Joe DeLeone and Ryan Roberts share who they have as the 10 Wide Receivers In The 2025 NFL Draft. They discuss top names like Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan, Missouri's Luther Burden, Ohio State's Emeka Egbuka, and Texas' Matthew Golden
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00:00Is Ted Aroa McMillan, Luther Burden, or Matthew Golden the number one receiver in the 2025 NFL
00:06Draft? We reveal the real ordering for this class in today's video.
00:14Brian, this wide receiver class might not live up to the typical expectations that we have to have
00:19a future superstar, but there's plenty of quality names. We've got three tiers today,
00:24tier three being guys that are key rotational receivers that will carve out roles on rosters
00:29if they play to their potential. Tier two is quality starters that will start as a second or third
00:34receiver in an offense. And then lastly, we have tier one, which is plus starter, guys that will
00:39be important for a team's offense, but no blue chip prospects today as we don't have anybody that
00:44will be otherworldly that will go on to be a consistent perennial All-Pro. Doesn't mean that
00:50these guys can't end up having great careers. Tier three, we have at number 10, Jack Besh from TCU.
00:58Number nine, we have Isaiah Bond from Texas. Number eight, we have Trey Harris from Ole Miss. I think
01:05that we're a little low on Trey Harris compared to like everybody else who really loves him. He was
01:10super productive this year, but eight feels pretty fitting, which is about a third round grade.
01:16I like Trey Harris and what he brings to the table. I think that he played a little bit more with better
01:21pace in 2024 compared to 2023. I thought his route running at Ole Miss this past year was a lot better
01:26than it was previously. I just, Joe, I just think we're dealing with a pretty average athlete, right?
01:31Like for NFL standards. Doesn't mean that he can't play. Obviously he's a key rotational player in these
01:35rankings. So I think he's going to be a good football player, but if we're rejecting him to be a
01:38high-end wide receiver two or potentially a wide receiver one in offense, like I just, I just don't see
01:43that personally, man. I, I want to backtrack here though for the best stuff because I just want you to
01:47highlight him personally. He was a little bit low on my list. He's on this ranking because he's super high on
01:53your ranking. So talk about Jack Besh, the former LSU transfer now at TCU.
01:58You had him at 14. I have him at seven. I have a early third round grade on him. I just really like
02:06his consistency with his hands. I thought that he was a very reliable route runner.
02:13I'm not going to do it. I almost made a comp that would have been unholy and I'm not going to do it.
02:18And you know where I'm going with this, but I think that he could really thrive in an offense
02:23in the slot as a big bodied, strong slot player with reliable hands. And I think the senior bowl
02:28showed the production that he could have not on a game to game basis, but in spurts,
02:34he could occasionally have like really big plays because he has great concentration. So
02:38I like Besh, what maybe turns you off on him? Why you're not as high.
02:44You can just, you just see him in a Los Angeles Rams uniform, right? Joe, like you could just see
02:49it. So he was born. I didn't say it. I implied it, but I didn't say it. And I'm not going to,
02:55I hate when people do that where every white dude is Cooper cup, but I'm not going to do it.
03:00But if Besh happened to be a Ram knowing that they covet route running and hands and play strength
03:07in a lot of their receivers, I'm just saying it would be a good fit. Yeah.
03:11Again, don't dislike Besh. He is a mid fourth round grade for me. So don't dislike him at all.
03:20I think you'd be a solid contributor to an offense. It's just, look, I think that when we make these
03:26comps of like these power slots, it is not, it can work. Obviously it has worked for several
03:32different players in the NFL, but it isn't always a perfect formula because athleticism still does
03:37overly matter, right? For the NFL level and translation, I understand it doesn't translate
03:41is it doesn't matter in the translation into a slot receiver comparative to like an X, right?
03:46Like it, there is a different formula to that projection, but I just saw Besh and I thought
03:51he was just pretty solid at most things, but I just didn't see a plush trait. So he was just a
03:56little bit lower for me because I just, I see a sticking point, but I don't know if there's one
04:00elite thing he does that says like, wow, that's what really separates this kid in kind of a crowded
04:04mid tier class of wide receivers. That's fair. I don't think that there's really a lot of sexy
04:11options once we get to date or sorry, not day three, but when we get to like the third round,
04:15we start to really slide in quality names and options. Now LKO manner didn't make our list.
