Four-Round Fantasy Football Rookie Mock Draft: Post-2026 NFL Combine

March 11, 2026

John breaks down a 1QB, 12-team dynasty fantasy football mock draft with four rounds of picks and analysis post 2026 NFL Combine. Which players are risers and fallers?

The 2026 NFL Combine is in the rearview mirror now. While it's not quite as useful at determining player talent as an entire college career's worth of film, it's useful in at least backing up their athleticism with some raw numbers. It's not easy to determine players' athletic measurables from just game tape.

One problem you can run into is talented players playing in systems where they're simply not asked to do all the things they will in the NFL. Certain college offensive schemes, for example, heavily utilize the wider hashes to create open space for receivers. Obviously, this isn't something that happens in the NFL.

Knowing exactly how good players are at accelerating, top speed, and explosiveness drills is somewhat useful for at least raising red flags or confirming green flags for players. The interview process can also be enlightening for diving into their personality. With that in mind, let's run through a four-round, one-QB dynasty fantasy football mock draft, post-combine, for the 2026 season. We'll start with the fourth round and work our way up to the top, saving the best for last!

Round 4

4.12 - Desmond Reid, RB, Pittsburgh 

4.11 - Ted Hurst, WR, Georgia State

4.10 - Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson

4.09 -  Jack Endries, TE, Texas

4.08 - Robert Henry Jr., RB, UTSA

4.07 - Carson Beck, QB, Miami

4.06 - Jadyn Ott, RB, Oklahoma

4.05 - Jam Miller, RB, Alabama

4.04 - Eric McAlister, WR, TCU

Raw, but very talented. My favorite pick to make in the fourth round.

4.03 - Deion Burks, WR, Oklahoma 

4.02 - Cole Payton, QB, North Dakota State

4.01 - Le'Veon Moss, RB, Texas A&M

He passed on his 2025 season due to injury and struggles with pass protection. But he's very talented.

Round 3

3.12 - Seth McGowan, RB, Kentucky 

Ray Davis 2.0?

3.11 - Adam Randall, RB, Clemson

3.10 - Drew Allar, QB, Penn State

3.09 - Michael Trigg, TE, Baylor

3.08 - Skyler Bell, WR, Connecticut 

3.07 - Roman Hemby, RB, Indiana

3.06 - Zachariah Branch, WR, Georgia 

Branch is unlikely to get much work on the outside at the next level. He's just not big enough to physically stand up to outside cornerbacks in the NFL. He had just 811 yards and six touchdowns in 2025, which isn't anything to write home about.

3.05 - Justin Joly, TE, NC State

3.04 - Max Klare, TE, Ohio State 

3.03 - Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU

3.02 - J'Mari Taylor, RB, Virginia 

3.01 - Malachi Fields, WR, Notre Dame

Round 2

2.12 - Emmett Johnson, RB, Nebraska

Johnson's best trait is his ability to make defenders miss. That's valuable in the NFL, even if it doesn't always guarantee a ton of seasons of high production.

Emmett Johnson dropping because of athletic testing reminds me greatly of Bucky Irving a few years ago…

Most elusive RB in the class. Watch the film. He will remain top 100 on my board 💨 pic.twitter.com/C3qZLBdfKl

— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) March 3, 2026

2.11 - Antonio Williams, WR, Clemson

In a weak RB class, you should expect the second round to be stacked to the brim with receivers. Williams projects as a nice slot receiver at the next level. He runs nice routes with very sudden cuts, which is great against man coverage, and he's good at diagnosing zone defenses to exploit open space.

Clemson WR Antonio Williams (5-11, 190) isn’t a sleeper, but little forgotten

🐅34 starts; Freshman All-American
🐅1st/3rd Team All-ACC

🔸Crisp, tempo’d routes manipulate separation; 1.8% drop rate
🔸Aware of Zone soft spots & sideline
🔸14 MTFs in ‘24; Outside & slot
🔸9 YPPR… https://t.co/dvPQ498JkL pic.twitter.com/Z28nKoRuYa

— Clint Goss (@NFLDraftDome) February 15, 2026

2.10 - Demond Claiborne, RB, Wake Forest

Claiborne reminds me a lot of a more athletic Kyle Monangai. He's quite elusive and has great lateral burst, which helps him make good jump cuts to find gaps at the line of scrimmage. He also has high-end long speed and acceleration. He doesn't run with a ton of power, though, and is undersized.

#WakeForest RB Demond Claiborne (5-10, 195)

One of the great parts of summer scouting is finding players not receiving much buzz going into the season and enjoying their tape. This is one. Good player. pic.twitter.com/FOH9BNkAyw

— Jordan Reid (@Jordan_Reid) June 17, 2025

2.09 - Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama

Bernard's game is quite fundamentally sound. At Alabama, he ran a diverse route tree and was a reliable separator. However, he doesn't excel at making contested catches or running after the catch. He should function more as a short-to-intermediate chain-mover at the next level, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

2.08 - Ja'Kobi Lane, WR, USC

There are quite a few receivers like Lane in this draft class -- tall wideouts with solid abilities at the catch point and good production after the catch that are unrefined with their route-running skills. Lane was mostly asked to run limited routes at USC, and at 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds, he'd benefit from some added muscle to bully NFL corners.

