NFL Draft season is upon us. Every year around this time, Jim Nagy (executive director of the Reese’s Senior Bowl) rounds up a talented group of college players to head down to Mobile to improve their NFL draft stock at the Reese’s Senior Bowl. Over the years, we’ve had plenty of diamonds in the rough emerge as fantasy stars from this wonderful event.
Marrying stats and film, I dusted off the prospect notebook and dove into the skill sets for this year’s group of NFL hopefuls. Dynasty rookie drafts will be here before you know. Now is the time to get a jump on your league mates and study up on these prospects.
It will be a glorious week of football content to reignite your NFL Draft fires. The 2025 NFL Draft starts in Mobile. Let’s check out a few players to monitor as you prepare for your 2025 dynasty rookie drafts.
- 2025 NFL Draft Guide
- 2025 NFL Draft Scouting Reports
- 2025 NFL Mock Drafts
- Dynasty Mock Draft Simulator
Dynasty Rookie Draft Advice: Wide Receivers
Wide Receivers
Jaylin Noel (Iowa State)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 29th
- PFF receiving grade: 26th
- 2023 (FBS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 36th
- PFF receiving grade: 84th
Scouting report:
- Noel is an impressive route runner. He adds subtle jab steps, pacing shakeups, and head fakes to his routes. Noel was primarily a slot receiver in college (72.7% slot), but he also has the skills to win from the perimeter. Noel can also win downfield and has solid ball tracking.
- Noel attacks defenders with a varied release package. He has smooth, easy acceleration with the raw speed to nail big plays downfield. He can pull away from corners in routes and in the open field.
- Noel plays through contact well. He has the upper body strength and the route skills to beat physical corners and press coverage. Noel flashed an increasingly dependable set of hands in college, with a 4.8% drop rate in his final season and a 52% contested catch rate.
- His play strength shows up at the catch point as he has more than a few snags with multiple defenders competing with him for the ball. He attacks the ball outside of his frame with aggressive hands.
Player Comp: Khalil Shakir
Elic Ayomanor (Stanford)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 137th
- PFF receiving grade: 84th
- aDOT: 50th (14.2)
- 2023 (FBS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 78th
- PFF receiving grade: 64th
- aDOT: 59th (14.1)
Scouting report:
- Ayomanor adds many of the little details to his routes that you look for with strong route runners. He has some variance in his release packages. He has good pacing and bend in his routes against zone coverage. He has a quick first step off the line and at the top of his stem with comebacks and curls.
- He still has some areas in his route running that he can improve upon with leverage and timing. Ayomanor will telegraph his breaks at the top of his stem at times. He can also create more late separation with corners by selling his vertical push better or utilizing leverage better with in and out-breaking routes. Overall, he has a solid down-to-down attack plan against secondaries. The little nuances added to his game could help take it to the next level.
- Ayomanor isn’t a dynamic YAC threat. He can produce some YAC with his physicality and quick feet, but it won’t be a hallmark of his game in the NFL.
- He has solid hands despite an 8.7% drop rate over the last two seasons. Ayomanor does lose some balls in 50/50 situations or after physical hits from corners. With his play strength flashing in other areas of his game, this is something he can improve upon in the NFL.
- Ayomanor separates well late against zone coverage overall. He sinks his hips well and gears down quickly for a receiver of his size. Ayomanor also will flash the occasional special play as he adjusts to targets outside of his frame with some one-handed snags or back shoulder grabs.
Player Comp: Michael Wilson
Jayden Higgins (Iowa State)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 27th
- PFF receiving grade: 1st
- 2023 (FBS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 16th
- PFF receiving grade: 18th
Scouting report:
- Physical X wide receiver. Higgins’ play strength shows up in his routes and against press. He has no issues playing through contact and dealing with physical corners. It shows up consistently at the catch point, as he had a 2.2% drop rate or lower in each of the last three seasons and a 55.6% contested catch rate in college.
