Continuing our new Summer Scouting series here at NFLTR, I’ll be going position by position breaking down my preliminary top prospects to set the table for the upcoming collegiate season and 2025 NFL Draft cycle. You can find the other positions done so far here:
Next up, we have wide receivers, the most popular position outside of quarterback. Every year NFL teams are looking to become more dynamic and keep up with the offensive arms race across the league, and every year the college ranks supply more elite receivers. This year is no different with a number of exciting prospects.
Let’s take a look at the early top receivers in 2025:
1: Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
The tall, wiry McMillan became the highest-rated recruit in Arizona history when he arrived on campus for his freshman season in 2022. That year, he secured 39 catches for 702 yards and 8 touchdowns, living up to his massive hype coming into the year. 2023 marked his ascension to the college football elite when he recorded a whopping 90 catches for 1,402 yards and 10 touchdowns. As a sophomore, McMillan was recognized as an All-American and built up steam for his draft stock as one of the top receivers in the 2025 draft. Now heading into his true junior season, he’ll look to make his case to be the first receiver taken off the board come April.
McMillan stands at an eye-catching 6-5 and 210 pounds, towering over most corners he faces. As you’d expect, he has great length and uses his wingspan effectively to create a massive catch radius. McMillan also has the best hands of this class. He gives his quarterbacks tremendous security throwing the ball deep or over the middle of the field, as he naturally creates larger throwing windows and can corral inaccurate passes. Even when adjusting mid-route, he redirects to chase down errant throws or alters his trajectory to find spaces in the defense. He gets off press coverage well, using his long arms and smart hand placement to ward off corners trying to jam him and create separation at the beginnings of his routes.
Athletically, McMillan has adequate straight-line speed, but where he stands out is with his short-area quickness and agility. Despite his height, he has incredible fluidity in his movements, able to run precise routes with subtle nuances to create separation. He accelerates out of his stance quickly and can stop and turn on a dime, allowing himself to run the full route tree. Part of why he’s such a good route runner is his natural movement ability, but he’s also a smart player who puts the work in to refine his craft, and it shows up on tape. This also translates to his work after the catch where his frame and agility allow him to pick up extra chunks of yards.
Although he has good speed, McMillan is not a burner. He won’t blow past coverage at the NFL level and will instead need to rely on his other athletic gifts and savvy. That can certainly work, but you’d like to see a little more natural separation in his routes. He spends too much time in crowds when he could do more to create space. This hasn’t mattered much in college, but separation is king in the NFL.
McMillan is my top receiver in this class heading into the college season with a solid first-round grade. There are a few things he can work on, but he already has a refined game with some easily translatable skills. His frame and movement skills are excellent even by NFL standards. He’ll have a chance to play his way into the top ten of the draft and potentially be the first receiver selected. For teams desperate for a dominating, outside force at receiver, McMillan will be their top guy.
2: Luther Burden III, Missouri
With many of last season’s college receiving stars now in the NFL, Burden enters his junior year as one of the faces of the sport and has a chance to stamp his name on the college football world. He’s in play to be the first receiver taken in 2025 if he puts together another great year.
A former five-star recruit with offers from every major college program, Burden surprised many when he chose to attend Missouri. He hit the ground running as a true freshman in 2022, recording 346 receiving yards and six touchdowns. As a sophomore last season, he stepped up his production considerably, becoming one of the most electric receivers in the country — 86 catches for 1,212 yards and 9 touchdowns. Burden was awarded first-team All-SEC and second-team All-America honors.
At 5-11 and 208, Burden is a well-built receiver with some punch to his game. He plays with a physical force and isn’t afraid to run through contact. In contested catch situations, he knows how to high-point the ball and use his strong frame to box out defenders. Even more impressive than his power, however, is his speed and acceleration. Though he’s not often used in the return game, he’s been effective there in a limited sample, including scoring a punt return touchdown as a freshman. His ability to stop and start on a dime is a big reason why.
Burden is incredibly dynamic after the catch, for a variety of reasons. He has excellent body control, translating to agility in space, both in his routes and after the catch. When he has the ball in his hands, he’s at his best and he should thrive in the NFL when given opportunities to create after the catch. He has exceptional vision, allowing him to break down zone coverages and find holes in the defense for big gains. It’s a deadly combination of speed control, fluidity and intelligence that makes him tough for cornerbacks to guard.
