NFL Analysis
7/29/24
7 min read
2025 NFL Draft: Ranking This Year's Top 5 WRs Entering Season
After seeing 14 receivers taken within the first three rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft, it's clear offenses are continuing to prioritize the passing game.
The devaluation of running backs and climbing salaries for receivers means that receivers on their first contract are one of the sport's best values. The good news for teams is the 2025 wide receiver class is quite impressive.
Boasting several elite receivers with unique skill sets that are proven to be effective in modern offenses, the 2025 NFL Draft class is in a position to produce multiple high first-round picks. We've analyzed the best playmakers in the nation, combining their explosiveness, consistency, translatable skills, and versatility on film with their physical and statistical profiles.
The result is our list of the top five receivers in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Top 5 WRs in 2025 NFL Draft
Arch Manning hits Isaiah Bond in stride for his second 75 yard TD pass on the day pic.twitter.com/9YLPyOOCbk
— Nash (@NashTalksTexas) April 20, 2024
5. Isaiah Bond, Texas 
Player comparison: Xavier Worthy
It's only natural that Texas replaced the fastest player in NFL Scouting Combine history with another speedster who could challenge his record. Isaiah Bond, coming from Alabama, is nearly identical in his play style to Worthy's. His 5-foot-11, 180-pound frame has more bulk to it than Worthy's, but the similarities in agility and straight-line speed make it a natural comparison.
Bond averaged 13.7 yards per catch and totaled five touchdowns in two seasons with the Crimson Tide. All eyes will be on whether he can fill a role where Worthy produced 1,104 yards and five scores on 75 receptions in 2023 alone. Worthy also did it playing next to Adonai Mitchell, Ja'Tavion Sanders, and Jonathon Brooks.
However, Bond will benefit from playing in Steve Sarkisian's RPO-based offense and a pocket-passing presence in Quinn Ewers. Getting the ball into his hands will be easier with a more passing-oriented scheme that gives receivers space to sell their speed. Bond's quick feet and ability to maintain speed throughout his routes will be more prominent in 2024 than ever.
Expect Bond's profile and stock to rise as he gets more volume. His film is littered with opportunities to produce, showing off easy separation ability and fluidity during cuts. Even if his route-running and footwork could be more precise, he'll join an exclusive club in the NFL of playmakers with his movement ability and burst.
Former five-star WR Evan Stewart established himself as future star this year. This play really jumped out to me when watching this game. Stewart has a tremendous release off the line and elevates over his defender, displaying excellent body control to make a contested catch! pic.twitter.com/7ctiEmdOJt
— Ben Glassmire (@BenGlassmireNFL) February 17, 2023
4. Evan Stewart, Oregon
Player comparison: Tank Dell
Teams wanting effortless speed and advanced instincts will favor Evan Stewart, who transferred from Texas A&M, over another fast but skinny playmaker in Bond.
Stewart is the more natural of the two, showing more comfort running a sophisticated route tree from every receiver spot. He'll project as a capable Z and slot receiver immediately in the NFL.
At 5-foot-11, 170 pounds, Stewart is surprisingly reliable at the catch point and competes well through contact. He excels using the threat of his 4.33 speed to create huge cushions on underneath routes, showing off great footwork and awareness of zone holes. Everything from his deep set of releases off the line of scrimmage to the catch point highlights an impressive package of skills in Stewart's tool belt.
His size might be a factor for upside projections, as his frame looks maxed out despite being so thin. However, his burst, outright speed, feel for the game, and polish will make him an impact playmaker early in his career.
It's hard to imagine Stewart being anything less than a quality No. 2 receiver at the next level.
Emeka Egbuka is smooth with the ball in his hands. pic.twitter.com/X2YCO53VyV
— Nick Penticoff (@NickPenticoff) December 30, 2023
3. Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
Player comparison: Puka Nacua
Just how good have the Buckeyes been at producing receivers? Consider that a consensus top-three pass catcher in the 2025 NFL Draft may go his entire four-year career in Columbus without ever being the best receiver on the team. Emeka Egbuka has played alongside Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Marvin Harrison Jr., and now freshman phenom Jeremiah Smith.
