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2025 NFL Draft Preview: Meet the Best Wide Receivers Not Named Travis Hunter

Photo of Scott Kacsmar Scott Kacsmar09/04/2025 - 11:46 am
(Photo by Bruce Yeung/Getty Images)

The 2025 NFL draft is just over two weeks away, and wide receiver will certainly be an important position as it’s become the league’s second-most expensive position if you want to field a good room. That makes nailing your receiver draft picks even more critical as the cost is getting outrageous for a quality WR1 or WR2.

In the 2024 draft, the wide receiver class was historically good with 10 players taken in the first 37 picks. A lot of them have already lived up to the hype too as Brian Thomas Jr. (Jaguars), Malik Nabers (Giants), and Ladd McConkey (Chargers) all went over 1,100 yards as rookies, and Marvin Harrison Jr. (Cardinals), Rome Odunze (Bears), Xavier Worthy (Chiefs), and Keon Coleman (Bills) all had their moments.

You also can’t sleep on Jalen McMillan (Buccaneers) catching eight touchdowns as a third-round pick, Devaughn Vele (Broncos) had 475 yards as a seventh-round pick, and Ricky Pearsall (49ers) recovered well after getting shot in a robbery attempt before the season started. We also learned Xavier Legette (Panthers) likes to eat raccoons when he’s not dropping game-winning touchdowns in Philadelphia.

After such a great class, you fear the next year will have regression and won’t be as talented and deep. That looks to be the case in 2025, though technically there should be a wide receiver taken in the top five picks, and his name is Travis Hunter. However, he’s also being listed primarily as a cornerback since that’s how the two-way threat won the Heisman Trophy at Colorado in 2024. He also wants to play both positions in the NFL.

But we’re going to set Hunter aside and give him his own feature at some point before the draft. This is just going to be about the rest of the 2025 wide receiver class, which has a few first-round prospects and some players who could provide solid depth right away for their new teams.

Using the prospect rankings from NFL Mock Draft Database, we are going to look at the top seven wide receivers this year who are ranked among the top 64 prospects, how their skills might translate to the NFL, and which team would be the best landing spot for them.

1. Tetairoa McMillan (Arizona) – No. 11 Overall Prospect

The No. 1 wideout in this class, or at least the close to a consensus No. 1, is Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan. His nickname is supposed to be T-Mac, but scratch that, Tracy McGrady already has that one. Can we call him Tetris instead? Yes? No?

All I know is he’s 6’4” with a fantastic catch radius and big production with back-to-back seasons of over 1,300 yards.

You want a wideout who can do this if he has to:

If you’re making McMillan the first true wideout in this draft class, then he should be your WR1 or a WR2 who could turn into the best one in the league. This receiver should make his quarterback’s job easier with the ability to pluck the ball with his size.

Best Fit – Dallas Cowboys (No. 12 Pick)

For teams picking No. 9-11 like the Saints, Bears, and 49ers, I don’t think they necessarily need this level of receiver given everything they already have to throw to, and their other needs at other positions.

But the team that needs this pick is Dallas at No. 12. CeeDee Lamb is a great WR1, but they’re trying to back him up with the likes of Jalen Tolbert, Jonathan Mingo, and the occasional play to KaVontae Turpin.

I think McMillan would be a natural fit and benefit from a passer like Dak Prescott, who is making $60M per year to make players around him better (in theory). Drafting McMillan is the kind of move you make so that when Lamb’s big contract is up in 2029, you’re ready to extend McMillan to a big WR1 deal.

2. Matthew Golden (Texas) – No. 19 Overall Prospect

They sure do love them fast in Texas. Matthew Golden lit up the combine with a 40-yard dash that was 4.29 seconds, shades of Xavier Worthy running a 4.22 last year that helped him become a first-round pick by the Chiefs.

But Golden is your high-risk, high-reward receiver in this draft class. He played at Houston (2022-23) before transferring to Texas, and he only had 1,975 yards and 22 touchdowns in his three seasons of college football, so he wasn’t a big producer. He had 987 yards in his lone year with Texas, but he did average 17.0 yards per catch with that speed.

Golden is 5’11”, so he lacks a big catch radius, and he’s been dinged for focus drops and not being the sharpest route runner. But you get speed and the versatility to play all three receiver positions. He’s also 21 and still developing while being praised for his work ethic, which was a concern for Texas receiver Adonai Mitchell, who slid to the second round last year.

