It took over four hours, but we finally made it. The 2026 NFL Draft now has three rounds complete, which makes it a good time to take a survey of the skill positions.

Understand, this year’s draft class isn’t the buzziest group for immediate fantasy purposes. In a sense, this almost feels like a gap year — an ellipses before the loaded Class of 2027 gets ready for its NFL close-up. But any seasonal fantasy player needs to be up to date with rookies who hold plausible upside, and we’ll address that here.

Let’s break down some active teams by position, starting with the signature spot, wide receiver.

Wide receiver all the rage

A whopping 17 wideouts have been selected through the first three rounds, and we know from experience that even second- and third-round wideouts have a chance to pop in their first season. Let’s highlight the teams making the most noise.

Eagles passing game ready to fly again?

The Eagles have remodeled their receiver room more than any other team this offseason, surely with the knowledge that A.J. Brown will be traded in June. USC star Makai Lemon was drafted in Thursday’s first round, on the heels of several veteran additions (Dontayvion Wicks, Hollywood Brown, Elijah Moore). The Eagles also took seam TE Eli Stowers with a second-round pick, no immediate threat to Dallas Goedert but an interesting future option, and OT Markel Bell to fortify the offensive line.

With Jalen Hurts heading into his sixth full season as a starter, I wonder if the Eagles will become more pass-friendly. Hurts only has one season with more than 500 pass attempts. Lemon won’t be handed a starting job on arrival, but he has enough talent to push for flex value as a rookie.

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Browns and Dolphins give WR rooms much-needed makeovers

The Browns also recognized they needed an offensive makeover, and four of their first five picks landed on that side of the ball. First-round WR KC Concepcion is a splash play waiting to happen, and given how pedestrian the Cleveland receiver room was last season, he should get reps right away. While Concepcion is a smaller speed merchant, second-round WR Denzel Boston is a power forward, checking in at 6-foot-3 and 212 pounds. He’s terrific at making contested catches, and could quickly become a trust throw for whoever the Browns start at quarterback.

These picks don’t reflect well on Jerry Jeudy, who is coming off a poor season. It’s also very likely second-year TE Harold Fannin Jr. will lead this team in receiving in 2026. But for once, it’s nice to see the Browns teeming with upside at the pass-catcher spots. Your move, Todd Monken.

The Dolphins entered this month with the worst receiver room in the NFL, so it was no surprise to see them select Caleb Douglas and Chris Bell in the third round. Douglas offered more tools (4.39 speed; 6-foot-4, 206 pounds) than output in his college career, though he did post 114-1,723-13 numbers for Texas Tech the last two years. There’s no reason he can’t be one of the team’s primary receivers early in 2026. Bell is a wait-for-it upside pick, coming off ACL surgery in mid-December. He had a possible first-round grade before the injury; keep expectations tempered for 2026.

Quick-hitters

• The Titans needed a legitimate No. 1 target and they trust Carnell Tate (the fourth pick Thursday) can be that guy, even if Tate was a secondary option at Ohio State (Jeremiah Smith is that good).

• The Saints will be happy if WR Jordyn Tyson is a solid second target next to Chris Olave, and the Jets have similar hopes for Omar Cooper Jr. (a slot playmaker to complement Garrett Wilson).

• WR De’Zhaun Stribling is probably a future pick for the 49ers, given they already have Mike Evans and Ricky Pearsall on the roster. He’s a physical player and a willing blocker, which makes me wonder if he’s Jauan Jennings 2.0. He’ll need an injury break to become fantasy relevant this season.

• The Steelers have an outstanding track record finding values at WR, but second-round pick Germie Bernard won’t need to be fast-tracked, given the depth Pittsburgh already has.

• Washington would love third-round WR Antonio Williams to take his quick-twitch abilities into the slot, working off veteran Terry McLaurin.

• Malachi Fields perhaps lasted to the third round because of his slow 40-time, but the Giants like him to be a physical receiver who complements alpha target Malik Nabers.

