The playoffs are finished, a champion has been crowned — Beaux Sanchez stands atop DynasDee — and the draft order is now effectively locked in, assuming current projections hold. With JR narrowly edging out Samir for third place in the consolation bracket, there’s far less ambiguity about who’s picking where and why. That clarity matters because, as the real-life 2026 NFL Draft picture comes into focus, the fantasy landscape is starting to crystallize around it.

This update isn’t about reshuffling picks for the sake of it. It’s about reacting to new information: college football playoff performances, NFL teams quietly committing to quarterbacks, others backing away from the position entirely, and skill-position classes that are beginning to separate into tiers rather than names.

The result is a draft class that looks less chaotic than it did a month ago, but no less volatile.

Quarterbacks: Fewer Doors, Higher Stakes

The biggest structural change since Mock Draft 1.1 comes at the very top of the NFL Draft. With their loss to the Giants, the Raiders have secured the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, and while Fernando Mendoza has long been viewed as the safest quarterback in the class, Dante Moore is closing the gap in a meaningful way.

Right now, the league-wide projection looks like this:

• Dante Moore → Raiders
• Fernando Mendoza → Jets
• Ty Simpson → Cardinals

That order is not locked. It’s fluid, and the next few weeks of the College Football Playoff could swing it dramatically.

Moore and Simpson are the pressure points of this class. Each CFP game provides real evaluative leverage — not just box scores, but decision-making under stress, pocket management against elite athletes, and how each quarterback handles schematic counterpunches. Their play will likely determine whether we’re looking at one, two, or three first-round quarterbacks. A fourth isn’t impossible, but it would require a team falling deeply in love with Brendan Sorsby, which remains unlikely.

What is increasingly clear is what isn’t happening. The Browns and Saints appear committed to Shedeur Sanders and Tyler Shough, respectively, after strong second-half performances. That removes two potential QB landing spots from the board entirely.

Meanwhile, a large middle tier of teams — the Dolphins, Falcons, Colts, Steelers, and (maybe) Panthers — are expected to sign or trade for quarterbacks rather than draft one early. Names circulating include:

• Malik Willis
• Mac Jones
• Trey Lance
• Marcus Mariota
• Justin Fields
• Spencer Rattler
• Kirk Cousins
• Mason Rudolph
• Quinn Ewers
• Zach Wilson

That market compression matters. Fewer rookie quarterbacks with guaranteed starting paths means fantasy valuation at the position becomes more polarized. If Moore and Mendoza both declare, they are first-round dynasty assets. If one returns to school, the entire top half of rookie drafts shifts.

Running backs: Where Draft Capital Makes the Decisions 

The running back class continues to be labeled “weak,” but that framing misses what actually matters for dynasty. There are fewer plug-and-play RB1s, yes. There is also significant depth in the mid-to-late first and early second rounds of fantasy drafts, where landing spot will do most of the valuation work.

One reason perception lags reality is timing. Very few notable backs are playing deep into the postseason, which naturally pushes them out of the conversation. That’s already affecting how managers view players like Jonah Coleman, whose late-season injury has quietly removed him from highlight cycles, despite a profile that still checks out.

More interesting is Jadarian Price, who recently declared for the draft. Price played RB2 behind Jeremiah Love at Notre Dame, but context matters. He would have been the RB1 at most programs in the country. You don’t declare for the NFL Draft as a backup running back unless you’ve been told something encouraging. All signs point to Day 2 capital, which would immediately elevate him into fantasy relevance.

Justice Haynes may have the highest ceiling after Love if he declares. Like Coleman, his season was shortened by injury, but the tape shows a legitimate two-phase back with explosion and contact balance.

Beyond that tier, the class becomes situationally interesting:

• Kaytron Allen | Penn State
• Nicholas Singleton | Penn State
• Emmett Johnson | Nebraska
• LJ Martin | Penn BYU

Allen and Singleton are particularly intriguing. Entering the 2025 season, they were viewed as one of the most dynamic backfield duos in the country, comparable to Love and Price. Penn State’s offensive turbulence suppressed their production, but evaluators circling back to the tape may reignite interest. If either lands in a favorable NFL ecosystem, expect dynasty momentum to follow quickly.

Wide receivers: Insulation Over Certainty

This is where the 2026 class separates itself.

The wide receiver group is powerful, and the reason it doesn’t always feel that way is that the top end is already established. When the headliners are obvious, the depth gets overlooked.

Right now, three first-round NFL selections is a lock, four is likely, and five is firmly in play.

The consensus top tier, in no particular order:

• Carnell Tate | Ohio State
• Makai Lemon | USC
• Jordan Tyson | Arizona State

Each wins differently. Tate offers polish and projection safety. Lemon thrives as a separator and interior volume play. Tyson brings route nuance and YAC creation when healthy. The league still needs more information to sort their internal order, but the tier is stable.

Just behind them sit:

• Denzel Boston | Washington
• KC Concepcion | Texas A&M

The contrast here is stark. Boston is a contested-catch dominator who wins vertically and at the boundary. Concepcion is chaos in space. Watch his tape at 1.25x speed and the Tyreek Hill comparisons start to feel less hyperbolic. Both profiles translate, just in different ecosystems.

What truly defines this class, though, is what comes after the top five:

• Chris Brazzell | Tennessee (what Keon Coleman was supposed to be)
• Germie Bernard | Alabama
• Zachariah Branch | Georgia
• Antonio Williams | Clemson
• Malachi Fields | Notre Dame
• Omar Cooper Jr. | Indiana
• Elijah Sarratt | Indiana
• Ja’Kobi Lane | USC
• Chris Bell | Louisville (an ACL tear makes him a stash, not a fade)

Several of these players project as second-round NFL picks. All of them have the physical tools to matter if their landing spots cooperate. This is the kind of WR class where smart dynasty managers build insulation rather than chase a single outcome.

Tight ends: One Bet Worth Making

Tight end mirrors running back in structure, if not quality. There is a clear-cut No. 1, followed by a murky middle.

Kenyon Sadiq stands alone. While the 2026 TE class is weaker than 2025 in aggregate, it would not be shocking if Sadiq ultimately outproduces every tight end from the previous group in fantasy. He functions like a wide receiver, and his route running took a major step forward this season.

His hands are strong. Most of his drops came on low-percentage sideline throws, while his highlight reel is filled with momentum-shifting, acrobatic catches. There is real smoke that NFL teams — including Kansas City — view him as a long-term offensive centerpiece rather than a traditional tight end. Regardless of destination, he’s a first-round fantasy pick.

Behind him, Eli Stowers and Max Klare form a loose Tier 2, likely coming off the board somewhere between 1.11 and 2.11 in dynasty formats. They’re viable, but the gap between Sadiq and the field is meaningful.