With the 2026 NFL Draft in the books, analysts already have started looking forward to next season's crop of prospects. One of those names will be familiar to those in the Nashville area.
Indiana wide receiver Charlie Becker has received first-round buzz, with outlets including The Athletic, CBS, Sports Illustrated, Bleacher Report and NBC including him in their early mock drafts. Becker played TSSAA football at Father Ryan in Nashville and signed with the Hoosiers after his high school career.
The 6-foot-4, 207-pound Becker broke out as a sophomore after seeing most of his playing time on special teams as a freshman in 2024. He played in all 16 games, making eight starts, for the undefeated national champion Hoosiers, and became one of Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza's favorite deep-ball targets.
Becker caught 34 passes for 679 yards and four touchdowns in 2025, including four receptions for 65 yards in Indiana's 27-21 win over Miami in the national championship game. He led the Hoosiers with six catches for 126 yards in their 13-10 Big Ten Championship win over Ohio State, and caught touchdown passes in their College Football Playoff quarterfinal and semifinal wins over Alabama and Oregon, respectively.
The Athletic's Dane Brugler has Becker going No. 11 to the New York Giants in his mock draft, while Bleacher Report, Sports Illustrated, NBC and CBS have Becker being drafted at No. 18, No. 26, No. 31 and No. 32, respectively.
Brugler, BR's Brent Sobleski, SI's Daniel Flick, NBC's Eric Froton and CBS's Cooper Petagna gave Becker's height, speed and ability to make contested catches downfield as reasons he could be a first-rounder next season.
MORE: How Indiana WR Charlie Becker became Charlie B from Nashville, Tennessee
Becker played for coach Brian Rector at Father Ryan, where he was an all-region selection as a junior and senior. A three-star recruit ranked No. 26 in Tennessee by the 247Sports Composite, Becker committed to Indiana over offers from Vanderbilt, Ole Miss, Northwestern, Appalachian State, Memphis and Middle Tennessee State.
Becker also ran track for Father Ryan. He was the Division II-AA state champion in the 110- and 300-meter hurdles as a junior, posting a time of 14.51 seconds in the 110 and 38.89 in the 300.
Becker's father, David, played college football at Ohio State.
Jacob Shames can be reached by email at jshames@gannett.com and on X/Twitter @Jacob_Shames.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Indiana football, Father Ryan's Charlie Becker in 2027 NFL mock drafts