Final Positional Rankings: Wide Receivers

Here we are at my final positional rankings for the wide receivers group. Like the previous parts I will give you a top ten. This years wide receiver class is pretty weak at the top and its kind of surprising after having what seemed like four straight draft classes of strong receiver groups. This of course was expected to eventually happen. There is some fun/interesting depth to the class thought. A lot of #2/#3 type receivers.

Top Five Wide Receivers

1. Luther Burden III – Missouri: Burden might be the biggest play maker in the class and has the highest potential. He really came onto the scene in 2023, but like the rest of Missouri seemed to hit a wall this past season and almost everyone on that team struggled. He still is a very dynamic slot receiver who has some incredible contact balance. He is built like a running back at 5’11 208 and while he doesn’t have elite speed, he can make some guys miss and has a decent route release package. His issues are his route running can still be a bit raw and he has played the vast majority of his snaps in the slot. You would like to see him develop some inside-out versatility.
2. Emeka Egbuka – Ohio State: Egbuka is somewhat similar to Burden. He’s not fast, has spent most of his career in the slot and has NFL size at 6’0 3/4 204. He also has good contact balance, but not as good as Burden. He might be more explosive though. He had a big breakout season in 2022 playing with Marvin Harrison Jr. who obviously drew away some coverage from him. Egbuka dealt with some injuries in 2023 and they seemed to linger a little into 2024, but I am expecting him to be back to his 2022 self as a rookie. He can be used as an orbit motion play and can even return kicks and punts. Hopefully whoever drafts him will use him how Ohio State did in 2022.
3. Tetairoa McMillan – Arizona: McMillan entered the 2024 season with a lot of hype after the big season he had in 2023. A number of people even had him as their wide receiver #1. While he is a big receiver at 6’5 210, he lacks explosiveness and his straight line speed is just ok for his size. He also has a lot of contested catches which is something that usually doesn’t translate well to the NFL. His production was really inconsistent and one thing that shows up on film is he has problems getting separation sometimes. Some people think he is the next N’Keal Harry, but I don’t think he’s that bad. Harry was stiff, McMillan has some wiggle to him. I don’t think he is the next Tee Higgins though. I think he fits somewhere in the middle.
4. Kyren Lacy – LSU: Lacy is a big play threat having averaged 15 and 18 yards a catch respectively over the last two seasons. He has inside-outside versatility, has size at just under 6’2 and 215. While not really fast he has good enough speed and really knows how to stack defensive backs and get open deep. He also uses his size well. Lacy has had some drops, while it hasn’t had a lot; they seem to come at inopportune times. Despite being “the guy” this past season he didn’t even break 900 yards. His upside is that of a really good #2 receiver.
5. Matthew Golden – Texas: Despite breaking 100 yards only twice this season Golden had almost 1,000 yards this season. By watching his film you can tell he was severely under-utilized by Texas and should have been the featured receiver in the passing game. Golden averaged a stunning 17 yards a catch this season and it seemed like almost every game he made at least one big 15+ yard catch. While also not a burner he has shown on film he can get open down the field and find holes in zones. He has decent size at 6’0 195 and has played in the slot and the outside. Golden like a lot of the receivers in this class looks like a really good #2 receiver.

The Best Of The Rest

6. Ricky White III – UNLV: Ricky White is probably the most experience, best route runner and just most overall skilled of the top guys, can play inside and out, and has a good release package but of course there is a draw back and while he’s not in the top five. He is listed at 6’1 190, but he looks closer to 175-180 and has a small frame. He has had trouble dealing with physical defensive backs at times and as far as athleticism he is pretty average to slightly above. So his upside is limited, but the film is the film and he still makes plays. White has a high floor but not much of a ceiling. Saying it again his upside is that of a solid #2 receiver or even a really good #3.

7. Tory Horton – Colorado State: Horton has some similarities to White. He is verified at 6’2 187, so he has a long thing frame. Horton has loads of experience and is a good route runner. Like White though he is a middle of the ground athlete. Horton did have back to back 1,100 yard season in 2022-2023 and might have been able to have three if he hadn’t gotten hurt in the 5th game of 2024. Horton also has really good hands, a long wingspan and can play inside and out. his athleticism does limit his upside somewhat, but as long as his health checks out he could come into the league and be a good #3 receiver from the get go.

8. Tai Felton – Maryland: Felton is a player who had kind of a breakout season out of nowhere. He had two ho hum first season at Maryland, then became a starter in 2023 and was ok, then had a big season this past year with over 1,100 yards and nine touchdowns receiving. Felton has good size at 6’2 186, but obviously could stand to add about 10 pounds. He has legit 4.4 speed and is a home run threat. He started fast, but faded a bit by week five, so the question that needs to be answered is did teams figure out how to play him? or was it a Maryland issue? His yards per catch cratered after that. So it might be a usage issue. He still has some technical flaws and needs to continue to improve and work at his game. He has one of the highest upsides of the class though. It just might take him a couple years to get there.

9. Theo Wease Jr – Missouri: Theo Wease is your traditional #2 possession receiver. He has the size you like at 6’2 205. Wease is strong and physical with good hands, but lacks the speed and explosiveness to be a consistent downfield threat or even much of a YAC threat. He can also play outside and the slot. Wease will do whatever you ask him, he is even a pretty good blocker. A good route runner as well, Wease is good in the short and intermediate areas of the field. He will help you keep the chains moving.

10. Jalen Royals – Utah State: Royals would probably be higher on this list had he not missed half of the 2024 season. If his medicals check out he could get drafted higher. Royals is a big receiver at 6’0 210 and he looks all of the 210 he is listed at, he has a thick build and uses it to his advantage. He uses his body to lean on DBs, to block them out and is difficult to take down after the catch. He has explosiveness and can go up and get high balls. Royals also has a nose for the end zone collecting 21 touchdowns over the last season and a half. Competition is a question for him of course playing at Utah State in the Mountain West. Do remember though that Davante Adams came out of the Mountain West. There is still upside to his game.

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