Dynasty Superflex Rookie Mock Draft: Makai Lemon and More Pick-By-Pick Analysis
Jake Trowbridge and Sam Wallace break down how they envision Round 1 of dynasty superflex rookie drafts going ahead of the 2026 season.
It’s done. The 2026 NFL Draft is officially in the past. With landing spots written in turf, and with so many dynasty leagues drafting as soon as this week, we wanted to provide one more two-man dynasty superflex rookie mock draft for your reading pleasure. Here’s how we’d order the first round:
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First Round Of A Dynasty Superflex Rookie Mock Draft - Pick By Pick
1.01 - Fernando Mendoza, QB - Raiders
Sam: I do genuinely believe that there's a conversation to be had between Fernando Mendoza and Jeremiyah Love for the 1.01 in SF rookie drafts. While I don't love the pick the Cardinals made, Love is going to dominate the touches and produce for fantasy managers in Year 1. However, I'm partial to Mendoza here because of the natural scarcity at the QB position.
Even if Mendoza amounts to nothing more than mid/low-end QB2 in his rookie season, from a roster-building perspective, I am all-in on taking him with the first pick. The only reason I would pivot to Love here would be if I were somehow flush with QB talent and desperately needed an elite RB to push my team over the top.
1.02 - Jeremiyah Love, RB - Cardinals
Jake: I respect Sam’s opinion and want him to follow his heart. Mostly because that allows Love to drop to me.
If you’re looking for a recent comp, Love falls somewhere between Ashton Jeanty and Bijan Robinson. How’s that for a ceiling/floor combo? If you’re worried about the cramped backfield in Arizona … don’t be! Even a franchise as oddly run as the Cardinals doesn’t take a running back with the third overall pick unless they plan to give him all the work he can handle. Tyler Allgeier, Trey Benson and the Ghost of Conner Past will have to fight for Love’s scraps.
1.03 - Carnell Tate, WR - Titans
Sam: I hadn't pegged the Titans to be a landing spot for one of these top wideouts, but I certainly don't mind it. Tennessee is doing a nice job of surrounding Cam Ward with weapons as they signed Wan'Dale Robinson and drafted Carnell Tate to play alongside Calvin Ridley. There are certainly worse receiver rooms out there (looking at you, Miami).
Tate was already my No. 1 wideout in this class and, with his draft capital accounted for, he's now tied for No. 3 overall in our Rookie WR Model dating back to 2017. On paper, it's hard to get much better than that, and I have no issue keeping Tate as the first wideout in rookie drafts. He should start Week 1 and eventually become the go-to option in this offense.
1.04 - Makai Lemon, WR - Eagles
Jake: This isn’t the landing spot I envisioned for my favorite receiver in this year’s draft class, but I’m not mad at it, either. Philadelphia picked up the phone and called THE GODDAMN COWBOYS to make sure they got Lemon. If that doesn’t signify the Eagles’ dedication to making him a major part of their new, post-A.J. Brown offense then … I guess I just don’t know what anything means anymore.
Lemon is a well-rounded, versatile, YAC dynamo who could easily end up as the 1A on Philly’s receiving corps before the clock even strikes 2027.
1.05 - Jordyn Tyson, WR - Saints
Sam: I gotta say, of the consensus top three wideouts entering this draft, I'm fairly pleased with all three landing spots. I've been touting Tyler Shough and his potential for the last few weeks (months, honesty), and adding Jordyn Tyson only amplifies my Shough aspirations. He slots in well next to Chris Olave and should have no issue garnering a significant workload from Day 1.
1.06 - KC Concepcion, WR - Browns
Jake: Over the last couple of months, I’d been flirting with bumping Concepcion into my Tier 1 of rookie receivers. I believe in his talent and versatility, but his skill set was more susceptible to hitting a landmine via landing spot.
Luckily, Concepcion has a pretty clear runway to volume in Cleveland. He’ll compete with Harold Fannin and, to a lesser extent, Jerry Jeudy and fellow rookie Denzel Boston for targets. I’d be 0% shocked if he leads the room in yards in his rookie season and beyond.
