The Degenerate’s Guide to 2026 Rookie Drafts: Deep Targets & Late-Round Value
Professor IDP unveils his rankings and highlights some of his favorite values to get you through the back end of your rookie drafts in your truly degenerate IDP leagues!
While five- or six-round 12-team rookie drafts are the norm, many leagues have more teams, more IDP spots, CB or DT requirements, and/or bigger rosters. These kinds of leagues are the majority of IDP leagues that I play in, and they have been lovingly referred to as “degenerate leagues.” It’s with these leagues in mind that I write my third iteration of the “Degenerate Draft Guide” with a new and exciting format.
Below is a breakdown of five players I will target once the top 60 are gone (you can find the official IDP Show rookie rankings here). Additionally, you will find a list of my top 60 players for combined Offense + IDP SuperFlex leagues not included in the official top 60. New this year, I share not only where I have the player ranked in my overall list of 257 rookies, but also my rating of the player. This allows you to see tier breaks, coin flips, etc., more clearly. My rating scale this year varies from 100 (Jeremiyah Love, RB, ARI) to 10.66 (Latrell McCutchin Sr., CB, TEN).
Before getting into the good stuff, I wanted to take a quick look back at players I have highlighted in past years as being overlooked and/or undervalued. Of the eight IDPs highlighted last year, five are projected starters in 2025, two are backups, and only one is buried in the depth chart. In 2024, I included some very deep cuts and three players per position. Four players from this list are likely 2026 starters, four are backups, seven are buried on depth charts, but all are on an NFL roster as of this writing!
With all of that out of the way, let’s take a closer look at five players I will be targeting at various points in my degenerate drafts before getting into my broader rankings.
Dani Dennis-Sutton, DE, GB
I have Dennis-Sutton ranked 57th overall in my combined rankings, so if he is available after 60, I would be trying to make moves to get him. He did not get the Day 2 draft capital expected, but that does not mean he was not worthy of being picked much earlier than the 120th overall. Wide Left’s excellent consensus big board positioned Dennis-Sutton at 72nd overall. His advanced fantasy metrics were exciting as well, highlighted by a 79.7 pass rush grade (placing him solidly in the top quartile), according to PFF. The landing spot was about as ideal as you could get, too. The Green Bay Packers feature another former Nittany Lion, Micah Parsons, but only guys like Karl Brooks, Lucas Van Ness, and Brenton Cox prevent Dennis-Sutton from seeing significant snaps.
Treydan Stukes, CB, LV
Stukes is not my top fantasy CB, but only because of the incredibly high talent and long leash fellow rookie Mansoor Delane will get in Kansas City. Still, he is a player I am very excited about for my dynasty best-ball leagues, where I will likely boost him over Delane given his likely role as a nickel corner. Stukes played 380 snaps in the slot for Arizona in 2025 and another 197 in the box with only four snaps at wide CB and 19 as a deep safety. He also posted an 84.3 pass rush grade in his senior season, suggesting big-play upside. Stukes in the 7th round of a 12-team draft, particularly one that is CB-required, feels like a very nice pick.
Deontae Lawson, LB, PHI
A linebacker with Lawson’s upside should not be available in the 8th round of fantasy drafts, but he also should not have gone undrafted in the NFL. The concerns in the NFL seem to stem from a 2024 injury and a decline in performance in 2025. Still, he was the consensus #117 prospect overall and LB9, so there are many believers that Lawson can play in the NFL. Priority undrafted free agents carry an extra bust risk, but it is not significantly higher than that of a 6th- or 7th-round pick. He lands with the Eagles, who have two clear starters in place with Zach Baun and Jihaad Campbell, but a reasonable path to a backup role with Jeremiah Trotter, Smael Mondon, Chance Campbell, and Chandler Martin being the only other linebackers on the roster. Temper your expectations for Year 1, but if he makes the roster, he is a great stash for me in my larger leagues (and if you are drafting 8 rounds or more, it is probably a larger league).
Gracen Halton, DT, SF
I talked about Halton as a ‘name to watch’ at the end of our Rookie DL Preview episode of The IDP After Show. He was the consensus 83rd overall prospect pre-draft, but was not drafted until Round 4 at pick 107. He was in the top quartile of every advanced metric PFF tracked in their rookie guide, including one of the best run defense grades among all interior defenders. The landing spot in San Francisco was far from ideal, with newcomer Osa Odighizuwa locking up one spot and 2024 2nd round pick Alfred Collins next to him. Still, if Collins continues to struggle (he had a 35.0 overall grade as a rookie while playing 550 snaps), Halton could have a great opportunity, and he is a player I will be eyeing very late for my developmental taxi squad in my 16-team DT-required league.
Jakobe Thomas, S, MIN
Many experts predicted that the Minnesota Vikings would take a safety in the first round of the NFL draft, with Dillon Thieneman often mocked there. Instead, Minnesota waited until near the end of Round 3 to draft Thomas out of Miami (FL). Thomas was not someone who was high on my radar from an IDP perspective, thanks to lackluster grades (outside of coverage) and usage that split 50/50 between box and deep snaps in his senior season. Analysts were also not high on Thomas, with a consensus ranking of 177. Why I would consider drafting Thomas in the last round of my drafts is something we discussed in the DB Preview. Safety was a clear position of need for the Vikings, with stalwart Harrison Smith a post-June 1 cut (if he does not retire) and incumbent box safety Josh Metellus ranking 82nd of 104 qualifying safeties in 2025, per PFF. Given there is a clear path to productive playing time for Thomas, you could do much worse at the tail end of your draft if he is still available.
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