2.07 - Chris Bell, WR, Louisville

Bell is a big-bodied, highly athletic wideout who does well boxing out defenders for tough catches and is a big threat to defenses after the catch. His route running isn't very refined, though, so there's a lot of room for improvement there. He also tore his ACL late in 2025, so it might be some time before he's back to 100 percent.

2.06 - Mike Washington Jr., RB, Arkansas 

Washington's insane combine performance drew plenty of attention to his case for being a Day 2 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. He ran a ridiculous 4.33-second 40-yard dash at 6-foot-1 and 223 pounds, logging the top speed score (based on size and speed) of any RB at the combine. He was a highly efficient runner in 2025, too.

Mike Washington Jr. (#4) Arkansas

+ Great size at 6’1” 228 pounds
+ Lower body strength helps with his contact balance and ability to break through arm tackles
+ 6.4 yards per carry in 2025
+ Decisive, downhill runner
+ Burst through the hole
+ Improved as a receiver with 226… pic.twitter.com/nnwesjWq2Z

— Bengals & Brews (@BengalsBrews) February 4, 2026

2.05 - Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama

Simpson has been rising draft boards since the end of the season, but he doesn't have much starting experience in college. He'll need to buck the trend of such QBs struggling in the NFL. But his mental understanding of the game and ability to manipulate defenses were top-tier among college QBs in 2025.

2.04 - Elijah Sarratt, WR, Indiana

Sarratt might end up as one of the bigger steals of the fantasy draft. He probably deserves more credit than he got, but sharing the field with another great receiver at Indiana didn't help his case. His route tree left something to be desired, but it's hard to fault a player of his talent for simply playing to his best in the system he was in.

2.03 - Chris Brazzell II, WR, Tennessee

Brazzell's 2025 season was very up and down. While he flashed fantastic route-running capability for his size, he also struggled with drops, and his production cooled off pretty heavily in his last four games. But a six-catch, 177-yard, three-touchdown performance against the University of Georgia showed that he could have great upside.

TENNESSEE WR Chris Brazzell II THROUGH 3 QUARTERS VS GEORGIA:

- 5 receptions
- 162 yards
- 3 touchdowns

ABSURD🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/vgTjpbl5ID

— Arye Pulli (@AryePulliNFL) September 13, 2025

Brazzell is a frustrating player to evaluate. It's easy to fall in love with his good film, but he's struggled with injuries, too. He's worth taking a chance on in the second round.

2.02 - Jadarian Price, RB, Notre Dame

Price played in the shadow of the No. 1 player on this list. Were it not so, he could have crept into the first round. He's an excellent RB who's quite explosive and has excellent size. He's not a special pass-catcher by any means, but he doesn't have to be. He's fundamentally very solid and has more than good enough athleticism for his position.

2.01 - Nicholas Singleton, RB, Penn State

Singleton has a lot of work to do, seeing the field in front of him properly and choosing gaps to run through. There are too many examples of him running directly into defenders, even when he has creases he can exploit. But he's big and very fast, and good NFL offensive coordinators will find a use for him, even if he doesn't get all the early down work.

Round 1

1.12 - Kaytron Allen, RB, Penn State

Allen out-touched his backfield mate, the aforementioned Singleton, in both of their final seasons at Penn State. Allen has better vision, makes better decisions, and is ultimately the more sound of the two RBs, while Singleton is the better athlete. Allen could work himself into an early down and goal-line role thanks to his 216-pound frame and intangibles.

1.11 - Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt

Stowers had an excellent combine. Athleticism is very important for tight ends, as they need to be big and strong enough to physically dominate defensive backs and agile and quick enough to outrun linebackers in the NFL. Stowers has issues with the consistency of his play, but they should be coachable. He's a bit undersized, though.

1.10 Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana

Cooper has been flying up draft boards, and not without good reason. He's a big reason why Indiana won the NCAA National Championship in 2025, and he could be a starting X receiver in the NFL with refinement of his skills. He's quite strong and had 27 forced missed tackles in his final season in college.

THE MOST INSANE TOE TAP YOU'LL SEE ALL SEASON

Omar Cooper Jr. take a bow 👏@IndianaFootball pic.twitter.com/07MncUCK4d

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 8, 2025

1.09 - Jonah Coleman, RB, Washington

Coleman, the RB2 of this year's draft class, is a far cry from the No. 1 player on this list talent-wise. But he should be good enough to settle into a backup role or even take the starting role for a year or two on the right team. He's not super explosive, but is big and fast enough, and tough enough to get significant reps at the next level.

1.08 - Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

It's got to be a pretty weak overall class when a quarterback who's not considered a generational prospect creeps into the top 10 of a dynasty rookie one-QB draft. Mendoza will likely go first overall, though, where he'll be under the tutelage of head coach Klint Kubiak. Kubiak is a genius. He helped completely revive quarterback Sam Darnold's career and made Seattle's offense explosive.

