1,000-Yard College Football WR Named ‘Biggest Steal’ in 2026 NFL Draft

Several top wideouts emerged from the 2025 college football season and are already setting expectations for the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

The list is headlined by Ohio State's Carnell Tate, a 6'3" contested-catch threat who posted 51 catches for 875 yards and nine touchdowns in 2025 while averaging 17.2 yards per catch. USC’s Makai Lemon, a polished separator, totaled 79 catches for 1,156 yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging 14.6 yards per reception.

Other names include Washington's Denzel Boston, a 6'4" red-zone mismatch who recorded 62 catches for 881 yards and 11 touchdowns (14.2 yards per catch), and Arizona State's Jordyn Tyson, a 6'2" size-speed vertical threat who posted 61 catches for 711 yards and eight touchdowns in just nine games, averaging 11.7 yards per catch.

These established names have been graded as Day-1 or early Day-2 talent across most draft boards and have shaped early expectations for the class.

But on Wednesday, another name forced his way into the conversation when UConn’s Skyler Bell was labeled by Sleeper College Football the “biggest steal in the 2026 NFL Draft,” prompting experts to reevaluate the pecking order.

Skyler Bell is going to be the biggest steal in the 2026 NFL Draft 👀
pic.twitter.com/5GhIiPj0jp
— SleeperCFB (@SleeperCFB) February 18, 2026

Bell, a 6'0", 185-pound senior, was a modest three-star high school recruit who began his career at Wisconsin before transferring to UConn ahead of the 2024 season.

Since then, he has built a reputation as one of the nation’s most polished route runners, combining reliable hands and strong yards-after-catch ability rather than relying on pure vertical speed.

Bell finished 2025 with 101 receptions for 1,278 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging 12.7 yards per catch, was a Biletnikoff finalist, and a consensus All-American, production that powered a UConn offense that reached the Wasabi Fenway Bowl, where the Huskies fell 41–16 to Army.

The program still finished 9–4, marking a second straight nine-win season under head coach Jim Mora, who has since departed for Colorado State.

UConn Huskies wide receiver Skyler Bell. — UConn Huskies wide receiver Skyler Bell (1) makes the catch and runs for a touchdown against the UAB Blazers | David Butler II-Imagn Images

Scouting outlets currently peg him as a late Day-2 or early Day-3 option, placing him a tier below the projected first-round wideouts but squarely in the range where value is often found.

Looking ahead, all eyes will be on Bell’s official measurements and testing at the NFL Scouting Combine, followed by his Pro Day.

Mock drafts and formal visits over the next several weeks will clarify whether franchises see Bell as a priority mid-round target or a player who could slide before outperforming his draft slot.

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