Updated 2025 WR preview … The WRs were arguably the top position at the 2024 draft as three were taken within the first 9 picks, while a total of 7 came off the board in the opening round and 11 within the top 50 selections. And this year’s receiver class also figures to be pretty darn good, although it likely won’t be quite as sterling as last year’s. The upcoming draft, for example, is expected to feature at least a couple of WRs with top 5-10 potential in Luther Burden of Missouri and Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan. Burden, for one, has been comped to 49ers’ star Deebo Samuel in that he’s a terror with the ball in his hands after the catch. Meanwhile, the 6-5 McMillan is built along the lines of former Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison, the 4th player selected overall this past April, and while he doesn’t have the same national reputation, McMillan is the leading returning receiver in college football this fall after hauling in 90 receptions for 1,400 yards and 10 scores last season.
At the same time, there is a relatively deep second-tier group of receivers; although there is something of a drop-off from the top couple of prospects at the position. For the record, that second-tier group of WRs includes Emeka Egbukam, Harrison’s Ohio State teammate who was getting some early first round props of his own last fall, but ended up struggling through an injury plagued campaign before opting to return to school for the upcoming season. It also includes the likes of Tre Harris and Juice Wells of Ole Miss, Oregon’s Evan Stewart and Tez Stewart, Tory Horton of Colorado State, Deion Burks of Oklahoma, Caullin Lacy, now at Louisville after transferring from South Alabama, Ricky White of UNLV and Xavier Restrepo of Miami. Right now those guys are all kind of bunched up together with a lot of sorting out to be done this year. In particular, scouts are intrigued to see how Lacy, who had 91 catches at USA last fall, and White, a former Michigan State transfer who is the second leading returning receiver this fall after grabbing 80 balls for over 1,300 yards in 2023, fare this coming season. Scouts will also be checking in on Elic Ayemanor of Stanford, who has the athletic skills to blow up the combine and is just starting to scratch the surface as a big-time college receiver. Here is our current pre-season ranking of the top receivers in the 2025 draft field.
