Way Too-Early 2026 Rookie Fantasy Draft Mock
Come see what the future may look like for our NFL dynasty teams in 2026
2026 TOO-EARLY FANTASY MOCK DRAFT
For the start of this article series, I figured we can jump into the 2026 draft class for a potential early look-ahead to see the value of our upcoming draft picks. For the 2026 class, I have done a three round mock to give a bigger depth overview with some reasoning for each round and pick. KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR A FUTURE DRAFT MOCK OF 2027!
Now before we really dive in, I do want to take a moment and say thank you to all who have subscribed free or paid to my substack. In case anyone is unaware, I have a giant Notion Database that helps me figure out which players are on the best path to “Approaching the Pros” that starts when they leave high school and is updated each year with their new career score as they get another year of college experience. Right now, I have 279 2025 new freshmen in the system and have already cracked 245 2026 names with scores based on junior years alone. If you want the early edge, I do recommend considering it and check out the link below on what all is in the Notion website.
Alright let us dive in to this 2026 Fantasy Football Mock!
In the first round, we see a class headlined by several upside quarterbacks, a few country-headlining running backs, and what I see as the best of the receiver class after the top name of Jordyn Tyson.
Let’s start with the quarterbacks. LaNorris Sellers is a freak athlete who has always been a top name of the class for the production component too since high school. We saw a lot of growth over the year with the last six games showing his upside. 2025 should be the year we see him take another step forward as a potential heisman favorite. Sam Leavitt is my darkhorse first round quarterback for 2026 draft. He is an underrated athlete that shows poise and moxie in a way that feels a lot like Mayfield. Leavitt should be tasked with leading Arizona State this year after Skattebo’s departure which should be plenty of opportunity to shine in the spotlight to try and repeat for the playoffs. Klubnik works with a room full of NFL receiver talent so he can put up a repeat or better performance of last year which will be appealing to the NFL. Clemson is a loaded roster to make a championship run so the opportunity for big numbers with what should be 49+ games played to provide a big sample for teams to evaluate in the spring. Drew Allar still needs to take time to show a higher ceiling to his play to match the traits he already possesses. A second year now with the same coordinator and a new receiver room should provide a solid basis on which to be judged. Nussmeier is the one quarterback already being projected as QB1 for 2026 mocks. While he has parts of his game that the NFL will like, we may be looking at the lowest and safest ceiling of the five names here. His lower athleticism is why we see him sitting here at 1.12. I am aware that five QBs may be a lot, but several teams may feel the need to reach up and take a shot in 2026. A list of teams that may be considering QBs in 2026 are the following: Jets, Steelers, Browns, Colts, Raiders, Falcons, Panthers, Saints, Rams, and Seahawks. While I expect some teams to make it work, the door is open for some to want to move forward.
At running back, Singleton and Love lead the class in the media but should get to know Darius Taylor too. Singleton stepped forward in his third year with more receiving work as well to showcase his potential. We know he’s an athletic freak of nature too so combine season will keep his name buzzing. Love needs to put up another big season while proving he can maintain his health. With Carr the leading QB candidate, Love should also have a chance to prove he can be more of a pass catcher than what he already proved in 2024. Darius Taylor had 1300+ scrimmage yards as a sophmore. If he can show some improved efficiency on what I believe to be an easier schedule for a true year 3 boom.
The 2026 receiver class has not had the most luck as two of the top four names I have listed are returning off injury. Pending health, Tyson should be electric like he is every other time he is on the field. The trio of Eugene Wilson, Eric Singleton, and Carnell Tate offer a nice mix of solid floor with traits that show upside for more in the former two. Wilson and Singleton could both end up being their respective team’s WR1 with the chance for explosive plays thanks to QB play and schemes. Tate will be WR2 behind Jeremiah Smith to put up a solid third year which should go a long way with how the NFL views the position at Ohio State. If health holds, all four receivers should be top 50 picks.
The second round offers a lot more intrigue on guys with potential to climb depending on how their seasons go. Let’s start with the quarterback who makes an appearance.
John Mateer seems to have a very divided opinion on his case if you look around the community. Some believe he is set up to fail while others have him as a solid QB who goes top half of the first round. The mountain west schedule he played in 2024 will not be anywhere close to the schedule of Oklahoma in 2025. We will see how he handles Michigan and Auburn, but the schedule from October 11th through November 29th will not hold back any punches at all with Texas, South Carolina, Ole Miss, Tennessee, BYE, Alabama, Missouri, and LSU. Mateer getting to keep his OC will help, but I am not sure how they adjust.
The NFL took a shot with the 2025 class at running back and 2026 may offer a similar opportunity. This second round of guys will need to stay healthy, step up, or repeat their performances though if they want to be considering highly in the upcoming draft. Bryson Washington is my personal dark horse for devy relevance and to be a huge riser for the 2026 draft. He started off as a year 1 zero, no reps in the first two games, and very little work for the next five weeks. When given his shot though, he exploded down the stretch with a skillset that offers true 3-down potential. Haynes and Joyner can almost be grouped together as we have very few flashes in their first two years but now really need to show out in new locations as the RB1s. I have concerns but they have the athletic part down if some heavy production comes along. The next three names of LJ Martin, Jadyn Ott, and Kaden Feagin can also be grouped together promising players who all suffered value drops due to injuries for the 2024 season. Big 2025 years are possible for each, but I think BYU and Illinois in particular have seasons that can cater to nice workloads for their guys with a lot of winnable games.
