This week, we released our debut episode of Always Be Scouting on YouTube. We set the tone, cracked the bourbon, and started building out our 2026 Dynasty Rookie draft board.
But if you’ve ever done a podcast, you know how it goes. You hit record, you start cooking, and next thing you know, you run out of time before you get to the good stuff. So here it is. The bonus content we didn’t get to cover.
We’re talking red flags, hidden gems, and stash plays that can win you leagues while your league mates are chasing highlights instead of making smart bets.
The “Bust” Board: When The Red Flags Outweigh The Talent
Let’s be clear. Calling someone a potential “bust” doesn’t mean they stink. It means the risk is loud enough that the margin for error is tiny. In rookie drafts, that’s how you get burned.
Here are the five guys who are likely to break hearts on draft day.
1. Mike Washington Jr. (RB – Arkansas)
Red Flag: 16 career fumbles
This is the big one. Fumbling is the fastest way to get benched in the NFL, and 16 is a number that makes coaches sweat. You can be big. You can be fast. You can pop at the Senior Bowl. None of that matters if you’re putting the ball on the ground.
If Washington can’t hold onto the ball, none of the rest matters. Coaches won’t trust him, and he’ll be on and off rosters fast.
2. Jordyn Tyson (WR – Arizona State)
Red Flag: ACL, MCL, PCL history
Tyson is a real player when he’s healthy. The problem is that knee history is brutal. One ligament tear is hard enough. Three in the same knee is scary.
Wide receivers win with twitch, suddenness, and burst. If that knee takes even a little of that away, you’re drafting a name instead of a difference maker. And I know that firsthand. I’ve had that same injury myself, and I only went through it once. He’s a high-risk gamble, even if the upside is real.
3. Nicholas Singleton (RB – Penn State)
Red Flag: broken foot + poor vision
Singleton is an athletic freak. That’s not in question. But when the production is trending the wrong way, and you add a weight-bearing injury on top, that’s where you start getting nervous.
Speed backs need their explosion. If the efficiency is slipping and then the foot goes, you’re hoping for a reset that doesn’t always come. The profile screams “great tools.” The path screams “rocky.”
4. KC Concepcion (WR – Texas A&M)
Red Flag: 10.3% drop rate + small frame
Small receivers can thrive. But they need to be special in at least one area: top-end speed, separation, or hands that don’t betray them.
Dropping more than 1 out of every 10 targets is brutal because smaller guys already have less margin for error against physical coverage. If you’re not reliable, you’re not earning snaps.
If KC tightens it up, he’s dangerous. If he doesn’t, the league moves on fast.
5. Jadarian Price (RB – Notre Dame)
Red Flag: Achilles rupture + small sample size
For running backs, the Achilles is the power cord. It’s the burst. The pop. The first step that turns a crease into six points.
History tells us a lot of backs don’t fully regain their pre-injury explosion after this one. And even though Price bounced back from the injury nicely, he was in the same room as Tier S alpha Jeremiyah Love, limiting his opportunity. That’s a tough combo: injury question plus volume question.
Hidden Gems
Now the fun part. These guys might not have the “S-tier” hype, but their cons are mostly just “not flashy,” not “will get benched.” That matters.
Here are the potential steals from Tiers D and E.
1. Ja’Kobi Lane (WR – USC)
The giant with rising stock.
Lane is sitting there as a buy-low because everyone’s talking about his teammate. But he’s 6’4”, he showed out at the Senior Bowl, and the “issues” are fixable.
Skinny frame. NFL weight room. Inconsistent. Better coaching and a clear role. If he keeps stacking good weeks, he won’t be cheap for long. This is your window.
2. Kaytron Allen (RB – Penn State)
The no-nonsense pro.
Allen isn’t here because he’s risky. He’s here because he doesn’t have a superpower like 4.3 speed. That’s it. He does everything at a B plus level. Protects the quarterback. Runs clean. Gets what’s blocked. Doesn’t beat himself. In rookie drafts, guys like this are the ones who carve out seven to ten-year careers while the home run hitters strike out.
If you want a double every time instead of a swing-for-the-fences miss, this is your guy.
3. Germie Bernard and Antonio Williams
Guaranteed reward types.
These are the receivers coaches love. They’re not track stars, but they’re reliable, smart, and consistent. They’re the kind of players who keep moving the chains and keep staying on the field. The fantasy community gets bored with that. NFL teams don’t.
Stash Talk
The High-Risk High-Reward Prospect
Michael Trigg (TE – Baylor)
This is the stash candidate we didn’t get to spotlight enough. Trigg has the profile you want for fantasy. Big catch radius. Basketball background. Movement skills. Red zone upside. But he’s not a finished product as a blocker, and that’s why he’s a stash instead of a lock.
If he lands in the right system that uses him like a matchup weapon instead of asking him to live in the trenches, he’s the kind of tight end who can swing weeks. He’s a jumbo wide receiver in a tight end body.
The YAC And Power Segment
The “Hammer” In The Indiana Attack
Omar Cooper Jr. (WR – Indiana)
Cooper is a different style of weapon. He’s not trying to outrun you. He’s trying to run through you. Once he gets the ball in his hands, he turns into a running back. Power. Balance. Violence after the catch.
If Mendoza and Sarratt are the clean, pro-ready parts of that offense, Cooper is the hammer that makes defenders hate tackling. That role translates.
Senior Bowl Stock Up
These two prospects had a great week in Mobile, AL, pushing up their NFL Draft stock (and Dynasty Rookie draft stock).
Garrett Nussmeier (QB – LSU)
Nussmeier showed up in Mobile and looked like he belonged. Calm in the pocket. Quick decisions. And he wasn’t scared to let it rip into tight windows.
The big thing for me was how fast he saw it. When it was there, the ball came out. If he has a clean combine and pro day, don’t be shocked when he starts climbing boards again.
Malachi Fields (WR – Notre Dame)
Fields was one of the biggest practice week winners in Mobile. Physically imposing. Winning reps. Looking like the guy DBs don’t want to see in one-on-ones.
And the key detail, he’s reliable. Only three drops over his last two seasons, which gives him a real floor as a possession target even if he never becomes a true WR1.
The buzz is building, and the draft community is starting to move him up boards fast.
Final Word
This is the part of rookie drafts most people ignore. Everyone wants the flashy names. The highlight clips. The “I can’t believe he fell” screenshots.
But the real edge is knowing which red flags can blow up a pick, and which “boring” profiles turn into weekly starters.
Stay ready. Stay early. Always Be Scouting. Win Now, Brag Later.
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