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INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA - FEBRUARY 27: Omar Cooper Jr. of the Indiana Hoosiers speaks to the media during the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine at the Indiana Convention Center on February 27, 2026 in Indianapolis, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images) | Getty Images It’s that time of year when anonymous scouts weigh in on the upcoming NFL Draft class. As you read through these, know that some of these scouts don’t know what city the Rams play in. One mentioned “St. Louis.”
Still, it’s information, and the San Francisco 49ers are all but guaranteed to draft a wide receiver with one of their first three picks in the upcoming NFL Draft. The team has been linked to Omar Cooper Jr., Denzel Boston, and KC Concepcion. We’ll see what scouts have tos ay about that trio and more from Bob McGinn’s annual rundown.
Some quotes before we get into the individual prospects:
“There’s a decent amount of depth, but there’s no real stud.” – executive in personnel for an AFC team
“You just don’t see first-rounders. They just don’t jump out. Mike Evans is a blue player. None of these guys are really blue.” – Scout
A lot of guys don’t have the stats. But you watch all their targets and plays and you go, ‘Gee, this guy just needs to get the ball more.’ There’s a lot of good receivers in this draft.” – Scout
“These Denzel Boston’s and KC Concepcion’s and Anotion Williams’s of the world, they’re just guys. Even Makai Lemon, he’s a little guy, a tough guy, but he’s not a No. 1. After [Carnell] Tate, in other years, they would be second, third, and fourth rounders. There’s nothing out there.” – Scout
I agree with the final quote. Some of these players are being pushed up because of positional value and the lack of star power at prominent positions in the draft. I have a difficult time believing a player like Omar Cooper is a first-rounder in every draft. To me, there are four players worthy of being drafted in the 1st round at the position, and none of them are of the “small variety.”
The first three receivers were Tate, Lemon, and Jordyn Tyson. We’ll talk about the fourth wideout listed, which is Boston.
What scouts are saying about Denzel Boston
The first scout compared Boston to a receiver who didn’t do much his first two seasons but has been north of 1,000 yards in each of the previous three years:
He reminds me of Nico Collins with the body when he came out. He’s probably going to have the same kind of developmental process. He’s more of a second or third round guy. He has length, size, and really good speed. I’d estimate 4.45. He’s a downfield threat for them. He was used so much down the field that you didn’t see a lot of that. He’s got good hands, but I don’t think they’re great. He’s got work to do there, but there’s only so much work you can do. Just like speed. If a guy doesn’t have great hands, he’s never going to be super consistent at the next level. He is explosive off the ball. You can feel it when he’s in the game.
I’d push back on Boston having just “good” hands. He engulfs passes. The ball doesn’t move when he catches it, and that’s regardless of it being a contested situation. You can also tell how comfortable he is by consistently catching the ball away from his body, as well as protecting and shielding the ball from defenders. “Good” feels like you’re selling Boston’s hands short.
A second scout said Boston’s a true X receiver with “OK speed” that’s “really more of a 50-50-let me outrebound the guy. Body position, basketball player type guy. He’s a real starter.”
A third scout said, “He’s got a little bit of Mike Evans in him, but he’s just not as fast down the field. He’s got a lot of talent. He’s big and strong, runs good routes, has great hands, separates, he’s physically. He’s probably like Tate in the speed department, but I like him as a receiver better than Tate. He knows how to get open, set guys up, stop and start, good route runner. He doesn’t have the extra gear, but he’s a really good possession receiver.”
The primary critique for Boston would be the lack of a second gear. On shallow or crossing routes, he never pulls away from the defender. However, there’s just too much to like about Boston’s game to lower his NFL projection because he lacks top-end speed.
What scouts are saying about KC Concepcion
The former Texas A&M receiver is the fifth wideout on the list. Here’s what the first scout had to say about him:
“He can play Z but he’s really outstanding with the ball in his hands. He can motor. He was very productive at NC State and left for A&M. Made some big plays for them. He’s super explosive. If he’s your third receiver, you’re really excited. If he’s your 2, you’re hoping he can grow into a good 2.”
That quote brings us back to why some of these guys might get overdrafted. You’re talking about taking a receiver in the 1st round who you’re not viewing as a potential No. 1? That’s an issue.