- Higgins excels in the short/intermediate areas of the field with surprisingly nimble footwork for his size. He gets open at will on slants and out routes where his footwork shines, and he can use his size to box out corners. I wouldn’t be surprised if he were to transition to big slot in the NFL. If Sean Payton drafts him don’t be surprised if his turns him into Michael Thomas 2.0.
- Higgins has a decent second gear, but I question his long speed. I wonder in the NFL if he has the raw speed to stack corners on the perimeter downfield consistently. Higgins has plenty of route nuance in the short and intermediate routes, but he has to continue to add tricks to the bag as a downfield receiver. He struggles to get separation on go routes, but he wasn’t asked to run them much at Iowa State. Higgins also needs to sell the vertical push on comebacks and curls consistently. He’ll get lax here at times, and it leaves corners glued to him after his route break.
- He has nice body control in the air and some nice back-shoulder grabs, especially in the red zone. His strong hands and ability above the rim should help him on the perimeter and in the red zone in the NFL.
- Higgins isn’t a dynamic YAC threat. He looks more like an athletic tight end after the catch. He can provide some YAC, though, with his physicality with tackle-breaking.
Player Comp: developmental Michael Thomas
Jalen Royals (Utah State)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS/FCS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 30th
- PFF receiving grade: 69th
- 2023 (FBS/FCS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 81st
- PFF receiving grade: 36th
- Career
- Averaged 166.5 receiving yards per game across his final four collegiate games.
- Has a 64.1% collegiate contested catch rate
Scouting report:
- Royals is a fluid mover. He makes everything look easy, from his in-route adjustments to his accelerating and deceleration. His RAC ability jumps out immediately from his film. As soon as he has the ball in his hands, he is off to the races. Royals gets up to top speed almost instantly.
- His physical strength is easy to see in a number of ways. Royals is a load to bring down. He had 17 missed tackles forced last year with only 55 receptions. He cuts through defenders as a runner, effortlessly shedding tacklers. He plays well through contact with many routes, but he does have some issues with physical corners.
- Royals has a good understanding of using his physical skills to his benefit, especially on slants and other in-breaking routes. The area where I have questions is his release package. He was able to win due to his speed and strong body positioning on many routes. With go routes, he didn’t flash a deep release package tool belt attempting to run by corners. He has the speed to do so, but he’ll need more than that in the NFL, though. I can’t wait to see him in 1-on-1s in Mobile and see what his release package looks like unfurled. He has to add more in-route nuance as well. He doesn’t have many pacing variations or film where he creates equations in the middle of his routes for corners to have to solve.
- Royals’ body control and hands are impressive. With Utah State’s quarterback play not being stellar, he had to adjust to plenty of passes outside of his frame. He aggressively attacks the ball away from his frame. He did have a drop rate of 5.2% or higher in each of his final two seasons in college, but I’m not overly concerned about it. Plenty of his drops were of the concentration variety or adjusting to difficult ball placement.
Player Comp: Quincy Enunwa
Jack Bech (TCU)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 46th
- PFF receiving grade: 17th
- MTF: 22nd
- Career
- Transferred from LSU to TCU for his final two seasons of collegiate football.
- Played 71.8% of his snaps from the perimeter in his final season (66.3-95.7% slot the three previous years).
- 2024: Among 50 wideouts with at least 20 contested targets, he ranked fourth in catch rate.
Scouting report:
- Bech is a DAWG! A tone-setter for a team and locker room. He doesn’t take any plays off. Bech is running full-speed routes even when the play design doesn’t include him. He blocks his A%$ off every snap. He’ll be a happy addition to any NFL team’s run game.
- In 2021, at LSU, Bech played 125 snaps at tight end. I wonder if he will switch back to tight end in the NFL. His movement skills remind me of an athletic tight end after the catch. His athleticism and receiving skills at tight end would make me quite a bit higher regarding his NFL prospects.
