Rob Rang's Top 5 Receivers
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Overview: Everyone likes catching touchdowns and with so many of today's top young athletes gravitating to the receiver position, wideout has become one of the strongest positional groups of seemingly every NFL draft. That is again the case in 2026 with all five of the prospects listed below (and perhaps a few more) likely to hear their names called in the first round. With Shaheed retained in free agency and the reigning Offensive Player of the Year, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, extended on the biggest contract in franchise history, the Seahawks are ahead of the curve at wide receiver and this position will likely not be a focus for the club in this draft. Schneider has often taken the traditional Best Player Available approach on draft day, however, and so a few other middle and late round prospects who might appeal include speedsters who project as quality gunners on special teams coverage units like Oregon's Malik Benson, Cincinnati's Jeff Caldwell and Georgia State's Ted Hurst.
**1\. Carnell Tate, Ohio State, 6-2, 192, First Round**
The same pipeline of NFL talent that helped mold Smith-Njigba continues with Tate, who will be the sixth wide receiver from Ohio State to be selected in the NFL's first round in just the past five years. He entered the season characterized as more of a possession receiver but blossomed into one of the game's most dependable downfield targets, showing excellent body control and tracking skills. Sound familiar, Seahawks fans?
**2\. Makai Lemon, USC, 5-11, 192, First Round**
We focused on some of the free agents who signed elsewhere for this year's Doppelganger article, but had we taken a more holistic approach to the 2026 draft class, I would've compared Lemon to former Seahawk star Golden Tate. Both players have a compact frame and physical nature to them that makes them more like running backs than receivers. Pardon the pun, but this Lemon is pretty sweet at creating separation, before and after the catch.
**3\. Denzel Boston, Washington, 6-4, 212, First Round**
Perhaps one of the reasons why the Huskies' running back Jonah Coleman doesn't get more attention is the fact that talent evaluators couldn't keep their eyes off Boston, who possesses remarkable agility for such a tall receiver. Boston lacks the elite straight-line speed scouts fawn over, but I think his size, body control and hand-eye coordination translate very well to the NFL.
**4\. Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State, 6-2, 203, First Round**
If tape were the only part of the evaluation, Tyson might be the first receiver off the board. He still may be. He moves like a receiver a couple of inches shorter and 20 pounds lighter than he is, creating separation easily. He's struggled with durability over his college career, however.
**5\. KC Concepcion, Texas A&M, 6-0, 196, First Round**
It isn't durability but another "dirty D-word" that plagues Concepcion – drops. Pro Football Focus charted Concepcion with 20 drops over his three-year college careers, including seven in 2025, alone. Scouts can question his hands a bit but certainly not his feet. This kid can leave his own shadow stumbling to keep up, generating 28 touchdowns in 38 career games.