The evidence — 360 team receiving yards leader — is in; the Washington jury is not.
6′4″ · 249 lb · San Dimas, CA · Glendora HS
CFB Index
A single number blending on-field production (an EPA-based value lane) with box-score output for this player's position.
0-100, scaled within each position's own cohort — not directly comparable across positions.
How he plays
Shows up in the passing game from any alignment.
Rec TDs: 15th percentile.
The full scouting readThe numbers
receiving yards · 2026 · through week 3
3 games into 2026 so far -- Best game: 4 rec, 30 yds, vs Washington State
His career numbers, season by seasonThe story
Junior tight end for Washington. 2026: 3 games with a box-score line.
Decker DeGraaf
Decker DeGraaf is on trial in Washington's fan jury — the eye test against the résumé.
TEAM RECEIVING YARDS LEADER
360
Team leader in receiving yards (360).
Washington fans keep putting his case on trial, week to week.
Minority viewA vocal minority sees it the other way.
AI-generated narrative · may contain errors · not journalism · updated 2026-09-22
His career
He was on the field for 3 seasons. That is rarer than it sounds.
Career arc
Coaching lineage · 2024–2026
1 coachPlayed his entire career under Jedd Fisch.
| Season | Team | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Washington | 8 | 56 | 7.0 | 0 | -- |
| 2025 | Washington | 32 | 360 | 11.2 | 2 | -- |
| 2024 | Washington | 15 | 233 | 15.5 | 3 | -- |
| Career | 55 | 649 | 11.8 | 5 | -- |
Game by game
Point color shows the opponent's defensive strength that week (red = weaker defense, blue = stronger) — dashed line is this player's own season average.
Game log · Week-by-week
2026 season · 3 games
| Wk | Opp | REC | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 | W 24-10vs Washington State | 4 | 30 | 7.5 | 0 | 15 | Season-high 30 yds |
| Wk 2 | W 16-14vs Utah State | 3 | 16 | 5.3 | 0 | 8 | |
| Wk 3 | W 48-16vs Eastern Washington | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 0 | 10 | |
| Total | 8 | 56 | 7.6 | 0 | 15 |
SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2026
W 48–16
1 rec · 10 yds
Dominant 32-point win at home against Eastern Washington.
With D. Williams Jr. — 373 yds · 4 TD · 1 INT · QBR 66.4 · 33 rush yds (7 car) · B. Naone — 2 rec · 103 yds
Signature plays · top plays by |EPA|
The plays that mattered most
Since week 2: +10 receiving yards, +1 catch.
Season context · Team result + system
3 seasons under Jedd Fisch — 18-11 over that span.
Where this profile ranks vs the TE cohort
Box-score percentiles
Concern: rec yards (0th percentile).
Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.
Receiver profile · Targets, catch rate, and throw depth
How often he's targeted, and how well it works
Targets
1110% of team targetsCatch rate
73%8 of 11 targetsBehind LOS · Negative air yds
Short · 0–9 air yds
Middle · 10–19 air yds
Deep · 20+ air yds
73% catch rate on 11 targets · 10% of the team's targets.
Splits · Per-game
2026 season · 3 games
Home vs Road
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home3g | 2.7 | 18.7 | 7.6 | 0.0 |
First half vs Second half
| REC/g | YDS/g | YPR | TD/g | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Weeks 1-73g | 2.7 | 18.7 | 7.6 | 0.0 |
Supporting cast · Scheme
Staff and system around the player
Head Coach
Jedd Fisch
Pass share
56.3%
112 pass / 87 run
Plays / game
66.3
3 games
Team sack rate
2.5%
118 dropbacks · PBP
Scheme: Pass-leaning.
Player standing · 2026
On the two-deep and pushing for snaps.
Recognition
2026 outlook
In the mix for All-Big Ten
Based on 2025: #10 of 26 Big Ten TEs
35% estimated, 95% confidence interval 31–38%. Base rate measured from players who finished at a comparable rank in their conference and came back the next season. It is an estimate from a small sample, not a forecast of this player.
Play style
Shows up in the passing game from any alignment.
CFB Index positional classification
Player DNA
No single go-to route — the receiving numbers show up inline and split out alike.
His 2026 production profile sits closest to Colin Thompson’s 2014 season.
Matches Colin on
Through 3 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Shelton Zeon III’s path through UNLV.
Matches Shelton on
As a junior, his production profile tracks closest to Zach Ortwerth's junior season at Iowa (2025).
Matches Zach on
Player DNA
AT WASHINGTON 2025: Played in all 13 games, starting 11 ... caught four passes for 20 yards in the opener vs. Colorado State ... started vs. UC Davis, finishing with a six-yard catch ... started at Washington State ... two catches for 24 yards vs. Ohio State, when he also recovered a fumble on…
2 more on the roster · Washington team page