- As a perimeter wide receiver, Bech’s physical limitations show up immediately. He isn’t the fastest or twitchiest player on the field. He has the strength in the upper and lower halves to beat press coverage, break tackles after the catch, and play through contact.
- Bech’s release package needs tools added to the belt. He has a good feel against zone, finds the soft spots, and is a friendly target for his quarterbacks. Bech will have to rely upon his play strength in-route and at the catch point against press/man. His skills as a route technician and his average burst/speed will leave plenty of NFL corners glued to him.
- Bech has a wonderfully dependable set of hands. He wins consistently at the catch point with strong hands as he attacks the ball. He has only two drops over the last three seasons and at least a 50% contested catch rate in each collegiate season. Last year, among 50 FBS wide receivers with at least 20 contested targets, he ranked fourth in catch rate.
Player Comp: Mack Hollins
Xavier Restrepo (Miami)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 42nd
- PFF receiving grade: 15th
- 2023 (FBS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 24th
- PFF receiving grade: 12th
Scouting report:
- Restrepo is a scrappy sparkplug. He can be a tone-setter for an offense with his energy. He’s always willing to stick his nose in a run play and hit a guy. He’ll chip for his quarterback during scramble drills. The edge and energy he plays with can be felt by just watching his film.
- Restrepo has nice body control. He can adjust to plenty of errant throws outside of his frame. He can play above the rim some.
- It’s nothing to see Restrepo make a tough catch in traffic. He plays with no fear in traffic, securing targets with defenders bearing down him at the catch point. Restrepo had a 61.5% contested catch rate last year.
- Restrepo has a nice second gear in the open field. When he hits the pedal to the metal, he can leave corners in the dust. Don’t underrate his short-area quickness, either. He’ll cross guys over off the line, breaking ankles and creating early separation. He’s a solid YAC threat, ranking 28th in YAC per reception and tenth in YAC last year.
- He has solid route pacing and understands where to sit it down against zone coverage.
Player Comp: Cole Beasley
Savion Williams (TCU)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 94th
- PFF receiving grade: 145th
- MTF: 22nd
- 2023 (FBS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 171st
- PFF receiving grade: 112th
- Career
- In 2024: 322 rushing yards (six scores, 6.3 ypc)
Scouting report:
- A physical specimen. Easy, immediate speed from the snap. He isn’t the most twitchy player, but he has a quick first step off the line and smooth footwork when asked to gear down and drop his hips or at the top of his route stem. He has good bend on in-breaking routes.
- Williams was a manufactured touch king at TCU, with screens, handoffs, and Wildcat quarterback snaps. The TCU coaching staff focused on getting Williams involved in various ways every game.
- Williams has more than a few concentration drops on film, with at least an 11% drop rate in three of his final collegiate seasons. Overall, I’m not worried about his hands, as many of these are of the concentration variety. A better measuring stick for his mitts is his 75% contested catch rate in college.
- He has no issues keeping his focus with 50/50 balls in the air or passes outside of his frame. The ball placement from his quarterbacks at TCU didn’t do him any favors. He was forced to adjust to plenty of inaccurate targets. Williams is a nice red zone threat with the size to box out smaller corners.
- Williams should be eased into a full-time traditional wide receiver role in the NFL. He has the traits to become a needle-moving wide receiver. In the limited snaps where he faced physical coverage at the line, he exhibited good hand fighting and the play strength to fight through it in his routes and earn separation, but it was a small sample.
Player Comp: More refined Cordarrelle Patterson
Tez Johnson (Oregon)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 31st
- PFF receiving grade: 8th
- YAC per reception: 25th
- 2023 (FBS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 4th
- PFF receiving grade: 10th
- YAC per reception: 11th
- Career
- 87% slot
- 2.85 career YPRR (two seasons with 3.45 YPRR or higher)
Scouting report:
- Johnson was a manufactured touch player at Oregon. He was utilized in motion, bunch formations, and from the backfield (27 snaps in 2024) to get him free releases. Over the last two seasons, he has ranked 26th and eighth in screen targets among wideouts. Last year, screens comprised 51.7% of his target volume (23rd-highest mark).
