NFL Draft
11/22/24
7 min read
2025 NFL Draft: 5 Wide Receivers Who Could Sneak Into First Round
NFL Draft enthusiasts and devy-league champions might be well-equipped for the best playmakers of the 2025 NFL Draft, but the evaluation season is just beginning for most NFL fans.
While there are household names who we expect to see make the first round of the draft, there's not much of a need to cover Travis Hunter, Luther Burden III, and Tetroia McMillan after all the attention they've garnered.
It's more fun to look at the biggest risers from the 2024 season and potential stars of the NFL Scouting Combine. The top athletes from around the nation will push their way higher on draft boards as the need for speed increases every year.
These five receivers have a unique case to make their way into the top 32 picks. We're making the argument for each to barge into the first round.
5 Rising Wide Receivers on First-Round Edge
Tre Harris going full OBJ 🤯#HottyToddy pic.twitter.com/oFAlGLvVHP
— Ole Miss Football (@OleMissFB) November 4, 2023
Tre Harris, Ole Miss 
Stats: 59 receptions, 987 yards, 6 TDs
Forget the biggest names we mentioned above; Tre Harris has the best analytical argument for being a first-round pick. Standing over 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Harris is incredibly efficient, lapping the Power 5 field in yards after the catch per reception (7.8), yards per route run (5.25), drop rate (6.4 percent), and passer rating when targeted (145.8). While Harris benefits from a wide-open offensive scheme, he's maximized every opportunity and has dominated the competition.
His ability to create after the catch is unique for his size and build. Most taller, filled-out receivers, including many of the names on this list, can't move as fluidly as Harris does. NFL teams won't be getting someone as limited as DK Metcalf is in his movement ability, opening up more potential for play-callers to work with. Removing personnel-based weaknesses gives the offense the ability to go above and beyond base concepts in key situations.
Functionally, Harris passes the test of being a force each week. He's strong, accelerates off the line well enough for his size to put defensive backs on their heels, and has long strides that create separation. With NFL schemes prioritizing creation after the catch as much as at the catch point, Harris offers a higher upside than smaller playmakers who can't rely on their power and frame as much.
That didn't take long ⚡️
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 2, 2024
Will Howard finds Emeka Egbuka for the instant response by @OhioStatefb 💪 pic.twitter.com/RQTytXdcrF
Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
Stats: 49 receptions, 612 yards, 8 TDs
Production has not come as easily for Emeka Egbuka as expected this season, as the Buckeyes' passing game has cooled off during the last month. However, Egbuka might be the easiest projection in the entire class. He's done everything Ohio State has tasked him with during the last four years, and the scheme is similar to the best NFL offenses.
Egbuka is smoother than explosive, but his 4.4 speed and fluidity make him deceptively dangerous. Though he's mostly played in the slot, Egbuka's play has been as good inside as outside. Regardless of his quarterback, Egbuka's efficiency has remained steady with C.J. Stroud, Kyle McCord, and Will Howard.
This year, Egbuka has been in the slot more than ever, but key areas of growth show he can elevate his game to a bigger role. He's caught a career-high of contested catches with a 61.5 percent rate and an overall catch rate of 74.2 percent. Egbuka also reinforced his value in the red zone, catching eight scores, and is on pace to set a career-high there.
His game looks remarkably similar to Puka Nacua, who has been a monstrously good engine for the Rams when healthy.
What a throw, what a catch!!! 👏 @TerpsFootball takes the lead!! pic.twitter.com/ZB1minaFH7
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 17, 2024
Tai Felton, Maryland 
Stats: 86 receptions, 1,035 yards, 7 TDs
The first month of the season brought a huge breakout for Tai Felton. The lanky 6-foot-2, 190-pound vertical threat was unstoppable, catching five touchdowns and breaking 100 yards in all four games. He's seen his raw totals drop considerably as the competition picked up, but a lot of that has to go toward outside factors and not Felton's limitations.
Tall, skinny receivers have been embraced more in the NFL but will never be the hot trend. What matters most for Felton is that he's played a career-high 30 percent of his snaps inside, which is different for his build. It's not an accident that Maryland and Felton have benefitted from his ability to run past safeties and stretch defenses.
Felton feels like the least likely of these five receivers to break into the first round, but he's not too dissimilar to Adonai Mitchell, who landed in the second round last year. Felton could win the combine and rise even higher.
ISAIAH BOND WAS GONE 🔥 pic.twitter.com/kubilIPoMN
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) November 9, 2024
Isaiah Bond, Texas
Stats: 30 receptions, 483 yards, 5 TDs
Simply having 4.2 speed on tape and the track will give Isaiah Bond a chance to make the first round, but I think the Texas playmaker is close to a lock to hear his name called in Round 1.
His transition from Alabama to Texas hasn't brought a major explosion in role or production but has reinforced that Bond is as good as hoped. Texas has used Bond on the outside much more often than Alabama did, doubling his outside snaps than his slot opportunities.
Bond's efficiency has improved in terms of yards per route run, contested catch rate, missed tackles forced, and quarterback rating when targeted. His raw numbers aren't amazing, but that's missing the forest through the trees. Bond brings more than value than most receivers.
Putting him into a functional NFL offense where his speed can not only be a featured aspect for funneling targets but also create mismatches elsewhere. Also, considering that Bond is a better route runner than 2024 first-round pick Xavier Worthy, it's easy to justify taking him as a big-play merchant in 2025.
And then, Jayden Higgins, the team’s big bodied perimeter WR, has the skill set that every NFL team covets as a perimeter receiver, with ample athletic upside for a physically built. WR.
— Eric Galko (@EricGalko) September 11, 2024
Play 3️⃣: Higgins has a quick shoulder move to prevent corner from making initial contact,… pic.twitter.com/hkdceoBZk6
Jayden Higgins, Iowa State
Stats: 68 receptions, 862 yards, 7 TDs
We've touched on some mid-sized receivers with some height, but Jayden Higgins fits the jumbo-sized receiver category. The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder has elevated his game since joining Iowa State in 2023 after spending two years at Eastern Kentucky. Higgins, one of the country's most productive playmakers, has almost no statistical weaknesses.
With only two drops on 95 targets, logging almost 30 percent of snaps from the slot, respectable yards per route run, and one of the better-contested catch rates, Higgins is the rare tall receiver that analytics love. He's not just a big, hulking presence who will be a power slot and quasi-tight end at the next level despite his archetype.
While the thicker, bigger style of receiver is out of style right now, Higgins might draw more traditional coaches who will hunt chunk plays with a gutsy quarterback. If he falls out of the first round, Higgins could be one of the better values of the 2025 class.
