Top 5 Wide Receiver Prospects Entering the 2025 NFL Draft
With the 2025 NFL Draft just around the corner, it's time to delve into the college careers of several standout wide receiver prospects, analyzing their performances, skills, and potential for success in the NFL. Who are the top five wide receivers entering draft day?
1. Travis Hunter, Colorado
Hunter started his college career at Jackson State University under the guidance of Deion Sanders. He had a minimal opportunity at wide receiver (18/188/4) while also playing cornerback (15 tackles, two interceptions, a fumble recovery, and a touchdown).
After following his coaching staff to Colorado, Hunter increased his wide receiver production (57/721/5) despite missing three contests due to a liver injury. He continued to play defense, leading to 22 tackles and three interceptions. His dual role contributed to him winning the Heisman Trophy in 2024. Hunter caught 96 passes for 1,263 yards and 16 touchdowns. He finished with 25 tackles over 13 games with four interceptions and 11 defended passes.
Hunter opened up last season with five stellar games (7/132/3, 10/110, 13/100/2, 7/130, and 9/89/1). Kansas State and Arizona held him to a pair of short outings (3/26 and 2/17). After a great game (9/153/2), his Heisman push came over his final three starts (8/125/2, 10/116/2, and 4/106/1).
Throughout his college career, Hunter was highly regarded on both sides of the ball, earning multiple national awards for his outstanding play on offense and defense. His vision, anticipation, and quickness create wins all over the field. Hunter must improve his release against physical defenders at the line of scrimmage in the NFL. At the same time, his value in run support will be in question if asked to play that role in college.
Overall, his route running hasn’t reached its ceiling due to having an edge against most of his competitors at this point in his career, thanks to his natural talents. Hunter has a nose for the football, and he has many wins to his name, catching the ball in tight quarters. His sense for spacing and timing is exceptional, pointing to a higher volume receiving career in the realm of an Antonio Brown. His usage on defense is unknown, but his overall game would be the most impactful as a passing-down player on both sides of the ball.
2. Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
Over the past two seasons, McMillan has been active in the Arizona Wildcats passing attack (90/1,402/10 and 84/1,319/8). He’s gained 16.1 yards per catch in his college career while starting 33 games over three years of action. McMillan gained more than 200 yards three times in his career (11/266/1, 10/304/4, and 10/202/1) while gaining more than 100 yards in nine other matchups (7/132/2, 8/161/1, 6/138, 9/107/1, 8/116/1, 10/160, 11/138, 8/161, and 9/115). He had a floor of six catches in 13 of his final 16 college starts.
For an NFL team seeking a receiver with size (6’4” and 220 lbs.), McMillan profiles in the realm of Mike Evans, with favorable speed (approximately 4.50 seconds in the 40-yard dash) for his build. His movements threaten defenses at the second and third levels while having juice in the open field with the ball in his hands. His pass routes have a rhythmic feel, allowing him to create wins with double moves.
McMillan is a hand catcher with a wide wingspan. He’ll have success at the goal on jump balls and fade patterns. I expect his floor and early career path to parallel Michael Pittman, but his ceiling is much higher due to his ability to make more significant plays.
His resume is much higher than Luther Burden's and Matthew Golden's, and McMillan brings a unique skill set to the wide receiver position due to his frame and speed. I expect him to be the second wideout drafted this year while being active in his rookie season. Ultimately, his new home in 2025 will drive his fantasy value.
3. Luther Burden III, Missouri
After shining in his second season at Missouri (86/1,243/10), Burden experienced a regression in his statistics last year (61/676/6, with nine rushes for 115 yards and two touchdowns). He gained over 100 yards once (6/117/1) in 2024 while having a beast run over five matchups (8/117, 7/114/2, 10/177, 11/140/2, and 11/149) the previous season. Burden gained 14.1 yards per catch in 2023, compared to 11.1 yards per catch last year while playing with the same quarterback, Brady Cook.
The Missouri Tigers featured him as a chain mover close to the line of scrimmage to increase his involvement in their offense and allow Burden to utilize his open-field running to make plays. He has a selfish side to his game, where his play isn’t as motivating when the ball isn’t going his way. Burden brings excellent hands with exceptional timing and finishing power in the deep passing game. He posted a 4.41 40-yard dash time at the NFL combine.