Although Burden is a versatile and accomplished receiver, he’s not a particularly adept route runner. His routes tend to be choppy and undisciplined. That might fly in college, but in the NFL, he’ll need to become more precise to succeed. He’s not going to dominate in the NFL through his pure speed or athleticism. That’s not an indictment on Burden, few players can succeed at that level without further refining their game.
Ultimately, Burden is an elite after-the-catch threat with sure hands and a physical profile that will entice NFL teams. Route running is an area he needs to grow in, but he’ll have that opportunity this season. I have a first-round grade on him, and he could very well push to be a top-ten pick in April’s draft. Without improvement in his route running, he could slip toward the back end of the first round, however. He has a wider range of outcomes than you might expect, and this college season will be important for him to stamp out any doubts scouts might have.
3: Elic Ayomanor, Stanford
A Canadian speedster with a sprinter’s background, Ayomanor may not be a household name yet, but he’s an incredibly dangerous football player. After redshirting in 2021, he suffered a major knee injury that ended his 2022 season almost before it began and required extensive recovery. As he worked his way back in 2023, he regained his form, and by the end of the season was playing freely and without restrictions. He recorded over 1,000 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns, looking better and better as the season went on. 2024 will be his redshirt junior season, as he looks to break out in a major way across college football.
Even coming back from injury, Ayomanor’s athleticism popped on film. When he wants to blow past defenders, he will. He can get up to top speed quickly and outrun the secondary, whether that’s to get behind them on a route or with the ball in his hands. He has soft hands with good grip strength, able to pluck the ball out of the air from a variety of angles and positions. As a contested catch receiver, he’s confident and decisive, showcasing good timing and an innate feel for positioning and beating defenders to the ball.
He’s not simply a deep threat or a savvy possession receiver, either. Ayomanor is strong and competitive, bowling over tacklers on the run and never afraid to stick his nose in as a blocker. When it comes to route running, he plays with a nuance and refinement rare for a prospect of his youth and inexperience. He’s excellent at tracking the ball in the air, and combined with his strong hands, it makes him a safe target for quarterbacks, even in less-than-ideal situations.
Although he can accelerate quickly, he struggles to decelerate with the same ease. Deceleration is arguably an even more important skill, as it lets receivers gain separation on routes and shake tacklers in the open field. As a result, Ayomanor sometimes struggles to create separation, particularly in quick, short routes designed for quick hits. Like many other receivers of his size, Ayomanor often lives in traffic and in contested situations, and he can be a little too comfortable with that.
Ayomanor is a prototypical X-receiver with superb body control and a natural feel for the game. He’s young, but already so advanced in the nuances of playing receiver. I have a first-round grade on him, though he’ll need to put together a fully healthy season to showcase what he can do at his physical best. Receivers who don’t create tons of separation and thrive on physicality have a mixed track record in the NFL, but Ayomanor sets himself apart in the other areas of his game. A big 2024 could vault him to the top half of the first round.
4: Travis Hunter, Colorado
Though we’ve talked about Travis Hunter the cornerback, Travis Hunter the wide receiver is a markedly different evaluation. He’s one of the very rare legitimate two-way Division 1 college football players, but NFL teams will likely have him commit to one position in the league. As a receiver, Hunter logged 57 receptions for 721 yards and 5 touchdowns in nine games in 2023, his first at the Power 5 level. It remains unclear whether the NFL views him as more of a corner or receiver, but either way, he should be one of the top prospects in 2025.
At 6-1 and 185, Hunter doesn’t have the strongest build, but he’s incredibly athletic. He can be a true burner in the NFL; he flies past coverages all the time on tape. Speed is his greatest attribute on offense, whether he’s running a route or has the ball in his hands. Colorado recognized he was their biggest threat on offense and prioritized getting him the ball in advantageous situations where he could use his athleticism to create after the catch. He has excellent short-area quickness and agility and can shake most any defender in a phone booth.
