The NFL world might be waiting for the highly anticipated 2027 NFL Draft class, but in the meantime, the crop of young prospects in the 2026 rookie class has a chance to establish itself.
Even though this year's class might not have been the best we've seen in recent memory, there will still be plenty of franchise cornerstone pieces and future stars to come from it, and it's also looking like there could be a pretty interesting competition for NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Our latest NFL Power Rankings will be taking a closer look at the top candidates for Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2026 and which players have the best chance to take home that hardware at the end of the season. As always, there will be surprise candidates that emerge, but here are the top 10 candidates as we see it entering training camp.
NFL Power Rankings: Ranking the top 10 Offensive Rookie of the Year candidates in 2026
10. Denzel Boston, WR, Cleveland Browns
The Cleveland Browns need someone to step up at the wide receiver position. They got some nice breakthroughs last year from young skill players like tight end Harold Fannin Jr. and running back Quinshon Judkins, but the receiver position has been in shambles.
That's why the team used a 1st-round pick on KC Concepcion (more on him soon) and then a 2nd-round pick on Denzel Boston. Boston has drawn some early comparisons to Tet McMillan of the Carolina Panthers, and we all know that McMillan won the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year award just last season.
Boston is a big-bodied, sure-handed receiver who can give the Browns' quarterback -- whoever that ends up being -- a trustworthy playmaker with a massive catch radius.
9. KC Concepcion, WR, Cleveland Browns
Because of his draft status, KC Concepcion gets the edge on a list like this over his teammate Denzel Boston, but Boston might be the higher volume receiver when all is said and done.
Concepcion has game-changing speed at the position, and if the Browns can find ways to get him involved in the offense right away, he's giong to make a major impact. Not only for the plays he makes, but for the plays he creates for others. That type of dynamic speed forces defenses to play safeties deep, which could allow Todd Monken to do exactly what he wants to do: Run the ball...a lot.
Concepcion has the type of run-after-the-catch abilities to contend for OROY this season.
8. Omar Cooper Jr., WR, New York Jets
It's going to be really interesting to see how this year's wide receiver class does early on, but Omar Cooper Jr. is in a fun situation playing opposite Garrett Wilson in New York.
Of course, the Jets also have AD Mitchell, which is part of the reason why Cooper landed lower on this list. He's still a 1st-round receiver, but even though the Jets aren't expected to contend in the AFC this season, they've got a lot of mouths to feed at the skill positions.
Cooper is one of those physical types of receivers who is reminiscent of Deebo Samuel when he has the ball in his hands. He could immediately become a favorite target out of the slot and give the Jets a dynamic offense creator early on.
7. Carson Beck, QB, Arizona Cardinals
If Carson Beck ends up starting a lot of games for the Arizona Cardinals this year, he's at least an option for this award, isn't he?
Nobody seems to be really expecting much out of Beck, but the same could be said of Tyler Shough last year with the Saints. Beck played a lot of football at the college level between his time at Georgia and Miami, and he was part of winning a lot of games.
He may not be the most overwhelming prospect we've seen at quarterback, but in Mike LaFleur's offense, he's at least got a shot. If he can limit turnovers and make smart decisions, he's got an outside shot to win the award.
6. De'Zhaun Stribling, WR, San Francisco 49ers
This will be the hottest take of the entire rankings list, but I'm not counting 49ers rookie receiver De'Zhaun Stribling out of the NFL OROY race. Stribling was one of the most controversial picks early in the 2026 NFL Draft, and even the most optimistic 49ers fans were wondering what in the world John Lynch was doing.
But you never know what a guy is going to do with a great opportunity. The 49ers have one of the best offenses in the entire NFL, and Stribling could benefit from that. This receiver room is completely unrecognizable from what it's been in recent years with guys like Deebo Samuel, Brandon Aiyuk, and Jauan Jennings all gone.
Even though other players will be higher on the initial pecking order, it wouldn't be shocking to see the 49ers motivated to prove themselves right about picking Stribling in the first place.
5. Jordyn Tyson, WR, New Orleans Saints
Given the way last season ended for the Saints, getting weapons for Tyler Shough was a non-negotiable on the offseason to-do list. They made that happen in a big way.
Not only did the Saints bring in veteran running back Travis Etienne coming off of a huge year for the Jaguars, but they spent their top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft on Jordyn Tyson, a big-play receiver out of Arizona State.
The biggest reason Tyson is 5th on this list and not in the top 3 overall is his injury history. And last year, they were of the dreaded "soft tissue" variety. It's simply not going to work out at the NFL level if Tyson is constantly nursing soft tissue injuries, but the Saints were willing to take the risk.
The talent is outstanding, and the boom or bust potential is a bit terrifying.
4. Fernando Mendoza, QB, Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders have made it clear that the goal is to have Kirk Cousins start for them this entire season. They ideally want to see #1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza learn for a year while Cousins sets the table for him.
But does anyone really believe that's going to happen?
I'm going to give it half a season, maybe less. And we'll see how legitimate of a contender for OROY Mendoza ends up being if he only plays roughly half a season. We saw Tyler Shough contend for OROY last year despite not taking over until midway through the year, but it would be tough.
If Mendoza is starting from Day 1, he's probably going to vault to the top of this list.
3. Makai Lemon, WR, Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are in a very interesting situation offensively this year. They are changing offensive coordinators with Sean Mannion coming in and taking over the play-calling, but they are also replacing AJ Brown, one of the best receivers in the league.
Replacing Brown is not as easy as simply throwing a 1st-round pick into his slot. Just ask the Tennessee Titans how that worked out. With that in mind, the Eagles got a good one in the 1st round of the 2026 NFL Draft in Makai Lemon.
Lemon was the Biletnikoff Award winner this past season as the top receiver in the country at USC, and he has a very translatable skill set to today's NFL. He's a ball-dominant playmaker who creates separation and makes plays after the catch. Because of his ability to eat up so many targets out of the slot, he could be an immediate go-to player in the Eagles' offense.
2. Carnell Tate, WR, Tennessee Titans
The Tennessee Titans had the #1 overall pick in last year's draft (Cam Ward), and they used their top pick in the 2025 NFL Draft to get him some help.
With Ward expected to break out this upcoming season, Tate could be the guy he's looking to more often than others. If Carnell Tate can become Cam Ward's favorite target, how could he not be one of the top 2-3 contenders for Offensive Rookie of the Year?
He's coming from the Ohio State program, which seemingly is able to crank out NFL-ready receiver prospects annually. He is going to be coming to the Titans ready to contribute as a WR1, and I wouldn't be surprised if he helps elevate that entire offense right away.
1. Jeremiyah Love, RB, Arizona Cardinals
There isn't a more dynamic offensive weapon in this year's rookie class than Jeremiyah Love, who has a similar skill set to some of the best backs in the NFL. Whether or not Love can become the next Bijan Robinson or Christian McCaffrey will depend on how effectively the Cardinals and head coach Mike LaFleur utilize him, but that type of potential is there.
Love was the 3rd pick in the NFL Draft, which is rare for a running back these days because of the guaranteed money given to that pick slot. Because of the pre-determined contracts for draft picks, Love is automatically the highest-paid running back in history in terms of overall contract guarantees (over $53M guaranteed).
The expectations for him are going to be through the roof, and the Cardinals are going to get their money's worth. I'm expecting Love to touch the ball at least 300 times this season, which should put him in the driver's seat for this award.