Concepcion is in the 40th percentile or worse for height, weight, wingspan, arm length, and hand size. That’s a concern. The NFL is about winning in tight spaces. When you are on the smaller side, physicality is bound to get the best of you.
Another scout likened Concepcion to “a gadget guy,” which doesn’t seem accurate based on how he runs routes. The same scout said:
“It’s going to be a while before he’s anything. Looks like a track guy. You can tell he can run when things are free. They scheme him up for his production. Doesn’t catch the ball well. Lot of drops around a lot of bodies. Doesn’t have catch radius. They do this slip-screen stuff with him and he has no run after the catch.”
Those are valid takeaways. Concepion’s landing spot will be critical for his success. While that’s true for most prospects, a receiver early should transcend scheme.
What scouts are saying about Chris Bell
The sixth receiver on the list is a personal favorite and one who I think will outperform his draft status and won’t be surprised if he ends up as the best in the class. Here is what scouts are saying about Chris Bell.
“With a different team and without an injury, he’d be higher than where he’s going to go, which is probably third round. He’s really gifted. He’s a big receiver. He was on his way to a really strong year when he got hurt. He’s smarter than people think.”
Bell played with one of the brightest college football minds in Jeff Brohm. While he played primarily on one side and the route tree wasn’t expansive, Bell won in “NFL ways.” Even post ACL injury, falling to the third round would be surprising.
Here’s a second scout: “He is a good player. One of the things we’re still checking out is, physically, I think he can play more than one spot. But, mentally, can he? He’s got some physical run after the catch. Like when he’s up and running, you see some speed. But he won’t be able to run because of the injury. If healthy, I don’t see him as a first-round player. But if the mental completely checks out, I think he’s a second-round player.”
You’d have to ask the head coach why Bell only played on one side. That might just be the offense. It’s also worth noting that Louisville played multiple quarterbacks, including a freshman.
A third scout was not a fan of Bell: “I’m not a fan. He doesn’t separate. He’s got some deep burst but underneath he doesn’t separate. He’s kind of hit or miss. He makes some plays. He can run after the catch when it’s clean, and he’s catching it on the move. He’s not real athletic and he’s not real fast. I thought he was overrated by people that liked him.”
Oh boy. Watching Bell pull away from just about everybody guarding him and coming away thinking, “he’s not that fast,” makes me give you the side eye.
What scouts are saying about Omar Cooper
The seventh receiver is Chris Brazzell out of Tennessee. We’ll skip to the eighth wideout, which is Omar Cooper.
“He’s gotten a little play because he had the big catch. He’s a tough guy. Kind of a possession guy. He had the big play against Penn State. Overall, kind of inconsistent making plays because he’s always in traffic unless they scheme him to get open. He’s more like your No. 3 special teams type. He’s a lot better than Sarratt, but I don’t get the hype. Nothing special as far as playmaking or explosiveness.”
If you ignore social media highlights and watch Cooper on a down-to-down basis, you’d likely come to the same conclusion as the scout above. Nothing about Cooper’s game suggests he’d be a No. 1 wide receiver. Indiana didn’t use him like one. Why would the NFL?
For a player who runs as well as Cooper did, he sure does get hung up on quite a bit of his routes. Against the best defenses Indiana played, Cooper blended in. That’s not what you want from a player you’re taking in the first two rounds of the draft.
Here’s another scout’s take:
“He’s a really good receiver without any outstanding traits, except he catches the hell out of the ball and helps your quarterback. He ran a lot faster at the combine than you would have thought on tape. I thought he was going to be end of Day 2 but now I could see him creeping up closer to the top of the third or maybe end of the second. He’s really physical. He’s really instinctive. He’s got good run after the catch. He’s just not a super high-end athlete, but he tested better than you would have guessed. After the top three, there’s not a ton of high-end guys, so some of these guys might get pushed up in the draft.”
When I watched Cooper, I had in my notes, “nothing says draft earlier than the third round.”
After Cooper, Zachariah Branch from Georgia was 9th, while Trey’s brother, Bryce Lance, out of North Dakota State, was 10th. The rankings round out with Deion Burks and Antonio Williams, a couple of undersized wideouts who are likely more slot players.