Hunter’s experience at cornerback shows up in his tape at receiver. He knows defenders’ tendencies and how to beat varying types of coverages. Against zone, in particular, Hunter is devastating. He is incredibly precise in attacking zones and is too fast for most zone defenders to reliably chase down. When the ball is in the air, he tracks it as well as anyone I’ve scouted. He never loses the ball in the air, and he’s a beast at the catch point. Strong hands, long arms, and savvy timing help him win more than his share of 50/50 balls.
For all of Hunter’s incredible gifts, he isn’t a refined receiver just yet. His route running is imprecise and he doesn’t have much experience beating press coverage. If an NFL team drafts him to be a receiver, he will certainly improve, but he’s unlikely to get that opportunity at Colorado. They know how valuable he is and it would surprise me to see them do anything besides continuing to prioritize getting him the ball in space. Additionally, Hunter needs to get stronger and bigger. He can be bullied at the catch point and bigger corners can redirect him — he’s also not great at taking hits.
Hunter is the biggest name in college football and the debate as to whether he should play cornerback or wide receiver in the NFL will rage on all year. As a receiver, Hunter has eye-popping physical gifts and great ball skills. His offensive game isn’t as refined as his defensive game, however. I still have a first-round grade on Hunter the receiver, though his true draft stock will be more complicated than that. If he does end up playing receiver in the NFL, he can be a devastating threat.
5: Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
Egbuka is a sturdy slot receiver entering his senior year at Ohio State. Originally a five-star recruit, he played sparingly his freshman season behind a ridiculously loaded core of Buckeyes receivers that included first-round picks Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Marvin Harrison Jr. He broke out in a big way in his sophomore season, totaling 74 catches, 1,151 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns. Unfortunately, he struggled through an injury-riddled year in 2023, only managing 515 yards on 41 receptions.
Egbuka elected to forgo the draft and return to Ohio State for his senior year to boost his draft stock. Once thought of as a premiere wide receiver prospect, Egbuka can reclaim that reputation with a bounce-back season.
Though his skills best translate to the slot in the NFL, Egbuka has played both on the inside and the outside in college. This versatility will only help him as he adjusts to the league. At 6-1, 206, he possesses ideal size and length for an NFL receiver. He’ll hold up well against physical corners, and he’s plenty capable of dishing out some hits himself. He plays with intensity and aggressiveness in all areas of the game, bullying defenders after the catch and laying down some heat when he blocks. At the catch point, Egbuka uses his long arms to reel in off-target passes and maximize his catch radius.
For a man of his size, Egbuka has elite movement skills. He accelerates quickly and is one of the fastest receivers in this class, routinely smoking defenders on his routes. Smooth hips and choppy feet make him incredibly versatile in his routes. He glides in and out of breaks, cutting on a dime to lose his man and rapidly pivoting to extend throwing windows. Egbuka has excellent feel against zone coverages, routinely finding soft spots in the zones to settle down and provide his quarterback with a target.
For as physically talented as Egbuka is, he isn’t very effective beating press coverage. This limitation to his game will mean he’ll largely be restricted to the slot in the NFL. This lowers his value to most teams, as outside receivers are rarely unable to also play in the slot. Egbuka’s had his share of drops over the years, and he isn’t great on contested catches. He needs to improve his hands — becoming a more consistent catcher across the board is the simplest way for him to boost his stock.
Entering the 2023 college football season, Egbuka was considered the WR2 in the 2024 class by many evaluators. Though his stock has fallen after an inconsistent season, he can put himself among the top receivers in this class if he can return to form in 2024. I have a late first-round grade on him now, as I believe he can be one of the NFL’s best slot receivers right away. It’s rare to see Egbuka’s combination of size, agility, speed and power in a single slot receiver. It makes him exceptionally dangerous, and we’ve seen how impactful slot receivers can be in recent years.
Best of the rest
6 — Isaiah Bond, Texas: Devastating speedster with great hands and inside/outside versatility.
7 — Deion Burks, Oklahoma: A transfer from Purdue with elite, game-breaking speed. Smaller player, likely limited to the slot.
8 — Evan Stewart, Oregon: Undersized receiver, precise route runner with great hands.
9 — Tory Horton, Colorado State: Prototypical X-receiver with great contested catch ability and soft hands.
10 — Tre Harris, Ole Miss: Speedster receiver with good size, plays physical at all levels of the field.
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