2025 NFL Draft Profile: Missouri Wide Receiver Theo Wease Jr.

Missouri Tigers on SI is breaking down the Missouri prospects that have the best chance of being selected April 24-26 in Green Bay.

Mar 1, 2025; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Missouri wideout Theo Wease (WO44) during the 2025 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Finding transfer portal success stories isn't very difficult anymore in college football. It's common for a player to move teams and be successful, both helping his team and growing his draft stock with more opportunities.

Missouri wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. epitomizes that, helping his team in an insurmountable way while revitalizing his NFL draft stock over the last two seasons.

Wease transferred to Missouri ahead of the start of the 2023 season from Oklahoma, where he was a former five-star recruit in the class of 2019. He produced right away for the Sooners and was as consistent as you could ask, but wanted a change of scenery following his third season there.

That's where the success story part of this comes along. Lining up beside star receiver Luther Burden III and catching passes from Brady Cook, Wease found a second home in Columbia with head coach Eli Drinkwitz and the Tigers.

“I’m a true son,” Wease said at the 2025 NFL scouting combine. “I’m going to be back as much as I can. That’s my second home.”

Wease shined this most recent season, leading Missouri in receiving yards and touchdowns. He also developed important chemistry with Cook and Burden which, despite rocky moments at times, led to a fun and explosive offense.

“I wish I had another year to play with them again, it was that much fun,” Wease said.

Wease was a cornerstone of the Missouri offense over the last two seasons and his leadership and production will be hard to make up over a single season. Even if it was only two seasons, Wease left a profound impact on the coaches, returning players and the culture in Missouri as a whole.

His season unfortunately came to an end in their final game of the season in the Music City Bowl, suffering a wrist injury. It wasn't until part of the NFL Scouting Combine and Missouri's Pro Day that Wease could showcase his talent to NFL scouts in the form of measurables and drills.

Despite his injury this season, Wease still seems to have some NFL draft hopes. Here's a look at his resume, measurables and more heading into the draft.

Player Info

• DOB: June 25, 2001
• Hometown: Allen, Texas
• High School: Allen High School
• Recruiting Class: 2019
• Recruiting Rating: Consensus five-star

Accomplishments 

In his two seasons at Missouri, Wease caught 109 passes for 1,566 yards and 10 touchdowns. The most productive season of his career was his most recent one with the Tigers, where he went for 884 receiving yards and four touchdowns on 60 receptions.

The season before that, his first in Columbia, he racked up 49 receptions, 682 yards and six touchdowns. His presence was felt right away on the Missouri offense and he quickly became Cook's No. 2 option.

In some ways, it was puzzling how Wease became Cook's top option during this most recent season. Maybe opposing defenses had figured out how to defend Burden, but regardless, it benefitted Wease in a huge way. He was able to play free and confident, making multiple huge plays for the Tigers throughout the year.

Oct 19, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers wide receiver Theo Wease Jr. (1) runs with the ball against Auburn Tigers safety Sylvester Smith (19) during the first half at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

He delivered some of the best and most memorable moments of the year for the Tigers. One of those came against his former team to make the game tighter down the stretch. He also had a 149-yard performance early in the season in a win against Buffalo and a 100-yard game in their regular-season finale against Arkansas.

ELITE body control by Theo Wease Jr🔥

pic.twitter.com/iadZVuFAew

— PFF College (@PFF_College) November 10, 2024

His three-year stint at Oklahoma was also impressive. Wease's best year for the Sooners was in 2020 when he caught 37 passes for 530 yards and four touchdowns. He was also productive right away for them, recording 136 yards and two touchdowns during his freshman season.

According to Pro Football Focus, Wease was the second-highest-rated receiver on the Tigers' offense, behind Burden. However, he did have the most yards after catch this season with 402, an area both he and Burden are known for shining forward.

This isn't a game of comparisons and both players had stellar Missouri football careers. It does say something about Wease, however, that he was able to step up for the Tigers when Burden garnered more defensive attention.

NFL Combine/Workout Details

Height: 6030
Weight: 203
Hand: 958
Arms: 3218
Wingspan: 7838
40-yard dash: 4.56
10-yard split: 1.56
Vertical: 31"
Broad Jump: 9'9"
Bench Press: DNP

What The Experts Say

Lance Zurlein of NFL.com had this to say about Wease: "Good size but average explosiveness on the outside. Wease is a vertical receiver who won’t outrun the coverage but can outwork them for the football. He’s not an explosive leaper but his ball-tracking and high-point timing stand out on tape. His routes aren’t good enough to shake tight man coverage underneath and his small hands will make contested-catch wins more difficult to come by against pro corners. Wease is steady and productive, but he might not be dynamic enough to ascend beyond an average backup."

Mock Draft

In a recent ESPN mock draft from Matt Miller, Wease is predicted to land with the Los Angeles Chargers at pick No. 199 in Round 6. The Chargers have had top wide receivers bounce around for multiple seasons and though Wease may not be that, he could provide excellent depth at the position.

Projection

Pinpointing where Wease could land, or even a range, is a difficult thing to do. He's an older prospect with some history of injuries, but there is no doubting his production at both schools he played for. A safe bet is to say he will be a day-three selection, with the highest chance of being picked in the sixth or seventh round.

The Last Word

"I'm honestly just speechless thinking about everything we've been through for the past year. I love Mizzou."

Wease after Missouri's win over Arkansas

This story will be updated as the 2025 NFL Draft draws closer. 

This is the first story in a series of profiles of former Missouri football players who could be selected in the 2025 NFL Draft.