1.07 - Jadarian Price, RB - Seahawks
Sam: The Seahawks ended Day 1 by making a splash pick at the RB position. Jadarian Price was the consensus RB2 heading into draft weekend, and his Round 1 draft capital only solidified that spot.
The departure of Kenneth Walker and subsequent injury to Zach Charbonnet opened up this backfield in a big way. Price isn't much of a pass catcher, but he'll have every opportunity to earn lead-back duties this summer and once the season gets going.
However, if you want something relatively insightful, here's a great tweet that highlights just how random those end-of-Round 1 RB picks have been in recent years. Should we be worried about Price?
1.08 - Omar Cooper Jr, WR - Jets
Jake: I won’t lie to you. There’s a pretty significant drop-off around this part of the draft. That’s not to say none of these guys will be fantasy relevant, just that you’ll probably notice more managers desperately trying to trade these picks, which could be a nice buying opportunity!
Cooper has some great comps (Deebo Samuel, Jayden Reed), but the question is whether the Jets can utilize his talents in a way that’s fruitful for fantasy purposes. I suffer no delusions that Cooper might somehow leapfrog the severely underrated Garrett Wilson in the team’s pecking order, but he’s a risk worth taking at this spot.
1.09 - Kenyon Sadiq, TE - Jets
Sam: I'm gonna be honest, I'm not sure how I feel about the Jets as a landing spot for the TE1 of this draft class. However, the Jets do seem relatively flush with talent at all three offensive skill positions, but there remains a glaring, New York-sized hole on their roster … QB.
This is nothing against Geno Smith, who remains a quality option for any franchise, but he's certainly not the long-term option. Kenyon Sadiq should carve out a role relatively soon, but he'll have to compete with 2025 second-round pick Mason Taylor, who was solid in his own right as a rookie.
Our fantasy football projections do have Sadiq easily outpacing Taylor this season, and that trend should only continue in dynasty formats. Let's hope the Jets land their QB of the future soon. Either way, Sadiq is a fine pick in this range.
1.10 - Eli Stowers, TE - Eagles
Jake: Just a few short weeks ago, I would’ve been devastated to get “sniped” by Sam on Sadiq. Now I’m almost relieved. Such is the unyielding havoc of the NFL Draft.
Stowers, on the other hand, crept up my rookie draft board to the point that he and Sadiq are now practically interchangeable. In fact, I could quite easily see a future with Stowers having a more prominent effect in fantasy leagues. Sure, he’s mostly a receiver in a tight end frame, and that doesn’t always work out, but Stowers might be used to soak up some of the big boy targets that went to A.J. Brown once upon a time. Let’s also remember that Dallas Goedert is playing on a meager one-year contract extension …
1.11 - Denzel Boston, WR - Browns
Sam: We have the first round of a rookie mock draft that includes both a pair of Jets and a pair of Browns.
What a time to be alive.
Our early projections have the aforementioned Concepcion finishing as the top option in Cleveland this year (PPR scoring) while fellow rookie Denzel Boston is projected to compete with Jerry Jeudy for the WR2 role. Much like the Jets, the QB position remains a bit of a question mark. Will it be Deshaun Watson or Shedeur Sanders? Either way, Boston is worthy of a Round 1 draft pick in all of your dynasty rookie drafts.
1.12 - Chris Bell, WR - Dolphins
Jake: By this point, you might be saying, “Hey, this is Superflex, right? Shouldn’t we be talking about Ty Simpson by now … ?”
NO! I have no interest in drafting a QB who barely hit 500 total pass attempts in his college career. I refuse to make Les Snead’s problem my own.
I’d rather take a chance on Bell, who probably would’ve heard his name called on Day 1 of the NFL Draft if it wasn’t for his late-season ACL tear. We might get a healthy dose of Malik Washington or Caleb Douglas early in 2026, but sooner or later, I expect Bell to take his place at the top of a flimsy depth chart.
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