04:22Caden Prather didn't make our list, but they were right on the cusp. They had a very similar consensus
04:27grade to what we had with Besh and a guy like Isaiah bond. Let's move on to tier two. This is our tier
04:33quality starters guys that we think will probably play as a third receiver in an offense that could
04:40have big performances in spurts, but also maybe have that potential to take that step forward of
04:46being super productive thousand yard guy in the NFL. That being Jalen Knoll from Iowa state,
04:52his teammate Jaden Higgins from Iowa state, and then Jalen Royals from Utah state. Let's start with
04:57Jalen Royals first, who we haven't gotten the chance to talk about much on this channel.
05:01I think that Jalen Royals is such a fantastic route runner. He's one of the smoothest players
05:06in this class. And I think that he deserves way more buzz, but he's not getting much because he
05:12didn't finish this season and he played at a G5 program all the way out West.
05:18I think he's one of the more versatile wide receivers in this class. I think he's a guy that
05:22can move all over the place. I think there's going to be some people that like him as a slot because
05:25he's a pretty densely built kid who has some yak potential, but he is a really good route runner.
05:29So I think that he could live outside. And my favorite thing about him though, Joe,
05:33he's really good working down the field, man. He's got some great ball tracking. One of the
05:37best ball trackers in this class. So I think he's a multi-level threat. He might not be a
05:42guy that is going to be a perennial thousand yard receiver as a number one, but I would be very
05:47surprised if Jalen Rose is not at least a high end number three or solid number two on the NFL level.
05:53I think that he is going to be, he reminds me of a guy that would be on the Green Bay Packers for
05:57whatever reason, right? Like he's a Jaden Reed type, a guy that just does a little bit of
06:01everything really well and can be a well-rounded option for a passing attack. I've spoken very
06:07highly of Higgins. You're not on that same page with me completely. I have him as wide receiver five.
06:12I love his athletic profile. I love his build. I think that his ability to transition at a, at the
06:19size that he is at six foot four is very uncanny. It is hard to come by for him to be able to redirect
06:25and run routes the way that he can. And he has pretty good concentration in traffic. I think out
06:30of the, actually, let me be clear here. I don't think that I, that Higgins out of this group has
06:37the best chance of succeeding. I think all three of these guys have strong cases for if they land in
06:41the right system with good quarterbacks could go on to be a thousand yard guys. I'm just so enamored
06:46by Higgins is frame and how he could carve out a role as an outside receiver, as an X for a team
06:53that lacks the length along the boundary. I think that he might have the highest floor in
06:59this group because he does bring something that the other two don't have. And that's the size
07:03components, right? Like he can at least play in an offense and bring a size component that just
07:08might be missing overall. Now the route running is what makes him unique. And I agree with you on
07:14that one. He is one of the more efficient route runners in this class. We literally had Jalen
07:17Knoll on the podcast and he spoke about the route running that he brings to the table talking about
07:22Higgins and kind of the interesting combination of traits that he has. So I think he brings a really
07:28high floor. I think that he is going to be at least a solid to good contributor to the NFL level.
07:33The question is with him floor might be high, but how high is the ceiling for the player like a
07:38Jaden Higgins? Last week with Jalen Knoll, we had him on the channel. He spoke to us. He was a
07:44great interview. We're both obsessed with how he could end up becoming such a, just a really
07:50reliable, strong, compact slot player. And he also spoke on that when we talked to him about
07:56how he, he really takes pride in the physicality with the way that he plays the position.
08:02We almost even debated putting Noel into this upper plus starter category. And there is that
08:07possibility he sneaks into the end of the first round. But Noel to me is just that prototypical
08:12hard nosed slot that we compared to Steve Smith.