Mendoza should be in good hands for a very long time. And he's quite talented with plenty of room to grow, has enough size to be durable, and enough rushing upside to boost his production measurably.

1.07 - Denzel Boston, WR, Washington 

Boston doesn't possess the quickness and yards-after-catch ability that the next player on our list does, but he's a lot bigger and taller. He could morph into a decent X receiver within a few seasons if he refines his route-running and separation skills. He's quite talented at the catch point and could be a nice red-zone threat much sooner.

Denzel Boston is a problem for defenses in the red zone pic.twitter.com/tMYiqxMOYZ

— Billy M (@BillyM_91) September 21, 2025

1.06 - KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M

The top three receivers in this year's class are in their own tier alone. At the top of Tier 2 is Concepcion. He's not built like a true X receiver and will probably spend most, if not all, of his career playing primarily in the slot. That doesn't mean he can't be valuable for an NFL team; it just might not translate to elite production, as his snap share could consistently be limited.

KC Concepcion. Baller. #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/hPwdF6Nn2X

— Ray G (@RayGQue) December 30, 2025

1.05 - Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon

There are some clear red flags in Sadiq's production profile. Despite being a fabulous athlete, he had just 560 receiving yards in his final season and didn't reach 1,000 receiving yards in his career. In 2024, he barely cracked 300 yards gained on receptions. He didn't lead his team in receiving yards, either.

pic.twitter.com/KbqwDCyx2c

— Performances (@NotNflBurner) February 16, 2026

Sadiq is a difficult player to evaluate. He's put quite a bit of good blocking on film, but TEs who basically function as receivers are remarkably rare. And at 241 pounds, he's a bit smaller than the ideal size for a TE, which won't help his blocking at the next level. Landing spot will be massively important for how he performs in the NFL. Still, he should rise after his elite combine performance.

1.04 - Makai Lemon, WR, USC

Lemon seemed to behave in a somewhat bizarre manner during his combine interviews that were televised. And there were rumors of NFL team scouting staffs being unhappy with his demeanor during interviews, criticizing his attitude. It's unlikely to affect his draft stock much, according to my analysis.

@NFLPerformances pic.twitter.com/BOq0e3L0pl

— Performances (@NotNflBurner) February 15, 2026

Lemon's best traits won't show up in combine testing numbers. He's fantastic at making contested catches, fights for every inch on nearly every play, is a demon after the catch, can break tackles well, and has excellent hands. He should not fall out of the top five in any dynasty rookie draft.

1.03 - Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State

Tate surely benefited from future 1.01 in 2027 dynasty drafts Jeremiah Smith, but he's an excellent receiver in his own right. He does a fantastic job of separating at the stems of his routes and is very smooth even when running at full speed, which helped him be Ohio State's most productive deep threat in 2025.

Carnell Tate is one of the most impressive vertical threats in the 2026 NFL Draft pic.twitter.com/i1rXO6q13u

— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) February 20, 2026

Tate also has excellent ball skills and is very good at the catch point. He plays with more strength than you'd think for a player of his size. The ding on his draft profile is his lack of size -- he's under 200 pounds -- combined with his 40-yard dash being above 4.50. Those aren't huge in the grand scheme of things, but it would be nice if he were bigger and faster.

1.02 - Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State

It's been personally baffling to me to see Tyson go from being talked about as the clear 1.01 in 2026 dynasty rookie drafts to being seen as the third-best receiver in this year's class. That's not to take anything away from Lemon and Tate, but Tyson has everything you want in a true WR1 aside from elite athleticism, which really isn't that important for a wideout.

Jordyn Tyson is the best route runner in the 2026 NFL Draft 💯

As much as I love all-22, these TV angles might be my favorite for WRs: pic.twitter.com/SOXa7BGaNz

— NFL Draft Files (@NFL_DF) February 19, 2026

Far more important is concentration at the catch point, strength at the catch point, route-running ability, separation skills, film showing proficiency against both man and zone coverage, trickery with routes, and agility. Tyson has them all. He's a high-level route technician who regularly dusts defenders to get wide open against all types of coverage.

1.01 - Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame

Love did nothing but confirm that he's an elite athlete at this year's combine. He ran a blazing 4.37 40-yard dash after weighing in at 212 pounds, confirming he is one of the draft's premier athletes. He also looked very smooth in positional drills. But we already knew all that -- he put a fantastic film reel together in his final season in college.

One of the many hilarious highlights of Jeremiyah Love pic.twitter.com/ZboXIZ9coO

— Joe DeLeone (@joedeleone) February 17, 2026

Love should be a highly productive workhorse back in the NFL for many years to come. His elite speed will help him be a home-run hitter, like he was in college, further boosting his dynasty value. Before the combine, he was the consensus 1.01 in non-superflex dynasty rookie mock drafts, and it's staying that way.

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