At the next level, Burden should excel on crossing patterns with the deep speed to take the top off a defense. His change of direction speed is excellent when running parallel to the line of scrimmage and turning up field when he sees daylight. He runs with wiggle and vision, making him a dangerous player after the catch. The next step in his development is improving his overall route running and focus.
Burden projects as a late-round first-draft selection. He profiles for me as WR2 in the NFL until his physical skill set develops. His NFL career would be jump-started by landing with a proven quarterback and lead wideout.
4. Matthew Golden, Texas
The Houston Cougars gave Golden 17 starts over his first 19 games in 2022 and 2023, resulting in two quiet receiving seasons (38/584/7 and 38/404/6). He made more significant plays (15.4 YPC) in his freshman year than in his year (10.4 TPC). A foot injury in his sophomore campaign led to three missed games.
After transferring to Texas, Golden made 16 starts with career highs in catches (58), receiving yards (987), and touchdowns (9). He gained an impressive 17.0 yards per catch. In his college career, Golden returned 28 kickoffs for 722 yards and two scores (25.8 yards per return).
The foundation of Golden’s route running has flaws at each level. He must work on his salesmen skills while showing more fight and desire at the top of his release. His lack of timing can lead to poor hand positioning when the ball arrives more quickly than expected. He ran a 4.29 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, showcasing his deep speed.
Last year, Texas got Golden the ball many times well beyond the line of scrimmage, but Quinn Ewers rarely hit him in stride, forcing him to make challenging catches coming back to the ball. With the ball in his hands, Golden lacks sufficient experience with his vision to be a top run-after-the-catch player despite showing success returning kicks.
At the next level, an NFL team will start his development as an outside home run threat, but he does have the tools to play all over the field. I don’t see enough in his resume to warrant a first-round selection this year, but a team need is a team need. At the very least, Golden will get better with experience.
5. Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
Twice (74/1,151/10 and 81/1,011/10) over the past three seasons, Egbuka has been a top-two receiving option for Ohio State. He missed three games in 2023 with an ankle injury, leading to a down year (41/515/4). The Buckeyes also gave him 24 rushing attempts in his career, resulting in 145 yards and two touchdowns. Egbuka had six 100-yard receiving games in 2022 (4/118/1, 7/116/1, 6/118/2, 5/143/1, 9/125/1, and 8/112/1) but only one last season (5/117/1).
Egbuka brings an inside wide receiver skill set while offering more rhythm than his overall quickness out of his breaks and route running. He projects as a chain mover with a good feel for the ball in traffic. His release will be challenged in the NFL by press coverage.
Ohio State’s edge in offensive personnel in many matchups allowed Egbuka to find easy open areas at the second level of a defense. He showed good hands with a natural feel for spacing when given daylight on a play. His opportunity in the deep passing game will be minimal. Egbuka projects to be a league runner in the 40-yard dash (about 4.5 seconds).
In early NFL mock drafts, Egbuka is projected to be drafted in the second half of the first round. His floor, once he gets established, should be a 5/50 type of player with three to five touchdowns.
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With 20+ years of experience in the high-stakes fantasy market, I aim to research and compete at the highest level in baseball and football each season. I've contributed as a writer/analyst for Sports Draft Daily, ScoutPro, Scout Fantasy, Fulltime Fantasy, FFToolbox, and Sports Illustrated Fantasy. I'm honored to be in the National Fantasy Baseball Championship Hall of Fame. My drafting philosophy is risk-averse yet open to betting on potential game-changers. I approach player selection with a neutral perspective, acknowledging that fantasy sports are inherently unpredictable due to injuries, performance dips, and managerial decisions. My work focuses on these main areas: - Season-long fantasy baseball and football - BestBall Baseball and Football Events - Daily Fantasy Sports (DFS): DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog - Long Shot Player Prop Parlays for NFL I participate in various leagues and contests, including NFBC, NFFC, RTSports, FFPC, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, FanDuel, and FFWC, with the goal of leveraging my extensive experience and research for success in each game format. A fantasy follower can expect in-depth profiles of NFL and MLB players, along with season-long and weekly projections for each fantasy football season. In addition, I have many strategy articles to help develop fantasy players' learning curves.