Can Chris Brazzell II be WR1 in the 2026 NFL Draft: "CBII has my full attention"

Chris Brazzell had a career day on Saturday in Tennessee's 44-41 loss to Georgia. The Vols' wide receiver put together the best receiver performance we've seen on Rocky Top since Jalin Hyatt torched the Alabama secondary in 2022. 

Brazzell had six receptions for 177 yards and three touchdowns on Saturday in an elite showing against one of the best defenses Tennessee will face all season. He now has 364 yards and five touchdowns on the year, surpassing his 2024 season totals after three weeks. 

His breakout game caught the attention of a lot of people in the college and professional football landscape, including NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay, who now believes Brazzell could be the first receiver drafted in the 2026 NFL Draft. 

“I’m going to make an early prediction,” McShay said. “This guy is going to be in the mix come April, for the first receiver off the board. Do you see that in and out of his break? Talking about 6′3″, 6′4″, just fluid hips, and then the acrobatic catch. 

"The other thing is, this guy can fly," McShay continued. "Watch him get on top of this Georgia defensive back. And then coming back to the football – adjust, make the play on the ball, and then that balance after the catch. I don’t know, man. A lot of good receivers in the 2026 class, none I’ve seen so far that have this guy’s talent.”

Now that Brazzell has caught everyone's attention, defenses are going to make it even more difficult for him to get open and break some of the long passes for a touchdown that we saw against Georgia. 

If he can overcome added pressure from the defense and continue to dominate throughout the season, he could rise in the draft board rankings and be the top receiver in next year's NFL Draft.