: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) square cuts at the break of the out

Video 4: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) releases inside and speed cuts at the break of the out

Tyson is a solid RAC/YAC who will be effective at getting yards after the catch. While he lacks elite movement as a ball carrier or strength to break tackles, Tyson is quick to transition upfield while having enough creativity as a ball carrier to do more than move forward and get tackled. While he is not going to be highly productive on gadget touches (end-arounds, screen, sweeps, etc), Tyson is enough of a RAC/YAC player to get a few extra yards after his receptions downfield.

Video 5: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) runs the crosser and transitions upfield quickly after the catch

Video 6: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) makes a defender miss the first tackle and falls forward

Video 7: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) spins out of the first tackle and gets a few extra yards upfield

Tyson’s biggest barrier to being a high-end WR is his poor play strength and size. Tyson’s listed weight and height are solid, but he is noticeably slender, and his lack of size shows on tape. While plenty of smaller WRs have been great players in the NFL, Tyson gets rerouted by physical coverage and struggles to beat man coverage vertically. When facing press, Tyson gets knocked off his path too often and off the timing of the passing concept. Given that he is struggling with press even with clean releases and free releases off motion, Tyson’s poor play through contact is a part of his game and a major limitation to him as a player. Even when not pressed and is simply attempting to stack the WR, Tyson is a good-not-great athlete who struggles to stack more athletic DBs who don’t bite on his fakes. Due to this, Tyson is a player I do not believe has the physical tools to be a true WR1.

Video 8: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) gets a free release and gets stalled from the DB’s press

Video 9: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) releases off the LOS and lacks the long speed to stack the DB

Video 10: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) gets rerouted and removed from the play from press

Video 11: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) faces press and can’t stack the corner vertically

Video 12: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) fakes outside and can’t get open against the disciplined DB

Technicals

Despite having questions on his physical tools, I love Tyson’s technical refinement as a prospect. With varied releases, Tyson does a good job of getting off the line of scrimmage cleanly and quickly. During his routes, Tyson has a good understanding of various fakes and false steps that can help him get open. Combined with good hand fighting and push-offs, Tyson does a good job of using his length to help separate from DBs who match up with his speed. Given that he has good fluidity and deceleration, Tyson is capable of running a full NFL route tree.

Video 13: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) releases inside and uses an inside fake

Video 14: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) fakes outside before speed cutting at the break of his dig

Video 15: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) fakes inside and gets open on the goal line fade

Video 16: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) rocker steps before getting open on the pick play

Video 17: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) pushes off the DB to get open on the curl

Video 18: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) pushes off to get open on the out

In terms of hands, Tyson is inconsistent. While he does have good body control to adjust for highlight catches, Tyson is inconsistent at converting these on the field. Due to being a weaker play strength athlete, Tyson struggles to consistently come down with catches while contacted. Beyond strength, Tyson has questionable hand moments with body catches and double catches that concern me. While he is far from unreliable, Tyson had a lot more questionable ball skills than I anticipated.

Video 19: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) adjusts to a low pass for the touchdown

Video 20: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) makes a diving catch after running the dig

Video 21: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) gets open on the dig and adjusts for a high ball

Video 22: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) adjusts to a low pass and makes a sliding catch

Video 23: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) gets into position on scramble drill and body catches

Video 24: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) tries to make a contested catch and can’t hold onto the ball

Video 25: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) tries to box out the DB and fails to body catch the ball

Video 26: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) gets open on the dig and double catches the ball

Video 27: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) tries to rise up for a difficult one hand catch

Though he lacks the size and strength to be a force multiplier as a blocker, Tyson is an acceptable blocker. While he is reckless with his technique, Tyson is an active blocker who plays with effort and physicality. Given his injury history, Tyson should stop attempting to shoulder-check DBs and start using proper lockout technique on defenders. Tyson is not someone you want in condensed formation or on bigger defenders, but he should be able to seal off DBs well enough to not be a liability.

Video 28: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) cracks the DB with a shoulder check

Video 29: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) climbs to the second level and shoulder checks the DB

Video 30: WR Jordyn Tyson (0) attempts to seal the DB from the play and gets shed

Draft Projection

Jordyn Tyson currently has a early day two grade. Tyson has intriguing route running and technical refinement for a college prospect, but I do not believe he has enough play strength and athletic tools to be a WR1. By not having enough speed to instantly stack DBs when he gets off the LOS, Tyson relies heavily on his fakes to separate. Combined with poor play strength and inconsistent contested catch ability, Tyson does not have the skill set seen in WR1s without great speed. Given his extensive injury history and film that does not match his current draft stock, Tyson is a player I think could be a major draft slide.

Athletic Testing

Will be updated after the NFL Combine/Arizona State Pro Day

Pro Comparison