Day 2 turns into the RB dead zone

It’s almost like the entire NFL is embracing Zero RB right now. Oh, the Cardinals stepped up with Jeremiyah Love (adding to their RB collection) and the Seahawks closed the first round with Jadarian Price, the likely successor to the departed Kenneth Walker III. Just one running back was called for Rounds 2 and 3 — Kaelon Black, heading from Indiana to the 49ers, set to challenge for the backup job to Christian McCaffrey.

Keep in mind this draft shift is a commentary on the supply of the position, not necessarily the talent. A handful of backs who are taken on Saturday will be worth immediate fantasy dissection, depending on their landing spots.

Rookie QBs will likely have to play waiting game

You know how it goes with the quarterback spot, it’s enormously important in real-life football but something of an afterthought in the fantasy space. We’ve seen four of them taken through three rounds, and none of them profile for immediate use.

— Fernando Mendoza, Raiders: The No. 1 pick won’t have to be rushed into action. Las Vegas understands this is a rebuild. Mendoza can learn from veteran Kirk Cousins, who he reminds me of, a little bit. If the Raiders are lucky, perhaps Mendoza is as good as another common comp, Matt Ryan. But I doubt Mendoza starts early in 2026.

— Ty Simpson, Rams: He’s going to wait at least 1-2 years before the Rams hand him the keys to the offense. He’s here to provide clipboard or headset support, and learn, while Matthew Stafford pilots the Sean McVay offense.

— Carson Beck, Cardinals: He was an interesting pick for Arizona, leading off the third round. Jacoby Brissett was passable last season but is still a journeyman, and Gardner Minshew is a known commodity, a steady backup but not a legitimate starting candidate. Beck’s career took off at Miami and perhaps the Cardinals can find some upside here. If not, well, next year’s draft will have plenty of front-page quarterback options.

— Drew Allar, Steelers: I liked Pittsburgh making a similar upside pick with Allar, a big kid and a strong-armed prospect from Penn State. The Steelers have a project on their hands with Allar, who had a mediocre completion percentage and too many turnovers in college, but at least he has most of the measurables. We’ll probably see another year of Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh, but I hope Allar gets a chance to play this fall. His draft stock was probably higher back in 2024; he wasn’t great in his final college season.

Landing spots leave tight end class with uphill battle

Crowding was a problem with several of the tight ends picked Thursday and Friday.

• Kenyon Sadiq heads to a Jets offense that has a similar player in Mason Taylor.

• Max Klare landed with the Rams in the second round and joins an offense that has tight ends all over the place.

• Eli Stowers has upside in Philly, but he’s blocked by Dallas Goedert, and certainly no one expects third-round pick Sam Roush to threaten Colston Loveland in Chicago.

• A bunch of the tight end rookies will be asked to block more than they’re asked to run routes; let them come to you in 2026, don’t chase them proactively.

Some people collect comic books. Some people collect stamps. Some people collect baseball cards.

The Arizona Cardinals, so it appears, collect running backs.

Everyone knew Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love was the premier running back in the 2026 draft class, but few mocks had him landing in Arizona. After all, the Cardinals just signed Tyler Allgeier to a free-agent contract and extended veteran James Conner. Arizona also has Trey Benson on the depth chart. This room was already crowded.

But with Conner and Benson coming off injuries and Allgeier seen as a good-not-elite player, the Cardinals couldn’t help themselves in the draft. They used Thursday’s No. 3 overall pick on Love. He brings an intriguing combination of power and speed to the table; he’s quick and decisive enough to hit home runs, and he’s sturdy enough to move the pile. He’s also improving as a receiver, showing the ability to play in all packages.

Fantasy managers would have preferred a cleaner landing spot. Obviously Love is going to play a lot given his draft position, but the Cardinals surely will have roles for Conner and Allgeier, too. And Love’s upside could be capped by a poor offensive line and a suspect quarterback room that right now is relying on journeyman Jacoby Brissett.

Given that the Cardinals are multiple years from plausible contention, this felt like an unnecessary vanity pick. Running back is generally one of the final needs a good team fills, not an early foundational brick.

We’ve seen this movie before — recall the Raiders drafting Ashton Jeanty with the seventh pick last year. Jeanty finished the season as the RB15 in standard leagues and the RB13 in half-point PPR formats. A healthy Love could move slightly over those numbers for 2026, but the Cardinals might not be capable of realizing his full ceiling, at least not immediately.