These next three receivers have a case for moving higher, but it depends. Lemon, Boston, and Antonio Williams all face some unique challenges. Lemon exploded in year 2 production leading the team as a receiver and offering big play potential as a return man. I know some of this third year will depend on the growth of Maiva, but I want to see him take another step forward with more alpha production with the loss of Zachariah Branch, Duce Robinson, and Kyron Hudson. Boston was stuck for two years behind guys at Washington before exploding in year 3 production. He was not far off from leading stat receiver Giles Jackson. There will be concerns over his lackluster production up to this third year, but he now has a big opportunity to use his fourth year to be the alpha for new QB Demond Williams with only Boston and DeGraaf returning for top 5 receiving talent. People will excuse him being behind Odunze and McMillan if he can show back to back final big years. Antonio Williams had a big year and chose to come back. I recognize he has talent but a potential down year could cause him to slide. The reason for that slide would be a second year jump for Bryant Wesco and TJ Moore plus the return of Tyler Brown for some work. Briningstool did declare for the NFL so there is room for all three of the top dogs to work, but watch out for the talented youngsters getting more looks in year 2 with Klubnik and OC Riley. Wesco was second on the team behind Antonio Williams while playing two less games even so the margin could have possibly been closer. Seems like a day 2 floor though for Williams which keeps him in round 2 for now.
With the second round, we also see two tight ends go. Sadiq has been gaining buzz all offseason and now could be fighting with Dakorien Moore and Justius Lowe as the top targets for Dante Moore. Sadiq is a verified athlete at the position so the combine should not be a concern. We really just need to see him step up and produce with Tez Johnson, Holden, Stewart, and Ferguson all out of the way in 2025. Jack Endries is talented enough with over a thousand receiving yards in his second and third years at Cal while also recording a verified 20.5mph top speed against Miami. Now working beside Wingo, Moore, & Mosley should provide an open middle of the field to stress out defenses. With Arch Manning also as a first year starter of the program we could see him look to Endries as his safety blanket for big plays.
This last round is focused more on upside names mostly. That starts at the top with Avery Johnson. I do really like his top two targets in Jayce Brown and Linkon Cure. If he takes a step forward in his second year starting, the ceiling could be very high for this kid. Everyone talks about Carson Beck’s drop rate at Georgia, but Johnson was even higher. If things can get smoothed out with some progression then he has a chance to consider NFL in 2026. Speaking of Miami, I am not convinced in good health for Beck or as much receiving talent so I expect the run game to be more of a focus. Fletcher I believe can be a potential 1A for that case and expand on his second season. Lyle will be a concern for him but could see a solid workload that gives him a shot at 1,000 rushing yards behind that line and about 20 catches. For C2C that is useful but I would be monitoring for athleticism as that is my main concern. Waymond Jordan is the newest transfer RB brought in by USC. He was very effective in the JUCO ranks last year but does need to answer some questions about his receiving ability. All reports lead to him being the lead guy to show us that this year.
Elijah Sarratt is Mr. Reliable in the production department each step of his college career. IF he puts up an average or better athletic testing performance with another big year, I expect his name to be called Round 3 approximately because of that size talent combo. Before we can worry about the testing metrics, he needs to prove himself with a tougher 2025 schedule in year 2 of the system or this will be for naught. Zachariah Branch can actually catch the ball so if the team can build off what he was doing early in spring practices before he missed the few right before the spring game, the team may be able to use him in a way that helps add to his resume of speed and return ability to go top 100 in the 2026 draft if he declares. I have some skepticism but also remember the issues of drops that plagued this offense last year. For this mock, I was not leaving off Justin Joly, TE at NC State. Joly had no issue transitioning to the ACC as a junior and now enters 2025 with more chemistry from playing with CJ Bailey for much of 2024. He should lead the team again in yardage with a chance for a higher output if Bailey is ready to step up like he showed backhalf of the season.
The final six carry a mixture of guys I would monitor. Coleman cut weight so I hope we see his talent more on the field with more explosive plays and efficiency. Kaytron Allen is a safe thumper that will be used to pair on a team’s build for a smaller guy. The four receivers here are near the bottom of the barrel, but I will note two of them with Jayce Brown and Cayden Lee. Jayce Brown is tied to Avery Johnson so if we see one rise, the other likely will too. Jayce does have a fairly safe floor of early day 3 with room for more depending on how much he can take on in year 3. Cayden Lee made some flashes as a freshman before becoming a starter in year 2. He has excellent chemistry with Simmons so I expect him to be a key piece with the older vets off to the NFL ahead of him. Stribling should take the big play outside role so look for both to work off each other. I am a really big fan of Cayden Lee but trying to keep it reasonable for now on his expectations. I think there is a real chance he starts rising up boards if he keeps improving.