Pro days are done, combine numbers are locked in, and the 2026 wide receiver class just got a full re-sort. Jagger May and Andrew Mott run through their updated top 20 WR tiers, debate where the consensus is getting it wrong, and make the case that this receiver class — despite lacking true superstar-level prospects — goes deeper than most people are giving it credit for.
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S Tier: Carnell Tate, Makai Lemon, Jordyn Tyson
The top three are locked — Carnell Tate, Makai Lemon, and Jordyn Tyson — but not without some reshuffling. Jagger briefly moved Tyson down after the latest hamstring news (it has now been over three months since his last game, and he skipped his pro day), then moved him right back up after trusting the film over the noise. The injury history is real and it keeps him at the bottom of this tier, but neither host is ready to push him out entirely. Tate had zero concerns emerge from the combine cycle. Lemon was clean enough. The tier holds, but it isn’t equal within it — there’s a gap between Tate at the top and Tyson at the bottom.
A Tier: KC Concepcion
KC Concepcion gets his own bucket in the A tier, and not just because of the Matt Harmon Reception Perception profile that got the rest of the industry paying attention. Jagger was early on Concepcion before the buzz materialized, and the combine answered every measurable question — size confirmed, weight confirmed, speed confirmed. The only remaining question is a landing spot, and the Kansas City Chiefs connection is the one that would push him into the WR1 conversation for 2026. Both hosts pump the brakes slightly on the Chiefs hype — Mahomes may not be ready for Week 1, and the receiver room has real questions around it — but long-term, Concepcion checks boxes that no other receiver in this class does at the same level. His route tree profile from Matt Harmon was the cleanest of any pass catcher evaluated in this class. He is a legitimate top-seven dynasty rookie even before the landing spot is known.
B Tier: Omar Cooper Jr. and Denzel Boston
Omar Cooper Jr. and Denzel Boston are both legitimate first-round NFL draft candidates — and both carry legitimate dynasty question marks that keep them a clear step below the S tier.
Cooper is the more scheme-dependent of the two. In the right system — the Jets with Garrett Wilson, for example — his ceiling is significantly higher than Boston’s. On the Dolphins as a WR1, neither host sees it working. Andrew flagged him as a guy who plays a lot like a young Amon-Ra St. Brown, which is a high comp that he qualifies immediately as projection. Jagger traces the Cooper origin to Jared Wackerly, not himself.
Boston got positive momentum from scouts at his March 17 pro day — a 6.83 cone, 4.3 shuttle, 37.5-inch vert — modest athletic numbers paired with consistently strong pre-draft feedback. Andrew sees him as cleaner for first-round NFL capital precisely because he’s an outside boundary receiver who doesn’t need a scheme to unlock him the way Cooper does. The Chris Simms WR1 designation is a running joke at this point; both hosts agree he’s firmly a top-five receiver in the class, not a consensus number one.
C Tier: Chris Brazzell II, Germie Bernard, Ja’Kobi Lane, Malachi Fields
The biggest point of disagreement on the board sits right here. Andrew has Germie Bernard at WR7 and Chris Brazzell II at WR8, with Bernard just barely above him in his tier. Jagger has Brazzell at WR7 as well, but pushes Bernard lower and elevates Ja’Kobi Lane and Malachi Fields ahead of where Andrew puts them.
Bernard gets universal praise for his savvy, his versatility — outside, slot, out of the backfield — and his veteran feel at the position. He’s a quarterback-friendly receiver who doesn’t need a specific system to function. The concern is that he and Cooper are the same archetype; the difference is Bernard can play all around the field more comfortably.
Brazzell is Jagger’s guy. He doesn’t think Brazzell is better than Carnell Tate, but he does think the consensus is sleeping on him.
Malachi Fields is where the two diverge most sharply. Andrew sees him as not far behind Denzel Boston when you factor in contested catch rate and the reality of who Notre Dame has had at quarterback. Jagger is higher on Lane and Fields than most, specifically because he trusts them to be on the field and competitive regardless of landing spot — which matters more to him at this stage of the evaluation.
D Tier: Skyler Bell, Elijah Sarratt, Chris Bell, Bryce Lance, Antonio Williams, Deion Burks, Ted Hurst, Zachariah Branch
This is the widest and most pick-your-flavor tier in the class.