Best Fit – Denver Broncos (No. 20 Pick)

Some have said Dallas should be interested, but No. 12 is a bit of a stretch for a risky wideout like Golden. I think McMillan is the much safer pick there. When you think speed, you think Miami (No. 13), but the Dolphins are already spending enough resources on this position.

Not sure the Colts (No. 14) would go for another Texas wideout after some early disappointing returns on Mitchell. The Falcons (No. 15), Bengals (No. 17), and Buccaneers (No. 19) also have enough weapons.

I know the Broncos have Marvin Mims for this role, but Sean Payton’s offense could always use a screen pass receiver with deep-ball potential, a rare combo that Golden could pull off if he can live up to his potential. Going to a coach like Payton could help him harness his speed and help Bo Nix out in that tough AFC West division where you better be able to score points against the Chiefs.

3. Emeka Egbuka (Ohio State) – No. 33 Overall Prospect

You can put Ohio State right up there with LSU and Alabama in a battle of the best powerhouse school for producing NFL wide receivers. When Emeka Egbuka joined the Buckeyes in 2021, he was on a roster with Chris Olave (Saints), Garrett Wilson (Jets), Jaxon Smith-Njigba (Seahawks), and Marvin Harrison Jr. (Cardinals) – that’s four No. 1 wideouts in the NFL this season.

That leaves the 6’1” Egbuka with big expectations to fill, and he’s profiling as a lesser player for the NFL than those four were. But he had two seasons with 10 touchdown catches and two 1,000-yard seasons despite sharing the ball with talents like that.

He probably compares most favorably to JSN in that group, but he’s someone who can play in the slot or outside. He’s not going to overwhelm you with speed, but he’s a reliable receiver who could really thrive in an offense with a good quarterback.

Best Fit – Houston Texans (No. 25 Pick)

The odds favor over 2.5 first-round wideouts in this draft class. If Egbuka is that third guy, then many like the idea of him going No. 25 to the Houston Texans to reunite with C.J. Stroud, who has lost two-thirds of his receivers for 2025. It wouldn’t be a bad idea.

The Ravens (No. 27) would make sense with Rashod Bateman’s unreliable history. The Lions (No. 28) could get a similar receiver to Amon-Ra St. Brown, and who wouldn’t want another one of those? Also can’t rule out the Bills (No. 30) going wideout high again if they’re not satisfied with what they have.

But Houston is a pick you could see given what happened to Tank Dell’s leg in December. That’s a nasty injury that is going to leave Nico Collins with a lot of tough looks this year if they don’t beef up the WR2.

But Egbuka could realistically go anywhere from No. 20 (Broncos) to No. 31 (Chiefs).

4. Luther Burden III (Missouri) – No. 34 Overall Prospect

We’re likely in sure second-round territory now, but Luther Burden III has nine sisters and no brothers, so he’s beaten expectations before. But the Missouri receiver is a little smaller than some of the big wideouts in this class at 6’0”. He also has some inconsistent college numbers as his 2023 season (1,212 yards and 9 touchdowns) saw him produce more yards than 2022 (375) and 2024 (676) combined.

You’d like to see someone continue to excel throughout college, or at least post their best year right before the draft, but that didn’t happen in Burden’s case. He’s also been dinged for catching 75% of his passes within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, but frankly, that’s not that uncommon in the modern NFL with all the quick, short throws.

But with Burden’s average yards per catch fluctuating from 8.3 to 14.1 to 11.1, he may be a harder than usual receiver to box into any specific playing style, which is becoming very important in maximizing a receiver in the NFL. You have to know how to use what you have.

But Burden is someone who could be a good WR2 that eats up short passes with YAC. A potential chain mover for a team picking high in the second round.

Best Fit – New England Patriots (No. 38 Pick)

When you look at the top of the second round, all of those teams could make a case for going wide receiver, especially the Browns (not much after Jerry Jeudy), Titans (give Cam Ward a weapon), Jaguars (lost Christian Kirk and Evan Engram as Trevor Lawrence’s security blankets), and the Raiders (lost Davante Adams).

But I don’t think Burden should last past the Patriots at No. 38. I don’t expect the Patriots to land receiver help in the form of Travis Hunter with the No. 4 pick, so if you’re going to help Drake Maye out this year with talent, Burden in the second round could be that chain-moving pick.

The team signed Stefon Diggs, but how good will he be after a torn ACL in his 30s? That’s a concerning signing, and we know the rest of the receivers in New England are a bit suspect.