- Johnson was tasked with plenty of stop routes, leaks out of the backfield, curls, and five-yard out routes. He faced mostly off-coverage in college. Johnson was able to win with speed and quickness. When corners could run with him and chose to press him at the line, they had little issue hanging in his back pocket through his route.
- Johnson deploys a similar shimmy and shake off the line and at the top of his route breaks when he works to gain separation. This caught some corners in college who lacked the foot speed to hang with him, but I worry it won’t be enough in the NFL. His release package off the line and in-route nuances are limited. Johnson could be deployed in the NFL in a similar manner that Oregon used him, but he will have to grow as a route runner and separator to deal with man, press, or playing any on the perimeter.
- His lack of size and physicality shows up in his routes and at the catch point. It doesn’t take much for a corner to push him off his route.
Player Comp: Keke Coutee
Kyren Lacy (LSU)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 125th
- PFF receiving grade: 108th
- Career
- Transfer from Louisiana-Lafayette before the 2022 season. Didn’t have more than 50 targets in a collegiate season until 2024.
Scouting report:
- Lacy is a strong route runner. He adds plenty of tiny nuance to routes that invites indecision in the head of opposing corners with jab steps, head fakes, and subtle fakes. He sells the vertical push element in his stems quite well before snapping off comebacks and curls.
- Lacy has easy fluidity and change of direction in his routes. He can change directions subtly in his routes while losing little speed. While he might not have elite long speed, he has strong short-area acceleration that allows for early separation in his routes.
- Physical corners can give him fits. He needs to use his upper body strength more effectively to fight through press.
- For all of the strengths of his game, Lacy lacks strength at the catch point (36.5% contested catch rate in college). He is a strong separator and needs that clean environment at the catch point. He also has issues with securing the football. His 11.5% drop rate in college is an eyesore. Drops aren’t a problem for many receivers until they are, and well…they definitely are for Lacy. His drop rate was at least 9.1% in every collegiate season.
Player Comp: Tre’Quan Smith
Pat Bryant (Illinois)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 18th
- PFF receiving grade: 7th
- Career
- 80.5% of his collegiate snaps from the perimeter
Scouting report:
- Bryant is a big-bodied physical receiver. His play strength shows up continually in his film. He fights through contact well in his routes, is a bully after the catch (13 missed tackles forced with only 54 receptions), and is strong at the catch point (69.2% contested catch rate last year).
- Bryant’s raw speed is questionable. He has build-up speed that is best displayed on posts and deep overs. He looks clunky in his routes at times, running like he has cement in his shoes.
- Bryant displays the ability to stack corners, but I worry that against better competition, he could lack the raw speed and route nuance to consistently stack corners at the next level. He has to continue to add releases to the tool belt and refine his footwork at the top of his stems. His release package at this juncture is limited.
- He has issues sinking his hips consistently and decelerating quickly to create late separation. He has the play strength and solid hands to win 50/50 balls, but that could be a realm he lives in constantly in the NFL.
Player Comp: Jake Bobo
Tai Felton (Maryland)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 57th
- PFF receiving grade: 37th
- 2023 (FBS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 148th
- PFF receiving grade: 212th
Scouting report:
- Felton excels against zone coverage as an underneath weapon for a passing attack. He has good bend, fluidity, and quick twitch in his routes. He gains separation on slants, outs, comebacks, and curls well. His short area quickness serves him well at the top of his stems.
- I wouldn’t be surprised to see Felton move inside to the slot in the NFL (76.8% perimeter in college). When he’s asked to stretch the field, things can go awry. His go routes lack nuance as he struggles to separate. His release package on go balls is limited. He doesn’t have the raw speed to stack corners and struggles at the catch point. Corners don’t have an issue living in his back pocket.