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Price is right for Seahawks

While Love was a case of an uber-talent landing in a tricky spot, one of his Notre Dame teammates had the opposite experience. The Seahawks selected RB Jadarian Price with the final pick of Thursday’s first round. Price was Love’s understudy for the Irish, a little less explosive and far less utilized in the passing game (just six receptions). Price is a smaller back, a little slower, and with less potential upside.

And yet, Price might be heard from immediately for fantasy purposes. The Seahawks lost Kenneth Walker III in free agency, and Zach Charbonnet suffered a torn ACL in the playoffs. Emanuel Wilson was added in February, but he’s not guaranteed anything. Surely Seattle wouldn’t have picked Price this proactively if it didn’t envision an immediate role. Even if Price can’t get up to speed with the pass-catching, he has a chance to be a useful two-down grinder for a team likely to remain a contender. Positive game script, for the win.

Tate makes Titans interesting in fantasy and reality

I was happy to see the Titans land WR Carnell Tate at No. 4, while accepting his ceiling might not be equal to what we normally see from a class’s No. 1 receiver. Tate, after all, wasn’t the featured receiver on his own team at Ohio State — generational prospect Jeremiah Smith held that role. But Tate brings a high floor to the NFL, and can be a useful fantasy piece quickly.

Tennessee quarterback Cam Ward kept his head above water for most of his rookie season despite little help. Upgrades have certainly arrived in the offseason — OC Brian Daboll, slot WR Wan’Dale Robinson and now Tate, who has the chops to play outside. While it would be too ambitious to expect any sophomore QB to duplicate Drake Maye's leap from last year, Ward is probably the quarterback most poised to rise a level or two. After a few boring seasons, the Titans are at least on the path to being fun.

Lemon will help Eagles turn the page

Are the Eagles going to be fun this year? Last season, dysfunctional was the more appropriate word. But when the Eagles grabbed WR Makai Lemon with the No. 20 pick — sniping the Steelers in the process — they made it clear this offense was getting some fresh paint. The Lemon pick probably cements all the rumors of A.J. Brown being traded in June (when it makes salary cap sense), and could be a ding to TE Dallas Goedert, coming off a career year. But maybe Lemon has the juice to get QB Jalen Hurts cooking again.

Although Lemon is capable of running the entire route tree, he’s best used in the short and intermediate parts of the field. He probably should be drafted as a WR4 to open the summer, with the potential to climb to WR3 status as a rookie if things click quickly.

Mixed bag for talented rookies on rebuilding teams

Players like Price and Lemon have the advantage of moving to established, winning programs. But several of the skill players selected on Thursday will have to make things work with rebuilding teams. The Jets took a couple of pass-catchers in TE Kenyon Sadiq and WR Omar Cooper Jr., the Browns went for WR KC Conception and the Saints called on WR Jordyn Tyson.

Tyson, the eighth pick in Round 1, probably has the most intriguing fantasy juice from this group for 2026. Head coach Kellen Moore was a home-run hire last year, and he did some fun stuff with rookie QB Tyler Shough. Chris Olave is obviously the target hog in this passing game, but the tree was fairly barren after him. If Tyson can avoid the injuries that dogged him in college, he could become a star. The Saints would love for him to start right away.

Sadiq and Cooper won’t get easy onboards with the Jets. Sadiq’s skill set is an improvement over incumbent TE Mason Taylor, but their abilities have overlap. With Cooper arriving and Garrett Wilson remaining, New York’s passing tree could become crowded. And no one sees QB Geno Smith as a kingmaker these days. The Jets are hoping to hit a home run with a QB in the 2027 draft; for now, Smith is just keeping the seat warm.

Concepcion will get plenty of opportunity in Cleveland, with Jerry Jeudy the head of an unimposing wide receiver room. But the Browns don’t have a good answer at quarterback, choosing between Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson and Dillon Gabriel. Concepcion is an all-purpose star who can win through a variety of routes and touches. Look for new coach Todd Monken to utilize Concepcion in the return game and as an occasional ball-carrier. Fantasy value is always an uphill climb in the Cleveland passing game, but maybe Concepcion has the chops to push for WR4 value as a rookie.