08:17He is. And I'm very happy to see because we have a wide receiver five. And I think some people might
08:22look at that and be like, Oh man, that may be a little bit high for a Jalen Knoll, but for in the
08:27beasts, obviously Dane Brugler is great draft guy that he puts out every year. And he talks to a lot
08:31of NFL scouts and a lot of, you know, decision makers on the NFL side. And he also had him at number
08:36five, Joe. So there is a lot of love around the league for Noel. I think that he is a modern slot that can
08:41win a lot of different ways. And I am a huge fan of the opportunity he brings as a slot receiver
08:46that can also play some Z in an offense. Now, tier one is plus starters guys that can go on to
08:51becoming really important players within an offense could even, uh, not only be a team's primary
08:56receiver, but be one of the better receivers in the NFL. We're all chalk here though. This is
09:00basically the general consensus across the media, how we have these top four players. Number four,
09:05Emeka Abuka. Number three, Matthew Golden. Number two, Tett McMillan. And then number one,
09:12Luther Burden. There are just so many different paths for these guys. And I think that for all four,
09:20there are different worlds where they find success, maybe different worlds where they have shortfallings
09:25and their careers don't pan out, but they have the ability to really carve out impacts for different
09:32franchises. Well, and they're all so different, right? Like that's why this ranking is so fun
09:38and unique because you have Luther Byrd, who's kind of the yak dynamo working from the slot. You have
09:42Tett McMillan, who's the skyscraper, who's going to play mostly on the outside. You have Matthew Golden,
09:47who's kind of that Doug Baldwin-esque Z receiver. That's going to be used off the line of scrimmage a
09:52little bit. And then you have Emeka Abuka, who's kind of more of the power slot comparative to what
09:55Luther Burden brings to the table. So they're all such unique and different body types, unique and
10:01different play styles. I think that at top, honestly, Joe, we can talk about raw grades all
10:05we want, but how this group comes off the board at the end of April here is going to be very
10:11dependent on what the team is looking for in a wide receiver. It's pick your poison. It's pick your
10:16flavor of ice cream. Whatever you end up liking is ultimately how this is going to be decided in a
10:20couple of weeks. If we were to pitch, which of these four guys, they're all, they're all very
10:25similarly graded. They're all in that same bunch. I don't, I don't have a single guy that's like
10:29drastically graded higher. I have basically all late first round grades. They're all right at that
10:34late first round grade on my board, the way that I graded them. But if we had to pick one of these
10:39guys who ends up having the highest floor and the highest likelihood of success, who do you think that
10:44would be for you? I think it's Emeka Abuka. I feel like a lot of people have forgotten about just like
10:48how good he is overall. And I think the floor is tremendous because he's a multi-year starter for
10:55Ohio state. He's had a couple thousand yard seasons. He's played with a lot of talent at
10:58Ohio state, but he brings just a lot of good to the table, right? Like he's a good route runner.
11:02He's got a really good feel for space. He wins after the catch. He might not be quite as dynamic as like
11:08a Luther burden athletically in comparison, but what he is, is he's consistent. And you could tell that
11:13he has been tutored by Brian Hartline now for several years and he understands how to play the
11:17wide receiver position. So I had the, if you asked me plant your flag, which one of these guys has the
11:23most easiest path to success, that would be Emeka Abuka for me. I love Emeka Abuka for that pick
11:30because of the, just the concentration, the hands he has found ways to be successful in multiple years
11:36at Ohio state. He's played at a really high level. He's had massive performances when the Buckeyes have
11:41needed him to step up to the plate. I'd also throw in there. I think that Matthew golden speed in route
11:46running in his concentration will at least allow for him to stick around for a very, very long time.
11:51Like if he ends up having like a Brandon cooks type of a career where he's just always counted on
11:57and somebody is trading for him because they need a really good second or third receiver in their
12:01offense. He could end up being that player, but it'll never really turn into a 1500 plus receiver in
12:08the NFL because he just doesn't have that game breaking impact, but just the consistent reliability of
12:14doing everything well, but not at like a crazy elite level. If that, if that makes sense,
12:20it does. Yeah. I mean, my confirm has been Doug Baldwin. I think for people that remember Doug
12:24Baldwin for the Seattle Seahawks, he was always just a really high end wide receiver to did a lot
12:30of things. Well, was good route runner, had really good ball tracking down the field. He was consistent,
12:34but it wasn't necessarily dynamic. And that's what I see with Matthew golden does a lot of things
12:38really well, maybe nothing elites, but in this class, that is not the best wide receiver class,
12:43just in general. I think that's why he has a chance to go off very early in, you know,
12:46very short amount of time now. All right, folks, let us know in the comments. What do you think
12:51of our wide receiver rankings? Hit that like button and subscribe. We'll talk to you later.