- Felton isn’t a “my ball” winner at the catch point. This is where his play strength limitations can show up, with a 38.5% contested catch rate in college. He has had a 5.9% or higher drop rate in each of the last two seasons. I don’t think he has issues with his catch technique, but he does have lapses in concentration at the catch point at times.
Player Comp: Cedrick Wilson
Jaylin Lane (Virginia Tech)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 172nd
- PFF receiving grade: 162nd
- 2023 (FBS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 152nd
- PFF receiving grade: 78th
- Career
- 84.6-90% slot rate at Virginia Tech
Scouting report:
- At Virginia Tech, Lane was fed a constant diet of screens, schemed touches, and opportunities in motion. He was gifted volume with free releases. Lane will operate in a similar role in the NFL while running his routes from the slot.
- When operating as a slot receiver, it was primarily slants, deep overs, and out routes. He has the short-area quickness and nose for the holes in zone defense to be an effective NFL slot option.
- Lane offers some YAC upside with a running-back mentality in the open field. He has more upside as a YAC option if he can invoke more of the quick twitch he utilizes in his routes into his RAC game. Lane isn’t an elite tackle breaker, but he can run through poor wraps and slip poor angled attempts.
Player Comp: Wan’Dale Robinson
Bru McCoy (Texas)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 193rd
- PFF receiving grade: 204th
Scouting report:
- McCoy is a big-bodied wide receiver with build-up speed but a quick first step off the line. This allows him the ability to uncover quickly on short area routes like slants and drags. He faced a lot of off-coverage in college and had no issues gaining separation against it. His gear down at the top of his routes still needs some work in terms of consistency.
- He ran a ton of curls and in-breaking routes in college. His route tree was more limited and will have to expand in the NFL. When McCoy was tasked with go routes, he would routinely try to win with just speed, but he doesn’t have the raw juice to do so consistently in the NFL. I would have loved to see McCoy utilized more on posts, corners, and deep overs, where he could have accessed his build-up speed and utilized his size more.
- McCoy had issues with physical corners who could press him and run with him. He needs to utilize his upper body strength versus press better. He has the footwork and necessary short-area agility to improve in this area.
- McCoy doesn’t offer much in the realm of YAC. He had only 4.9 yards after the catch per reception in college. He’s more of a possession receiver.
- Overall, he has decent hands. When the catch point is clean, he has been solid. He had a 5.1% drop rate in college, which isn’t overly concerning, with plenty of those being concentration-related, but when the catch point is muddy, he does have issues. McCoy isn’t a bully ball receiver, with less than a 43% contested catch rate in each of the last two seasons.
Player Comp: J.J. Arcega-Whiteside
Da’Quan Felton (Virginia Tech)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 217th
- PFF receiving grade: 255th
- 2023 (FBS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 114th
- PFF receiving grade: 202nd
Scouting report: N/A (no all-22 available)
Player Comp: N/A
Isaac TeSlaa (Arkansas)
Stats:
- 2024 (only 36 targets)*
- Yards per route run: 1.99
- PFF receiving grade: 70.6
- 2023 (FBS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 277th
- PFF receiving grade: 262nd
Scouting report: N/A (no all-22 available)
Player Comp: N/A
Chimere Dike (Florida)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 62nd
- PFF receiving grade: 126th
(only 37 targets in 2023)*
- 2022 (FBS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 73rd
- PFF receiving grade: 77th
Scouting report: N/A (no all-22 available)
Player Comp: N/A
Kyle Williams (Washington State)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 23rd
- PFF receiving grade: 21st
Scouting report: N/A (no all-22 available)
Player Comp: N/A
Jamaal Pritchett (South Alabama)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS/FCS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 4th
- PFF receiving grade: 6th
Scouting report: N/A (no all-22 available)
Player Comp: N/A
Arian Smith (Georgia)
Stats:
- 2024 (FBS WRs, minimum 50 targets)
- Yards per route run: 126th
- PFF receiving grade: 249th
Scouting report: N/A (no all-22 available)
Player Comp: N/A
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