By the DraftClassInsider staff · Published October 12, 2026 · Through Week 5 of the 2026 season
- The five first-round WRs (Carnell Tate, Jordyn Tyson, Makai Lemon, KC Concepcion and Omar Cooper Jr.) have 57 catches, 561 yards and 0 touchdowns combined.
- Denzel Boston (No. 39, Browns) has 16 catches for 330 yards and 3 touchdowns. He leads all rookies in receiving yards and is 15th in the NFL.
- Injuries: Tyson has not played because of a hamstring injury, and Cooper has been on injured reserve since Week 2. Concepcion left Week 5 with a head injury.
- Awards: Bill Barnwell's quarter-season ballot at ESPN ranked Boston first for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
- Our draft-night verdict on Boston: REACH, B-.
The Leaderboard
ESPN's receiving leaders through Week 5 include only two rookies in the top 50: Denzel Boston, 15th with 330 yards, and Carnell Tate, tied for 25th with 274. Here is the rest of the class, from ESPN team stats:
| Rank | Receiver | Team | Pick | Rec | Yds | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denzel Boston | Browns | 39 | 16 | 330 | 3 |
| 2 | Carnell Tate | Titans | 4 | 23 | 274 | 0 |
| 3 | Antonio Williams | Commanders | 71 | 15 | 155 | 1 |
| 4 | KC Concepcion | Browns | 24 | 18 | 149 | 0 |
| 5 | Malachi Fields | Giants | 74 | 10 | 146 | 1 |
| 6 | Germie Bernard | Steelers | 47 | 13 | 140 | 0 |
| 7 | Ted Hurst III | Buccaneers | 84 | 8 | 128 | 1 |
| 8 | Josh Cameron | Jaguars | 191 | 8 | 117 | 2 |
| 10 | Makai Lemon | Eagles | 20 | 15 | 108 | 0 |
| — | Omar Cooper Jr. | Jets | 30 | 1 | 30 | 0 |
| — | Jordyn Tyson | Saints | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
No. 9 is Miami's Caleb Douglas (No. 75 pick, 7 catches for 113 yards). Second- and third-round receivers fill most of the top of this list. Josh Cameron, a sixth-round pick, has two touchdowns. The five first-rounders have none.
Denzel Boston, the Deep Threat
Boston has 16 catches and is averaging 20.6 yards per catch. He has scored in three of his five games: a 46-yard touchdown in Week 1 at Jacksonville, a 55-yarder in Week 2 at Tampa Bay and another score in Week 5 against the Jets. His 60-yard catch against Pittsburgh in Week 4 is Cleveland's longest offensive play of the season. Browns.com noted that his 284 yards through four weeks were the most by a Browns rookie after four games, and ESPN had his 21.8 yards per catch entering Week 5 second in the league.
"He's tough physically and mentally, he's diligent, he's got an excellent catch radius and plays strong to the ball," offensive coordinator Todd Monken said. Deshaun Watson said Boston has "been doing a heck of a job whenever his number is called." Boston gives the credit to his quarterback: "I'd say the big plays come from Deshaun being able to find me when the time comes."
We graded the pick a B- and called it a reach on draft night. So far it has been the best-value receiver pick of the class. Bill Barnwell's quarter-season awards at ESPN ranked Boston first in the Offensive Rookie of the Year race, ahead of Kansas City's undrafted left tackle Kahlil Benson. VegasInsider's October 12 odds listing has him as a slight favorite at the six sportsbooks it tracks. Cleveland is 3-2.
The First Round, One by One
Carnell Tate (No. 4, Titans). He has been targeted 37 times, more than any other first-round receiver, and his 9-catch, 145-yard game at Baltimore in Week 4 is the biggest single game by any receiver in the table above. He has not scored, and theScore's first-month report card noted two fumbles. He played Week 5 through a back injury that made him questionable, and finished with one catch for 6 yards on five targets. A 32-yard catch was wiped out by a holding penalty. Tennessee is 0-5.
Jordyn Tyson (No. 8, Saints). He hurt his hamstring in an August 13 joint practice with Jacksonville, and NFL Media reported he would miss about two months. New Orleans put him on injured reserve with a designation to return. Coach Kellen Moore said Monday that Tyson is "progressing well," but he was not on track to practice this week. New Orleans is 1-4.
Makai Lemon (No. 20, Eagles). He has 15 catches for 108 yards and no touchdowns, and he lost five yards on his three catches in Week 1. His production is starting to rise: his best game was five catches for 43 yards in the Week 5 loss to Jacksonville in London. Philadelphia is 2-3.
KC Concepcion (No. 24, Browns). He has 18 catches for 149 yards on 29 targets, plus a lost fumble in Week 1. He caught two of nine targets against Carolina in Week 3 and was ruled out of Week 5 with a head injury in the first quarter. Boston, his teammate, has overtaken him.
Omar Cooper Jr. (No. 30, Jets). On the opening drive of the season he caught a third-and-9 pass along the left sideline and broke tackles until he was stopped at the 4-yard line. He left the game with an ankle injury right after that play, and Kenyon Sadiq scored two plays later. The Jets put Cooper on injured reserve on September 19, so the earliest he can return is Week 6 at New England.
Why the Draft Order Flipped
Three things explain the gap. The first is health. Tyson has not played, Cooper's season lasted one catch, and Concepcion is hurt again. The second is the kind of targets each player gets. Boston's production comes from deep throws, which can produce big totals from 16 catches, while Tate and Concepcion get many short targets in offenses that are struggling. Tate's team is 0-5. The third is the sample. One 60-yard catch is a large share of Boston's yardage, and deep-ball production tends to swing from week to week.
Our take. On draft night we graded Tate (B), Tyson (B) and Lemon (B) as solid picks, and Concepcion (B) and Cooper (C+) as reaches. None of those grades has been tested, because only Tate has played every week. Boston is the receiver whose grade we would change: from a B- reach to a B+, because his catch radius and deep speed have worked from Week 1. The first-round group should improve as Tyson and Cooper get healthy, and a rookie receiver class usually takes a full season to sort out. For now, the best rookie receiver was the 39th pick. For all first-round picks, see our Week 5 reality check.
Sources
- ESPN - NFL receiving leaders, 2026
- ESPN - Denzel Boston game log
- Browns.com - Boston and Concepcion developing into key contributors (Oct. 2, 2026)
- Browns.com - Denzel Boston showcases threat as explosive receiver (Oct. 8, 2026)
- Browns.com - KC Concepcion Jr. ruled out vs. the Jets (Oct. 11, 2026)
- ESPN - Carnell Tate game log
- Titans.com - Week 5 injury report (Oct. 9, 2026)
- Titans.com - Six things that stood out vs. Texans (Oct. 11, 2026)
- theScore - NFL rookie report card: every first-rounder's debut month
- ESPN - Saints rookie WR Jordyn Tyson leaves practice with injury (Aug. 13, 2026)
- PFT - Tyson to miss two months with hamstring injury (Aug. 17, 2026)
- ESPN - Saints injuries (Tyson "progressing well")
- ESPN - Makai Lemon game log
- ESPN - KC Concepcion game log
- NYJets.com - 5 plays that lifted the Jets past the Titans (Sept. 14, 2026)
- NYJets.com - Jets place Omar Cooper Jr. on injured reserve (Sept. 19, 2026)
- ESPN - Bill Barnwell's quarter-season awards (Oct. 8, 2026)
- VegasInsider - Rookie of the Year odds (Oct. 12, 2026)