Skyler Bell is Andrew’s WR12 and Jagger’s WR14, and both could easily flip those numbers after deeper tape review. Andrew sees a player who manipulates tempo intelligently — a zone-beater who finds dead spots and flashes numbers like a younger Stefon Diggs — with advanced analytics (Dominator rating, receiving share, SPARQ score of 9.6) that check every box. Jagger watched two games briefly and noticed that Bell doesn’t always play to his 4.4 speed, which could mean controlled tempo or could mean inconsistency. Both are interested. Neither is ready to move him higher until they see how the landing spot shakes out.
Elijah Sarratt is a 1-or-2 trick pony in Jagger’s words, but a useful one. Andrew’s range of outcomes: if he’s moved inside to the slot, he does everything Keon Coleman was supposed to do for the Bills — and does it better. If he’s deployed as a sacrificial X on the outside, the ceiling caps out quickly. Andrew would rather have Jayden Higgins as a prospect; Jagger agrees. The floor here is a useful NFL receiver for teams. The fantasy ceiling is harder to project.
Chris Bell from Louisville is the biggest disagreement point within this tier. Andrew has him at WR9 — high on the upside of a physical outside receiver who was putting up 200-yard multi-touchdown games before an ACL ended his season. Jagger is lower and somewhere between Andrew and Alfredo Brown (from the previous bust-potential episode), who was sharply negative on him. The ACL means no combine testing, which hurt his momentum. The breakout age (24.5 years old) is a legitimate concern. But Andrew believes Bell would be in the Omar Cooper / Germie Bernard conversation if the season had played out differently.
Bryce Lance from North Dakota State is Jagger’s pure ceiling play in this tier — a 4.3, 41-inch vert, 11-foot broad jump, SPARQ score of 99.5. He plays like a small forward on the outside, above the rim, with length that shows up on tape. Andrew prefers floor over ceiling when projecting for dynasty purposes, which is why he’s more confident in Elijah Sarratt. But if both hit, Lance’s ceiling is significantly higher.
Antonio Williams profiles as an immediate-fit slot receiver — zone beater, fearless across the middle, good after the catch — who doesn’t have a second gear to take the top off. Philadelphia, Minnesota, and Atlanta all come up as ideal landing spots. He’s not the guy who’s going to unlock an offense, but he’s the type of player that makes offenses well-rounded and earns consistent snaps.
Deion Burks is same archetype but different — quicker release, more vertical threat, smaller target. Usage is going to be manufactured touches or slants; the dynasty ceiling depends heavily on scheme.
Ted Hurst is the small-school mystery box. His combine drills were excellent, his analytics profile is strong, and the only thing he cannot do from his position is play a big-school game on tape — which is the one remaining question no pre-draft process can answer. Both hosts want to move him higher. Both hosts are keeping him here because of historical small-school hit rates.
Zachariah Branch rounds out this tier as the consensus darling that neither host can justify. Slower than Xavier Worthy. Less productive. A worse route runner. And 50% of his production at Georgia came from screen passes. He transferred from USC because Makai Lemon and Ja’Kobi Lane were taking his targets — and his best collegiate season is 800 yards and six touchdowns. The NFL will likely take him in the first two rounds because NFL teams want their Tyreek Hill. Dynasty managers should know better. Andrew reads from his own scouting report: elite speed, dynamic YAC, compressed-defense nightmare. Also: limited catch radius, manufactured route tree, scheme-only projection. The Tavon Austin comp gets raised. Jagger prefers Skyler Bell — after 30 minutes of tape — by a universe-sized gap.
F Tier: Eric McAlister and Aaron Anderson
Neither host feels strongly about these players. Eric McAlister has off-field concerns that could cost him draft capital, but his production at TCU (72 catches, nearly 1,200 yards) and analytics profile are legitimately interesting. Ceiling comp is DeVante Parker. Andrew thinks he’s more talented than his situation suggests, but can’t rule out an undrafted outcome if teams penalize him for off-field issues. Aaron Anderson is a pure tiny slot — the kind of player who tends to find roster spots because they don’t mess up routes. Both hosts prefer Anderson to Zachariah Branch. That says everything.
The class as a whole: deeper than its reputation. Neither Tate, Lemon, nor Tyson is a Ja’Marr Chase-level prospect, but they compare favorably to the top of the 2025 class. The dynasty advice is consistent throughout — hammer receivers over running backs in this draft, and trust production and route running over raw speed traits every single time.
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