Insider notes on top 12 WR/TE prospects of 2026 draft class: Max Klare's grade, Antonio Williams' projection, and more

The receiver and tight end positions have seen a renaissance of sorts in the NFL draft, as more players at both positions are being selected earlier in the process and in greater numbers. This past April, three players (two wideouts and one tight end) ended up as top-10 selections. Also, a combined 20 receivers and tight ends ended up as either Day 1 or 2 selections during the 2025 NFL draft.

Of those 20 selections, 13 were seniors. Presently, the scouts I’ve spoken with believe the 2026 draft will be driven by juniors at both positions. After conversing with scouts, here’s a look at the top 10 receivers and tight ends for next year, with a pair of sleepers.

1] - Max Klare/TE/Ohio State

Klare comes off a breakout season in 2025, when he caught 51 passes for 685 yards in a tepid Purdue Boilermakers passing game that was near the bottom in the Big Ten. He’s an athletic playmaker who stretches the field and catches the ball with proper fundamentals. Scouts are excited to see how Klare does in a pro-style passing attack, and many I spoke with believe he’s a second-round talent.

2] - Jordyn Tyson/WR/Arizona State

You wouldn’t call Tyson a playmaker, but rather an incredibly reliable and productive wideout. He dominated play last season for the Sun Devils despite missing the team’s appearance in the College Football Playoff with a collarbone injury.

There’s no outstanding athletic skill to Tyson’s game as he possesses average size (6-foot-2 and 190 pounds) and lacks elite speed. Yet he’s smart, focused and knows how to get open. He accounted for more than one-third of the passing yardage put up by Arizona State last season.

Average computer numbers concern scouts a bit, yet they feel he’s such a good football player that he deserves a second-round grade.

3] - Isaiah Horton/WR/Alabama

Horton has a better size than Tyson, but he has similar speed and pass-catching skills to the ASU junior.

He’s a long wideout who plays big football and comes with reliable hands. He was a consistent threat last season for the Miami Hurricanes, yet he benefited not only from the quarterback play of Cam Ward but also from having teammates Xavier Restrepo and Jacolby George draw coverage from him.

Still, his size and pass-catching prowess have scouts grading him as a Day 2 pick, though Horton will have his work cut out for him at Alabama this season.

4] - Germie Bernard/WR/Alabama

Bernard grades slightly lower than his Crimson Tide teammate, as he’s a bit smaller, yet is a much bigger playmaking threat. He displays top-end speed on the field and consistently turns in receptions of 25 yards or more every game. Many scouts have Bernard as a potential top-60 prospect.

5] - Deion Burks/WR/Oklahoma

Burks is the smallest (approximately 5-foot-9 and 190 pounds) as well as the least productive of the top receivers, yet scouts love his potential. He played in just five games for the Sooners last season after transferring from Purdue and caught 31 passes for 245 yards, numbers that are not very impressive.

Yet his quickness, ability to break big plays and potential as a return specialist have scouts believing Burks could be a Day 2 pick. The comparison scouts are making? Wan’Dale Robinson of the New York Giants.

6] - Chris Bell/WR/Louisville

There’s a wide range of opinions on Bell in the scouting community, with some believing he’s a Day 2 prospect while others feel he’s more fourth-round variety. Much of it has to do with his size, as Bell comes in at 6-foot-1.5-inches and 225 pounds.

Scouts wonder if he’s a true receiver at the next level or maybe a move tight end? Possibly an H-back? Putting that aside for a second, Bell is a consistent pass catcher who displays big-play ability, and he averaged 17.1 yards on 43 receptions last season.

7] - De’Zhaun Stribling/WR/Mississippi

After two productive seasons at Oklahoma State, Stribling takes his game to Mississippi, another college team with a high-powered offense. Stribling is pretty much graded as a Day 2 prospect within the scouting community, as he’s a polished receiver who separates from opponents and catches the ball with proper fundamentals.

8] - Carnell Tate/WR/Ohio State

Tate was the third wheel for the Buckeyes last season behind first-round pick Emeka Egbuka and future top-10 choice Jeremiah Smith. He acquitted himself well with 52 receptions for 733 yards, including an incredible game against Texas in a win that helped catapult Ohio State into the national title game.

Tate is more like Egbuka than Smith, as he’s a long, sure-handed intermediate possession receiver with a solid game. Scouts are thinking third round on Tate at this point.

9] - Antonio Williams/WR/Clemson

Williams has been on my radar since he was a redshirt sophomore, and his game took off last season. He’s quick and reliable and has shown a lot of progress on the field.

He’s smaller than most of the recent NFL wideouts coming from Clemson, as scouts estimate him to be 5-foot-10 and 190 pounds. Still, his ability to separate from defenders and consistently catch the ball have them believing Williams is a potential top-90 pick.

10] - Eric Singleton Jr./WR/Auburn

Georgia Tech’s big-play threat the past two seasons, Singleton, takes his game to the SEC, where the competition will be stiff every Saturday. He possesses a slight build, yet he has terrific quickness as well as an explosive burst.

Singleton has been consistent on the field as well, totaling 104 receptions for 1,468 yards with the Yellow Jackets the past two seasons.

Sleepers

11] - Eli Stowers/TE/Vanderbilt

Scouts I’ve spoken with grade Stowers as a Day 3 prospect, but I believe he’s more of a top-60 talent. Since his days at New Mexico State, Stowers has displayed himself as a pass-catching threat who makes plays in the short, intermediate or deep field. He’s definitely a move tight end prospect who plays the position like an oversized receiver.

12] - Terrance Carter Jr./Texas Tech

If there’s a tight end prospect people will soon be saying, “Where did he come from?”, it is Carter. A consistent pass-catching threat at Louisiana last year, as well as a very good blocker, Carter showed tremendous improvement in his game.

He leaves the running attack of the Rajin’ Cajuns for the aerial assault of Texas Tech. I presently have a fourth-round grade on Carter, two rounds higher than scouts, yet the junior could ultimately end up a top-75 pick.