However, none of that matters when it comes to projecting Egbuka's NFL outlook. Fast, physical, and possessing ideal size at 6-foot, 200 pounds, Egbuka checks all of the boxes needed to be a Pro Bowl performer for a decade. There's no higher IQ player with more versatility than Egbuka, and he just so happens to boast 4.3 speed to go with his feel for the game.
Known best for his fit in the slot, Egbuka is more than a handful for smaller cornerbacks to deal with. He moves remarkably well for his denser frame, showing off quick-twitch reaction ability and sharp steps at the peak of routes. After the catch, few playmakers are as adept at finding and maximizing yards after the catch.
Add the fact he has elite hands, and Egbuka is the perfect blend of explosive yet reliable. Getting into a modern West Coast offense that maximizes motion and YAC opportunities can lead to huge numbers throughout his career.
I know I've become the very thing I swore to destroy by posting a whip route on here, but just want to admire Tetairoa McMillan's movement skills at 6'5 pic.twitter.com/yKLVeK3lqZ
— Carter Donnick (@CDonnick1) June 7, 2024
2. Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona 
Player comparison: Mike Evans
Whether you accidentally watched Arizona or wanted to soak up the last moments of #Pac12AfterDark before the conference dissipated, it quickly became apparent the Wildcats' offense was operating well beyond expectations. A massive part of that, literally and figuratively, was 6-foot-5, 210-pound receiver Tetairoa McMillan.
The towering playmaker meets all of the descriptors you'd expect for someone of his frame, including strong, reliable hands, a limitless catch radius, and a jump ball cheat code. It's true that lining him up for go routes and slants will breed easy chunk plays. But McMillan is much more skilled and fluid than typical tall, straight-line athletes.
Instead of mitigating his role, Arizona maximized his playmaking by giving him screens, a full route tree that includes sharp cuts and quick changes of direction, and using him in the slot. The result was a 1,402-yard, 10-touchdown season on 90 receptions.
His surprisingly quick releases off the line and cuts allow McMillan to be an especially difficult assignment for cornerbacks. He creates leverage with ease and doesn't need extra time to pivot and turn upfield after the catch. Even when corners are on his hip, McMillan's length is impossible to disrupt.
He doesn't quite have the sheer strength and bulk that Mike Evans did coming out of Texas A&M, but there's an inevitability about McMillan that is similar. Both are low 4.5 runners who break the archetype of their physical mold. McMillan should push to be a top-15 pick next April.
2025 WR1, Luther Burden III pic.twitter.com/8QipEtjuit
— Ian Valentino (@NFLDraftStudy) October 21, 2023
1. Luther Burden, Missouri
Player comparison: Brandon Aiyuk
Some playmakers have the right build, athleticism, refined skill set, and acumen to be used in any role. That's Luther Burden, who should be the unquestioned WR1 on every 2025 NFL Draft board right now. The Missouri star was fully unleashed as a sophomore in 2023, catching 86 passes for 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns.
How Burden was used was most revealing about his immense talent. Missouri asked him to do everything and more, often replicating what Deebo Samuel did in South Carolina and has for San Francisco. Despite the usage, Burden's high-end suddenness through routes, versatility to play inside and outside, and creation post-catch is more akin to fellow 49er Brandon Aiyuk.
The 6-foot, 208-pounder has blazing speed and successfully accelerates into space to track down passes floating his way. He can turn underthrown passes into YAC gains because he's just faster and more creative than his peers. There's a level of natural gamer to his approach that causes defenders to pause before engaging in contact because Burden will bring the physicality to hesitating tacklers.
With the downfield explosiveness of Ja'Marr Chase and the route-running and physicality of Aiyuk, it's a safe bet Burden will go off the board quickly in the 2025 NFL Draft.