5. Jayden Higgins (Iowa State) – No. 53 Overall Prospect

If you’re wondering, Jayden Higgins is not related to Cincinnati’s Tee Higgins. But he is a big-bodied receiver (6’4”) with impressive hands in his own right. He won’t wow you with speed or YAC, but he could be a good option for jump balls and big plays down the field for an offense looking to add some size.

Higgins transferred from Eastern Kentucky to Iowa State for the 2023 and 2024 seasons where he improved as a senior to the tune of 87 catches for 1,183 yards and 9 touchdowns. That’s a solid number of catches for a possession receiver who didn’t have pro-quality quarterback play throwing him the ball.

Best Fit – Dallas Cowboys (No. 44 Pick)

If you’re drafting Higgins to be your WR1, you might be disappointed. But he could be a very good WR2 for a team as soon as 2025 as he has those reliable hands and good size. A team like Tampa Bay would eat him up if they weren’t already so deep at wide receiver, and there are some similarities to the pick Buffalo used on Keon Coleman last year here.

I don’t think he’ll get past the second round of the draft, and a team like the Chiefs (No. 63) should certainly get interested to give them some height to that receiving group that is going to need to get stronger once Travis Kelce retires. The Chiefs already passed on Tee Higgins in 2020 for a running back (Clyde Edwards-Helaire), so don’t make that mistake twice. But there’s a good chance Higgins is gone before that.

The Raiders (No. 37), Colts (No. 45), Seahawks (No. 50 or No. 52), and Broncos (No. 51) would all be viable spots for Higgins this year. But I went with Dallas as that offense needs to do better at the wide receiver they’re giving the most targets to after CeeDee Lamb, and Higgins could be the kind of traditional deep threat off play-action passes that Dak Prescott targets in Brian Schottenheimer’s offense.

Assuming they don’t draft McMillan in the first round, obviously.

6. Elic Ayomanor (Stanford) – No. 59 Overall Prospect

A Canadian-born player, Elic Ayomanor will draw attention as a 6’2” receiver who caught 125 balls at Stanford the last two seasons despite some weak quarterback play. While he’s got a nice highlight reel to interest enough teams, he still has to clean up the dropped passes. But that shouldn’t prevent teams from taking a chance on him in the second round or early third at the latest.

He’s coachable and still developing, and fans will appreciate his willingness to block. He also had a legendary game in 2023 against Colorado where he had 13 catches for 294 yards and 3 touchdowns against Travis Hunter, the year before he won the Heisman Trophy.

Best Fit – Detroit Lions (No. 60 Pick)

A lot of the playoff teams in the second round should be looking at Ayomanor. The Texans (No. 58) could certainly be one of those teams after losing Stefon Diggs (Patriots) and Tank Dell (serious injury), giving Nico Collins some help in 2025. He also could be a good fit in Baltimore (No. 59).

But I think his size, physicality, and highlight-play potential fits really well with the culture of the Detroit Lions, who could very well be in the market for a cheap replacement as their WR2 behind Amon-Ra St. Brown. Tim Patrick is getting old and has a long injury history, and Jameson Williams could be the kind of player who cashes in big elsewhere as the team has other more important positions to pay than WR2.

Also, it can’t hurt that David Shaw, Detroit’s new passing game coordinator, helped recruit Ayomanor to Stanford.

7. Tre Harris (Mississippi) – No. 64 Overall Prospect

Tre Harris spent five seasons with Louisiana Tech (2020-22) and Ole Miss (2024), producing a career-high 1,030 yards in just eight games last season. He’s 6’2” and a big-play threat with a career average of 16.1 yards per catch.

Posting huge numbers against Furman and Georgia Southern is one thing, but Harris also had 176 yards against Kentucky and 102 yards and a touchdown against LSU last season.

Best Fit – Cleveland Browns (No. 67 Pick)

Who can’t find use for a wide receiver with above-average size who can still eat up hitches and screens for easy gains? You’re likely either throwing it behind the line of scrimmage or over 15 yards down the field to this guy, so again, I’ll continue beating the drum for the Chiefs to wise up and add some size to their receiving corps with a pick like this.

But Harris could go to one of those playoff teams at the end of the second round, or he could go to a bad team at the top of the third. I think if he’s still there with the No. 67 pick, the Cleveland Browns would be silly not to take him and give themselves another weapon to play off of Jerry Jeudy in the slot.

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Photo of Scott Kacsmar Scott Kacsmar09/04/2025 - 11:46 am