Wide Receiver Class
Early-round talent: B-Mid-round: B
Late-round: B
Overall grade: B
Merging the 2024 and 2025 prospects
Marvin Harrison Jr.Malik Nabers
Rome Odunze
Tetairoa McMillan
Brian Thomas Jr.
Luther Burden
Emeka Egbuka
Xavier Worthy
Ricky Pearsall
Matthew Golden
Isaiah Bond
Jayden Higgins
Just to be clear, this article and series are all my opinion. I base my evaluation on my own film study and also on information I’ve gotten from general managers, directors of college scouting, national scouts, area scouts, and NFL coaches who know way more than I do.
This year’s class of wide receivers is just average and a big drop off from an A-grade class in 2024. While this class is not full of excellent talent, there are some solid prospects for each day of the draft, and some teams could come away with quality contributors at receiver.
If you were to merge the two classes together, Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, and Rome Odunze would be rated higher than any of the receivers from the 2024 draft. Although, Odunze and McMillan are very similar prospects.Luther Burden and Emeka Egbuka would be behind Brian Thomas Jr., but ahead of Xavier Worthy. Matthew Golden, Isaiah Bond, and Jayden Higgins would be behind Pearsall.
Safest Pick: Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona 
Previous Picks:2024 Marvin Harrison Jr.
2023 Quentin Johnston
2022 Drake London
2021 Ja’Marr Chase
2020 Jerry Jeudy
2019 Deebo Samuel
2018 Christian Kirk
2017 Corey Davis
2016 Will Fuller
2015 Amari Cooper
2014 Sammy Watkins
2013 DeAndre Hopkins
This was an easy choice as I think McMillan translates the best to the NFL because he has a long frame, good speed, and is a dangerous run-after-the-catch receiver. McMillan has mismatch size, quality route-running, big size, and natural receiving ability. I think he will be a very good pro receiver.
Biggest Bust Potential: Isaiah Bond, Texas 
Previous Picks:2024 Tez Walker
2023 Jalin Hyatt
2022 David Bell
2021 Elijah Moore
2020 Denzel Mims
2019 N’Keal Harry
2018 Auden Tate
2017 Curtis Samuel
2016 Corey Coleman
2015 Devin Funchess
2014 Kelvin Benjamin
2013 Cordarrelle Patterson
If you look at the list above, I have been very accurate in projecting potential bust receivers. This year, Bond is likely to be a late first- or second-round pick, and I think that could be a dangerous selection. Bond has some serious speed, and he flashed in college, but he never produced up to his skill set. Throughout his career at Alabama and Texas, he did not have a big season or huge games. Plus, Bond is small and has durability concerns. Of the early-round receiver prospects this year, I think Bond could have the largest bust potential.
Wide Receiver Rankings by Attributes
Separation:
NFL prototype: Ja’Marr Chase, Bengals
- Malik Nabers
- Marvin Harrison Jr.
- Xavier Worthy
- Ladd McConkey
- Brian Thomas Jr.
- Xavier Legette
- Adonai Mitchell
- Rome Odunze
Recap: A few wide receivers coaches told me that the ability to separate from coverage is the first trait they looked for in scouting draft prospects. Egbuka is the best in this draft class at getting space from defensive backs. He does it with speed, quick feet, superb route running, and suddenness out of his breaks. Egbuka’s separation skills are one of his best traits.
Burden and Golden are fast receivers that can separate from defensive backs based on speed. They are tough for defensive backs to run with and are able to generate space running vertically or crossing the field. Both are dynamic playmakers who are threats to break wide open on any given snap.
McMillan is a quality route-runner that has some quickness. He can generate some separation out of his break and presents a big target for his quarterback. Bond has some deep speed, but defenses know about it and respect it. Higgins has one speed, lacks a second gear, and is a long-strider. He is going to have problems separating from NFL cornerbacks.
Hands:
NFL prototype: Justin Jefferson, Vikings
- Tetairoa McMillan
- Emeka Egbuka
- Jayden Higgins
- Luther Burden
- Matthew Golden
- Isaiah Bond
Recap: This is a nice crop of sure-handed receivers. McMillan has good hands, and you rarely see him drop a pass. He attacks the football with his hands and really snatches it out of the air. Egbuka and Higgins have hands that are effortless hands, and they are natural hand receivers. Burden and Golden have strong hands for smaller receivers. Bond had some drops at times, but he has shown steady hands in other stretches.
Deep Speed:
NFL prototype: Tyreek Hill, Dolphins
- Matthew Golden
- Isaiah Bond
- Emeka Egbuka
- Tetairoa McMillan
- Luther Burden
- Jayden Higgins
Recap: All of the receivers in this group have the ability to stretch the field vertically. Golden, Bond, and Egbuka are legit deep threat receivers with dangerous speed going deep. They are fast receivers that can take a top off of their defense. Their deep speed is one of the special dimensions they bring to the table.
McMillan and Burden are dangerous deep-threat receivers for the NFL, and they both showed that over the course of their college careers. Both of them are capable of running past defensive backs to get open in the deep part of the field. Higgins is not a deep-speed receiver who burns defenses with a pure explosion, but he does make big plays downfield. Higgins has enough straight-line speed to get vertical, and then he can use his giant wingspan and size to make catches over defensive backs.
Route-Running:
NFL prototype: Amon-Ra St. Brown, Lions
- Emeka Egbuka
- Luther Burden
- Tetairoa McMillan
- Matthew Golden
- Isaiah Bond
- Jayden Higgins
Recap: Route-running is a critical part of gaining separation in the NFL. Receivers who get sloppy in their routes have a hard time getting open. Extra steps allow defensive backs to maintain coverage or more time to recover. This class has a strong group of route runners.
Egbuka’s route-running is fantastic. He is very shifty in and out of the break, does not take extra steps, and has a burst to accelerate after making cuts. Egbuak is a very polished receiver that is NFL-ready. His route-running is very advanced and developed.
Burden’s route-running is exceptional, as cornerbacks really struggle to run with him. Burden is explosive off the line, and his play speed is phenomenal. He is fast through the route with twitchy athleticism to shake corners when he cuts and then accelerate away from them to get open for his quarterback.
McMillan is a strong route runner. Many big receivers struggle to run routes as fluidly as he does. He has lower body flexibility and can sink his hips to turn quickly. He has a nice burst out of his breaks to get separation from cornerbacks with a second gear to accelerate away.
Bond and Golden are explosive off the line of scrimmage and show twitchy moves out of his break to create separation from defensive backs. Both Golden and Bond are fast with cornerbacks struggling to run with them vertically. They both are able to create separation off of sheer speed. Higgins is a polished route runner who does a nice job of not taking extra steps. He is not as fast and sudden as the top five.
Yards After the Catch:
NFL prototype: Deebo Samuel, Commanders
- Luther Burden
- Emeka Egbuka
- Tetairoa McMillan
- Jayden Higgins
- Matthew Golden
- Isaiah Bond
Recap: The ability to turn a short reception into a big gain can make a receiver elite. Among the six receivers above, all of them have some run-after-the-catch ability, and I wouldn’t say there is one that is really bad.
Burden and Ebuka are outstanding runners after the catch. McMillan and Higgins have some moves along with size and toughness that make them tough to tackle for defensive backs. Golden and Bond show the ability to run for yards after the catch, but they are more linear and aim to run away from the defense with straight line speed.
