2025 pre-season wide receiver rankings

1. LUTHER BURDEN (MISSOURI) 5’11” 208.

Burden was a five-star recruit and #1 receiver in the 2022 recruiting class. He played right away as a true freshman but broke out as a sophomore a season ago after moving to the slot. Burden did a great job tracking the football and catching the ball through contact. He is tough to tackle and is at his best getting yards after the catch. 

2023 STATS: 86 REC – 1,212 REC YDS – 9 TD

2. TETAIROA MCMILLAN (ARIZONA) 6’5” 210 LBS. 

Mcmillan came in right away and made an impact as a true freshman with 39 REC – 702 REC YDS – 8 TD. When seeing a receiver with his height and length you expect a stiff athlete. Not the case for McMillan who can win with speed and quickness. He can win vertically or take short passes for big gains. Very impressive catch radius with good hands. 

2023 STATS: 90 REC – 1,402 REC YDS – 8 REC TD

3. EMEKA EGBUKA (OHIO STATE) 6’1” 206 LBS.

Egbuka had a much stronger year in 2022 (74 REC- 1,151 REC YDS – 12 TTD) than he did in 2023. He suffered an ankle injury that required surgery and resulted in missing three games. He is very similar to Burden in his physicality and his ability to run after the catch. They find ways to get the ball whether it’s short passes or handing it off but can win vertically as well. You see some drops but also shows some spectacular catches and looked back to form in the 2024 spring game. 

2023 STATS: 41 REC – 515 REC YDS – 4 REC TD

4. EVAN STEWERT (OREGON) 6’0” 175 LBS.

Stewert was a five-star recruit and was considered the #1 receiver by 24/7 sports in the 2022 recruiting class.  A quick and twitchy athlete with a track background. He got off to a good start a season ago but played in only eight games with a leg injury. After spending two years with Texas A&M, Stewert transferred to Oregon this off-season.

2023 STATS: 38 REC – 514 REC YDS – 4 REC TD

5. ISAIAH BOND (TEXAS) 5’11” 182 LBS. 

Bond spent his first two seasons at Alabama putting up 888 receiving yards. His speed and quickness instantly jump off the film. Despite not being a big receiver, I thought he played with physicality and toughness. Is a vertical threat that does a good job of tracking the football. 

2023 STATS: 48 REC – 668 REC YDS – 4 REC TD

6. TRE HARRIS (OLE MISS) 6’2” 205 LBS. 

Harris spent his first three seasons at Louisiana Tech before transferring to Ole Miss for the 2023 season. On film, Harris looks bigger than his listed size. He is a long target with a big catch radius that is at his best with contested catches. He was able to win vertically or find soft spots in zones and was a tough player to bring down in space. He looks to have good speed on film but has some tightness in and out of his breaks. 

2023 STATS: 54 REC – 985 REC YDS – 8 REC TD

7. JUICE WELLS (OLE MISS) 6’1” 208 LBS

Wells is 23 years old, spending 2019 at prep school before going to James Madison and putting up over 1,800 yards and 21 touchdowns in two seasons. In 2022 he transferred to South Carolina earning 1st team all SEC. Wells is a good combination of size and speed that you can line up in the slot or out wide. He has strong hands and a wide catch radius and does a great job getting yards after the catch, leading the SEC and 6th in the nation with an 8.0 average. He was banged up in 2023. He played 8 snaps vs Georgia in 2023 and he took a screen pass for a 17-yard touchdown. He transferred to Ole Miss for the 2024 season. 

2023 STATS: 3 REC – 37 REC YDS – 1 REC TD

8. ELIC AYOMANOR (STANFORD) 6’2” 210 LBS. 

Ayomanor missed his freshman season with an ACL injury. This year he will be entering his third at Stanford and is coming off a big true sophomore season. He was one of the few bright spots for the three-win Cardinals. Is a well-rounded receiver who can win vs press and find soft spots in zones. He is a physical player that makes some impressive catches. He has good speed and shows good suddenness in and out of his breaks. In the final seven games of the season, he caught fire with 47-806-5. 

2023 STATS: 62 REC – 1,013 REC YDS – 6 REC TD

9. KYREN LACY (LSU) 6’2” 215 LBS. 

Lacy spent his first two seasons at Louisiana Lafayette where he had 50 receptions. He is entering his fifth season and third season as a Tiger. He will be the team's leading returning receiver after Nabers and Thomas left for the NFL. He is a good route runner, has good quickness, and is an ideal size for the position. I would like to see more consistency with his hands. 

2023 STATS: 30 REC – 558 REC YDS – 7 REC TD

10. DEON BURKS (OKLAHOMA) 5’9” 189 LBS. 

Burks started his career at Purdue where he red-shirted in 2021. He played in all 14 games in 2022 and became a starter in 2023 leading Purdue in receiving. Burks has a track background, and you see it with the good quickness and speed. Also has surprising strength for a player his size and showed the ability to run through contact.

