As we at Pewter Report continue to give you as much 2025 NFL Draft coverage as possible, I am going to put out my own rankings periodically by position group, primarily focusing on the Bucs’ needs. While I have focused mainly on defense so far, wide receiver is one of my favorite positions to scout, so let’s switch it up a bit and focus on the offense here.
2025 NFL Draft Wide Receivers
Tier One
Just one receiver makes it into tier one for me. Travis Hunter from Colorado is an incredibly smart and cerebral player in the body of a special athlete. When you look at everything you would want a receiver to do, he checks almost every box. He can win above the rim with really good hands and plays through contact as someone you feel comfortable with playing physically. He can create room both before the throw through separation and after the catch with creativity.
Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter – Photo by: USA Today
Tier Two
Two players make it into my tier two. Emeka Egbuka out of Ohio State reminds me so much of Chris Godwin circa pre-2020. He’s a smooth mover with flashes of explosiveness when he transitions from catcher to runner. He’s the best route runner in the class and may have the best hands, especially in catch on contact situations.
Washington State’s Kyle Williams is an electric mover with fantastic foot speed to accelerate and decelerate quickly. That footwork also helps him beat jams at the line. His breaks in and out of the stem are quick and efficient and he can be a manufactured touch guy who hits home runs.
Tier Three
Jack Bech is another ChrisGodwin comp for me, but a more recent version of Godwin that has lost some of his original athleticism. But Bech is a workhorse receiver who can keep the chains moving as a safe, underneath option that can make catch on collision catches over the middle. He can also transition from receiver to angry runner, breaking tackles while creating additional yards after the catch.
TCU WR Jack Bech – Photo by: USA Today
Luther Burden III is a true boom-or-bust prospect with big movement traits to create with the ball in his hands from multiple alignments and elite acceleration and long speed. But he will need to improve as a route runner by learning the nuance of the position in order to actually make it in the NFL. For Burden, the want-to will be the biggest factor for his success as the next level.
Tier Four
Two highly regarded receivers both fall to tier four on my board. Matthew Golden out of Texas and Tetairoa McMillan from Arizona are consensus top four receivers across most of the draft community. I am lower on both. Golden’s 4.29 40-yard dash doesn’t show up on his tape, and I think he can get bodied by bigger corners. Both he and McMillan don’t excel after the catch. And I think McMillan’s release will struggle at the NFL level.
But in terms of what they do well, Golden is a smooth runner with good route running. His hands have improved in the last year as well. McMillan’s hands and body control should give him a high floor.
Tier Five
I am much higher on Maryland’s Tai Felton than most. His early 2024 tape was fantastic, and he was averaging over 3.00 yards per route run before he suffered a Week 5 injury that sapped a lot of his speed and caused him to develop drop issues for the first time in his career. But his ball tracking, route running and after-catch creativity make him an intriguing candidate who will probably go Day 3.
Maryland WR Tai Felton Photo by: USA Today
Trey Harris out of Ole Miss is a prototypical X receiver who can win downfield with speed, ball tracking and hands at the top of the jump. For teams that want someone who can add a downfield element to their offense, Harris can be a great add.
Roles
Looking across the three prototypical receiver types: X, F, and Z these players would stack thusly.
X (Split End)
- Travis Hunter – Tier One
- Tetairoa McMillan – Tier Four
- Trey Harris – Tier Five
F (Slot)
- Emeka Egbuka – Tier Two
- Jack Bech – Tier Three
Z (Flanker)
- Kyle Williams – Tier Two (Williams can also play X in a pinch)
- Luther Burden III – Tier Three
- Matthew Golden – Tier Four
- Tai Felton – Tier Five