Mike D's NFL draft WR rankings: Saints have options to add a playmaker

Hear Mike D break down his top 5 WRs in the player above, and hear his 2026 NFL draft notebook daily on WWL and Audacy. Can't see the embed? Click here.

Scroll below for a breakdown of how Mike D has the WRs ranked heading into next week's draft and click here for mock draft and player rankings.

1. CARNELL TATE, WR, Ohio State

Why: “Watching [Tate] on film, man, he does a great job working the chalk, the sideline routes. He is sort of built along the lines of Courtland Sutton, to me, coming out of SMU. He’s not quite as tall, not quite as thick, but they have a lot of similarities in their game. He is a well-versed and well-taught route-runner. He gets into and out of his cuts and breaks very smoothly, very little loss of speed. He is a contested catch receiver. He’ll go up and high point it, make the catch and sort of fight off the defensive back. He’s no speedster by any stretch of the imagination. You don’t want him running 4x400, he’s not the anchor guy there, but he’s got some giddy-up after the catch to pull away from you once he can get started. Interesting player, because he was really never the No. 1 guy there, with Jeremiah Smith, but man, he is a talent, and he is somebody who is tough, resilient, catches the ball well in traffic and he’s got solid run-after-catch skills.
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“I think the world of him as a player. I think he’ll always be in that good to very good range as an NFL player, and there’s nothing wrong with that, especially in this draft class, if you’re looking to upgrade your WR unit and the other thing, he’s available every Saturday. That counts.”

Projection: Top 10

2. JORDYN TYSON, WR, Arizona State

Why: “The No. 2 guy and he would be No. 1 if he was healthy. ... We’ve talked about [Tyson] literally since last summer and interviewing Sam Leavitt all the way through to now. If he’s healthy, there is no doubt he is the most gifted pass receiver in this draft class, but you also cannot ignore availability or inability, and he did try to play through that hamstring and then pulled the hamstring on the other leg afterwards and he’s fought that over and over again.
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"Very smooth and electric guy, and you can see how he comes out of his cuts and breaks, no loss of speed, he eyeballs it really well. Every once in a while he’ll have a concentration drop, but that’s not part of his game and he’s a big-play athlete, too. He’s got some stretch ability, speed-wise. Man, I think the world of him as a player, but I would have to have my doctors really, really take a long look and give me all the info you can on him. ... If you were the GM, you’re putting your job on the line and picking him? You’ve got to have the medicals first clear you and say hey, everything is fine, we’re good with it. If that’s the case, then you’ve got to think about it.

Projection: early to mid first round

3. MAKAI LEMON, WR, USC

Why: “Tremendous slot player at USC, very confident, tough, hard-nosed guy, exceptional route-runner and he corkscrews you into the ground as a route-runner. He gets open and then he’s not the biggest guy in the world, but he tries to run over you. Not only run past you, but run over you. Very aggressive out in the open field after he catches the football. He has a wide array of wide receiver moves. You can see he’s worked with people that know how to teach route-running and he’s a very interesting player from the standpoint of how to use him, either out wide or in the slot. He was really effective in the slot for the Trojans last year and also on the reverse plays, because man, once he gets a head of steam rolling he can get past you if you don’t respect his speed.”

Projection: mid first round

4. OMAR COOPER JR., WR, Indiana

Why: “He was an Indiana guy start to finish, nice size, thickly built, catches the ball well in traffic. You can see he is a hands catcher. There’s nothing up against the body. It’s out front or up. He makes the catch. He is underrated as a runner after the catch, where he can scoot around you and he can make a big play, but his toughness, his ability to work the chalk is very good and also man, he’s not scared to go over the middle and when he catches it he bullies you downfield.”

Projection: mid first round (14-20)

5. KC CONCEPCION, WR, Texas A&M

Why: “He was a dynamic return guy there. I had one of his coaches at the Manning give me a long speech about his run after catch skills and that’s on KC Concepcion. Here’s my deal, catch it first. He had way too many drops for a guy who is so talented and I know he doesn’t have bad hands, it’s concentration and also he wants to run with it before he catches the ball. First things first, catch it, KC. We know you’re talented.

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"He is an elusive guy. He has gotten much better as a route-runner, and he was one of these guys at State, he would almost come to a slowdown before the cut and the break. I saw a big difference when he went to A&M, they really worked with him on getting out of the cut and break a lot smoother, a lot quicker and man, you’d better grab him and grab him good, because the one thing he can do is get away from you in traffic or a guy gets his hands on him. Man, he somewhat kind of scoots away. He also really helps you in the return game. The one negative with him, way too many drops for a guy that is super talented and can help you two ways. He can play outside, he can play in the slot and then the return game. He is a big-play athlete, he just has to be more consistent catching the football.”

Projection: Late first round