2023 STATS: 47 REC – 629 REC YDS – 7 REC TD 

11. GERMIE BERNARD (ALABAMA) 6’1” 204 LBS. 

Bernard spent 2022 with Michigan State and 2023 with Washington. He started 7 games for the Huskies a season ago and followed his coach to Alabama. Bernard has some explosiveness in his game and is very quick off the release.  I expect a breakout year for him looking sharp in the spring game. 

2023 STATS: 34 REC – 419 REC YDS – 4 TTD

12. J. MICHAEL STURDIVANT (UCLA) 6’3” 205 LBS. 

Sturdivant spent his first two seasons at Cal where he led the team in receptions in 2022. I was expecting a better year from him in 2023 despite the inconsistent QB play at UCLA. He has the size and speed and is a good route runner. We think he has the talent to work his way up the wide receiver board. 

2023 STATS: 36 REC – 597 REC YDS – 4 TD

13. DOMINIC LOVETT (GEORGIA) 5’10” 179 LBS.

Lovett was one of my favorite receivers going into last year after he was the Tigers' leading receiver in 2022. He is a dynamic athlete with very good speed. Georgia threw a lot of short passes to Lovett, but he can get behind defenses and make big plays. Lovett is undersized and can get re-routed.

2023 STATS: 54 REC – 613 REC YDS – 4 REC TD 

14. XAVIER RESTREPO (MIAMI) 5’10 198 LBS. 

Restrepo had some fascinating stats over his high school career. He had 2,500 rushing yards, 500 passing yards, 3,000 receiving yards, and over 200 tackles. He has turned into an excellent slot receiver for the Hurricanes and is coming off his best season. He is an excellent route runner and strong for his size, with good quickness in and out of his breaks. He does a great job of catching the ball and getting upfield quickly. The biggest knock against him for not being higher on this list is he lacks the top-end speed. 

2023 STATS: 85 REC – 1,092 REC YDS – 6 REC TD

15. JALEN ROYALS (UTAH STATE) 6’0 195 LBS. 

Royals is a late bloomer he did not post big numbers in high school and spent the 2021 season at Georgia Military College. In 2022 he went to Utah State but posted zero stats. In 2023 he had a terrific junior season earning third-team all-American. When watching him I thought he showed a quick release and very good vertical speed. His quarterback often underthrew him but did a terrific job of tracking the football and making contested catches. 

2023 STATS: 71 REC – 1,080 REC YDS – 15 REC TD

16. DORIAN SINGER (UTAH) 6’0 180 LBS. 

Singer had an impressive season in 2022 with Arizona over 1,000 yards receiving. We had him as a top 10 receiver going into last year and thought he would be WR1 for the Trojans. His numbers were not as good as a Trojan. He will be playing at Utah this season and it looked like he and Cam Rising were building good chemistry in the spring game.

17. CAULIN LACY (LOUISVILLE) 5’10” 180 LBS. 

Lacy rushed for over 1800 yards as a Senior in high school. He spent the past four seasons at South Alabama. In the last two seasons, he has over 2,000 yards receiving. He is a dynamic athlete, and the Cardinals will want to find ways to get him the ball in space. He has experience in the return game with one punt return for a TD. 

2023 STATS: 91 REC – 1,382 REC YDS – 7 REC TD

18. TEZ JOHNSON (OREGON) 5’10” 160 LBS. 

Played his first three seasons at Troy and led the team in receiving 2 of the 3 years. He caught fire down the stretch last season with 762 receiving yards in the final six games. Tez immediately jumps off the film not only as a playmaker, but his thin frame makes him look different than any other player on the field. He is a tough evaluation due to his size. 

2023 STATS: 86 REC – 1,182 REC YDS – 10 REC TD

19. BRU MCCOY (TENNESSEE) 6’3” 220 LBS

McCoy is a former five-star recruit and #1 athlete in the 2019 class. He started his career off at USC where he redshirted in 2019 but put-up solid numbers in the covid shortened season. He redshirted again in 2021. In 2022 he had a good year and was a player we were high on going into the 2023 season. He suffered a gruesome ankle injury in the 5thgame of the season in 2023. He is a rare combination of size and speed that could work his way up if he can put together a healthy season. 

2023 SEASON: 17 REC – 217 REC YDS – 1 REC TD

20. XZAVIER HENDERSON (CINNCINATTI) 6’3” 210 LBS. 

Is the brother of former 1st-round pick CJ Henderson and like his brother he started his career off at Florida. One of the top receivers in the 2020 recruiting class, he played three seasons for the Gators leading the team in receptions before transferring to Cincinnati in 2023. Henderson has a good combination of size and speed. He needs more consistent quarterback play around him to reach his potential. 

2023 STATS: 58 REC – 782 – 3 REC TD