It's time to start getting familiar with the 2026 Dynasty Rookie class. Several players are already generating significant buzz as the top prospects for the upcoming draft like Jordyn Tyson, Jeremiyah Love, Fernando Mendoza, Makai Lemon etc. This is an even crazier year than others at Quarterback as all of our preseason expectations went out the window and now we’re acclimating to a roller coaster of new prospects.

I write these articles to try and expose newer names to keep an eye on that could be great values in the late 1st and middle rounds of your Dynasty Drafts. It’s too early to know how everything is going to play out in draft season so this is about gaining knowledge, not predictions.

COOPER BARKATE, WR, DUKE - 6’1, 195lbs

My biggest shock so far has been watching Cooper Barkate work. He glides around the field, he can cut so crisply, he presents hands to the quarterback and snaps the ball out of the air. He is the embodiment of control, coordination and tenacity at the position. And he does it with some great attitude and swagger. What he’s missing is an explosive get-off with true electricity in his legs. His vertical get-off and push is decent but he’s going to struggle to flip the hips of more athletic NFL DB’s without working a bit harder on sells and subtle fakes because he’s missing that explosive threat. But Barkate is going to shake a DB out of their shoes at the line and run a short crosser and take it 20 yards. He’s going to highpoint the ball in traffic on an in-breaking route against zone on 3rd down and frustrate defensive coordinators. He’ll turn a six yard gain on a hitch into a 15 yard gain when a lazy DB tries to bring him down with a weak arm tackle. Barkate is made for the modern NFL scheme that wants to pass often and exploit holes in zones.

MIKE WASHINGTON JR, RB, ARKANSAS 6’2, 223lbs

How Washington has been so quietly talked about I’m not sure. Maybe it’s because Arkansas isn’t exactly gaining as much attention as the more successful SEC teams right now for reasons unknown. But Washington leaps off the screen with his tall running style that is a blend of straightforward speed and force. He turns creases in to back-breaking chunk plays with his linear burst and his speed creates bad angles because he comes up on second level defenders faster than expected. He doesn’t lower well as a taller leggy back so he’ll get cut down by lower hits, but he’s also going to attack the shoulders of players and fall forward more often than not because of his positive momentum. This is a straight-ahead workhorse back with the speed to maximize creases and fall forward.

ROBERT HENRY JR., RB, UTSA - 5’9, 205lbs

This is a back who has every tool in his bag for setting up running lanes and exploiting the reactiveness of defenders. Henry is pure vision and feel as he uses pacing, jump cuts and plant-and-go decisiveness to continuously move to space and lock up defenders with indecision. Long speed is missing as his gearing is better for stop-start running and he’ll get chased down in the open field, but the burst in his jump cuts and ability to not get bogged down when zig-zagging will help him stay slippery with defenders around him. Because of his size and lack of true long speed I don’t know if a team will commit to him as a workhorse but he’s going to produce with opportunity.

KEVIN COLEMAN Jr., WR, MIZZOU - 5’11 180lbs

There’s a danger here, as smaller receivers are truly boom/bust on how they translate to the NFL field. But my comparison makes sense for a player like Kevin Coleman Jr, and that’s Wan’Dale Robinson. This isn’t an Alpha of a receiver group but he is going to be peppered with targets when a Quarterback discovers just how often he can break open in the short and intermediate game. Coleman is an elite mover in short spaces with the ability to plant, cut, and explode in a different direction in a blink. He’s going to see lots of gadget plays thanks to this with end-arounds, reverses and screens. He uses his phone-booth movement skills to slip and spin off of tackles and find a few more yards and fights hard to get first downs. He’s small though and while I don’t doubt his toughness and attitude I do know that NFL strength is going to pull him down easily and his smaller catch-radius might leave a couple passes incomplete that shouldn’t be. As well he’s fast but his strides are short so it’ll be hard to pull away from a fast corner on go routes.

DARIAN MENSAH, QB, DUKE - 6’3 205lbs

If you’re an avid College Football watcher you might know Mensah now as he and Duke beat Virginia in the ACC title game. Mensah finished this season with 30 TDs, 5 INTs and a 68% completion percentage. A full-time starter for two years, one with Tulane and one with Duke, Mensah isn’t quite as experienced as a RS Sophomore but he plays with the composure of a long-exposed Senior. What surprised me most was his balance and composure at the top of his drop. And then he displays some of the best understanding of touch and layering to drop the ball into zones and lead receivers. It reminded me of watching Sam Darnold as a prospect and seeing him having the savvy to know when to take something off the ball and throw arc’ing touch passes instead of rocket forcing the ball like young QB’s will often do. It’s a great foundation to have, knowing how to attack all parts of the field with different velocities and touch.

EMMETT JOHNSON, RB, NEBRASKA - 5’11 200lbs

Everyone should know Emmett Johnson because I would argue he can be one of the top backs in this class if he’s your flavor. He’s a different mover and his combination of speed and change of direction is superb. There is true shock in his game when he sees green ahead and is moving with confidence and blows by defenders before they can set up angles. He’s a dynamic slasher with comfort in the passing game that runs above his smaller frame by moving to space and attacking off-balance defenders shoulders to not get squared up. His balance is outstanding and his running is a combination of sprinting and dancing. He is small though, and not thickly built like an RJ Harvey to make up for it. When matched against more talented and physical defenses he gets bogged down and slams into walls of defenders constantly with little momentum. He’ll be scheme specific but could thrive in a roll like Achane in Miami.

BEYOND TIER ONE - PLAYERS TO WATCH - 2026 Part 1