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Justin's projections and analysis for rookie wide receivers in the 2025 NFL Draft. Middle-round running back breakdowns including Tre Harris, Jalen Royals, Jack Bech, and more.
The days to the NFL Draft keep ticking away. Pretty soon, it will be April 24, and the biggest names will be walking across the stage to start their NFL careers.
But the draft is about more than Day 1. You find your star players on the first day, but you build your roster out on the second and third days. That's where you find key depth pieces to help take your team to the next level.
Here are projections for which wide receivers will be taken in the middle of rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft.
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Third Round Wide Receivers
Tre Harris - Ole Miss
Of every receiver listed in this article, Tre Harris feels the most likely to sneak into the second round. He's coming off a strong season at Ole Miss, catching 60 passes for 1,030 yards and seven touchdowns despite playing in just eight games.
Harris has the ideal NFL size and should be able to make an impact as a possession receiver. There are quicker players in this class, but Harris can create separation through his footwork and route running.
Jack Bech - TCU
TCU's Jack Bech is a big, strong receiver who will use his size and toughness to make tough catches at the next level, but there are plenty of concerns about the 6-foot-1 wideout.
Jack Bech is a WR prospect in the 2025 draft class. He scored a 9.51 RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 187 out of 3815 WR from 1987 to 2025.https://t.co/rMRzcRNWcd pic.twitter.com/kUs0adacIx
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 12, 2025
Namely, is Bech fast enough to stick in the NFL? He's willing to go out there and do whatever a team needs to do to win, but he's not going to run away from defenders, and he's probably not going to get consistent separation. He'll be at his best if he can come out of the slot and make plays in the middle of the field in the short and medium passing game.
Jaylin Noel - Iowa State
Jaylin Noel will likely see his teammate Jayden Higgins go off the board in the second round, but the Cyclone product won't have to wait too much longer beyond that to hear his name called.
Noel has great footwork that allows him to get open even though he isn't the fastest athlete on the field, but he has to improve on catching the ball once it gets to him, as drops have been an issue. If he can clean things up, he can be a starting slot receiver in the NFL.
Jalen Royals - Utah State
You always have to worry a little about the level of competition when considering a player from outside the power conference. It's notable that Jalen Royals's two worst games last year were against USC and Utah.
Still, Royals — whose season ended early because of a foot injury — has a chance to be an impact player in the NFL. He's capable of breaking off big gains after the catch and makes good use of space.
Fourth Round Wide Receivers
Xavier Restrepo - Miami
Xavier Restrepo is limited by his frame. The 5-foot-10 wide receiver will almost certainly be limited to playing out of the slot in the NFL, which lowers his upside since he lacks the versatility to play outside.
However, he's a precise route-runner who can be a key part of an NFL passing game, even if he's mostly just moving the chains on underneath routes. He's a smart player who knows how to make positive plays.
Savion Williams - TCU
Savion Williams has the talent to be taken earlier than this, but he's struggled with consistency and feels like a project at the next level.
Williams has the size and versatility to be a major weapon in the NFL, but he struggles with his hands and precision. Until he can fix those issues, he's likely just going to be a bit of a gadget player, someone who a team will scheme to get the ball in space in short-yardage situations.
Tory Horton - Colorado State
Tory Horton's 2024 season lasted just six games before a knee injury sidelined him. If it wasn't for the injury concerns and a lack of senior-year tape, he'd likely sneak into Day 2.
Tory Horton. Pro rep.
Hand swiping in stem, subtle stab late, stack CB. Lovely. This dude knows how to play WR.
Oh yea.. vs CB Will Johnson 1on1 pic.twitter.com/L5trt7y8nN
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) March 21, 2025
Horton led the Mountain West in receiving yards in 2022 and receptions in 2023. He has the speed to be a major deep threat in the NFL, but he has to develop his strength a bit more to beat more physical corners.
Ricky White III - UNLV
Ricky White is one of my favorite sleepers in this draft class. The UNLV product enters the league off back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons for the Rebels.
He might fall farther down draft boards than originally expected. Most hype around him surrounded his ability to impact the field in the vertical passing game, but he ran just a 4.61 40-yard dash at the combine.
Personally, I think that was just a bad day. He ran a 4.44 at UNLV's pro day and his game tape sure doesn't look like a guy who only runs a 4.61.
Fifth Round Wide Receivers
Tez Johnson - Oregon
The 5-foot-10 Tez Johnson has the explosiveness you want to see out of an NFL receiver, but his frame leads to concerns about how well he can impact the field. Will he be able to stand up to the increased physicality of playing NFL football, or will he make his living as a return specialist?
Pat Bryant - Illinois
Pat Bryant is an interesting player to consider at the next level because there are some things he's really good at, like using his size to go up and make contested catches, but then there are a ton of questions about his game.
The biggest question is if he has the necessary game speed to make an impact as a perimeter receiver in the NFL. Acrobatic catches are a lot harder to make against NFL defenses, so he has to figure out how to get consistent separation. Can he do that?
Kyle Williams - Washington State
Kyle Williams finally had his breakout season in 2024, catching 70 passes for 1,198 yards and 14 touchdowns for the Cougars. His 17.1 yards per catch were the best mark of his career.
Washington State WR Kyle Williams might be the most underrated player in this draft 📈
▪️Dynamic play speed
▪️Competitive at the catch point
▪️Super slippery YAC threat
▪️Precise/refined footwork🎥: Here’s 2 minutes of sick highlights from this past season 👇 pic.twitter.com/CyVBFZv0uw
— The Draft Room (@TheDraftRoomNFL) April 8, 2025
Williams has the speed to make big plays against NFL defenses and should be able to find space in the deep passing game. The key word there is "should," though. He lacks the frame and needed physicality to win at the line of scrimmage, so he'll need to become really good at finding soft spots in zone coverage.
Arian Smith - Georgia
Arian Smith might be the biggest mystery of this entire NFL Draft. After switching full-time to wide receiver at the very end of his high school career, Smith needed time to develop at Georgia, where he was mostly just a benchwarmer for four years until finally getting a shot in 2024.
He impressed a lot with that shot, catching 48 passes for 817 yards and four touchdowns. Smith's a speedy wideout who can break off big plays, but he still needs to work at every aspect of the position if he wants to stick in the NFL.
Isaiah Bond - Texas*
Originally, I projected Isaiah Bond to be selected in the fourth round. The 5-foot-11 receiver is one of the best athletes among all the wide receivers in this class. If he has the ball in his hands, he can make huge plays.
But he also lacks much in the size and strength department, limiting his upside. You can be the fastest guy in the world, but if you can't make contested catches or block, you won't stick in the NFL for long.
That's not why Bond was pushed down to the fifth round, though. Earlier this month, Bond was arrested on sexual assault charges. That will likely cause concern among NFL general managers, especially when Bond's not a sure thing as a prospect.
(Not that "being a sure thing" should excuse sexual assault allegations — it's simply just the truth that NFL GMs will look past severe character concerns if they're convinced a player can help them win.)
Bond could go anywhere at this point, from Round 3 all the way down to...Round 6? Someone will draft him, but the off-field concerns introduce plenty of uncertainty into the mix.
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