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Should you draft Pat Bryant or Jalen Royals in 2025 dynasty fantasy football rookie drafts? Joey Pollizze breaks down the profiles and landing spots for Bryant and Royals.
We are less than three months away from the 2025-2026 NFL season kicking off. That means dynasty rookie drafts will now be in full swing over the next few months. While everyone is most excited about the early rounds, it's the later rounds that could really make a difference for your dynasty team.
Just look at Bucky Irving last year. He wasn't going near the top of 2024 rookie drafts, and many dynasty owners got him in the third or fourth round of drafts. Now, he is one of the best dynasty running backs to own. Two players who could fall under that category in this year's rookie drafts are Pat Bryant and Jalen Royals.
So, should dynasty owners select them in drafts? Did they land in great spots during the 2025 NFL Draft? Let's dive in and find out.
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Pat Bryant College Production, NFL Fit, Outlook
Bryant played all four of his college seasons at Illinois and capped off his college career by posting solid all-around numbers in his senior campaign. After totaling under 600 receiving yards in each of his first three years, the 6-foot-3 wideout caught 54 passes for 984 yards and 10 touchdowns across 12 games in 2024.
It was a strong final season for Bryant, who emerged as the Illini WR1 throughout the year. He had four 100-yard games and caught at least four passes in nine of 12 contests. His best game of the season came later in the year against Rutgers when he caught seven passes for 197 yards and one touchdown.
There's no doubt the Florida native showcased his potential at Illinois last season. He had an impressive 81.5 PFF grade against man coverage and had a solid 69.5% contested catch rate. With 12 deep catches and 386 deep yards, Bryant's ability to stretch the field was surely on display. He averaged 18.2 yards per reception in 2024.
Now, it is important to note that Bryant is not a complete wideout by any means. He ran a slow 4.61 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and has to be more explosive off the line of scrimmage. However, there is potential for the 22-year-old to be a solid wideout in the NFL one day. Luckily, he landed in a great spot with the Denver Broncos.
The Broncos selected Bryant with the 74th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft after passing on the position in the first two rounds. The wide receiver position was surely a big need for Denver entering the draft, and the team selected someone who could play on the outside opposite Courtland Sutton moving forward.
Pat Bryant moves like a BABY Marvin Harrison Jr. (Cardinals WR).
Bryant’s crisp route running has reportedly “stood out” more than any other WR in attendance at Broncos offseason practices.
There has reportedly been an “early vibe” that Sean Payton (Broncos HC) is looking to… pic.twitter.com/uBD6mMJA0Z
— NFL Rookie Watch (@NFLRookieWatxh) June 11, 2025
Bryant could stretch the field for the Broncos and eventually emerge as a solid deep-threat option for quarterback Bo Nix. Although Nix only averaged 7.2 air yards per pass attempt in his rookie season, he did rank third in deep ball attempts (73). So, the former Illinois wideout could have a role in this Denver offense in Year 1.
The 22-year-old can win contested catches, and Broncos head coach Sean Payton has been impressed with the rookie in OTAs. It might take Bryant some time to see consistent snaps in this offense, but he has the potential to earn that WR2 job in Denver over the next few years. His 6-foot-3 frame could help him find success in the NFL.
Therefore, Bryant is a sneaky pick in the third round of rookie drafts. He was a successful deep-threat option in college, and his skill set should play well in this Denver offense for years to come.
Jalen Royals College Production, NFL Fit, Outlook
Royals started his college career by playing at Georgia Military College, a Junior College program, before transferring to Utah State after his freshman season. Although he saw no opportunity in his first year with the Aggies in 2022, the Georgia native broke out in his second Division I campaign in 2023.
He caught 71 passes for 1,080 yards and a conference-leading 15 touchdowns that season. Royals was really all over the field and emerged as Utah State's top wideout in that offense. He caught at least six passes in seven of 13 games and had a seven-catch, 185-yard, three-touchdown performance against Connecticut early in the season.
Following that breakout campaign, Royals took his game to new heights in 2024. He averaged 119.1 receiving yards per game and totaled a career-best 211 receiving yards in a game against Boise State on October 5. What was even more impressive about his 2024 season was that he caught at least nine passes in four straight games from September 21 to October 19.
Unfortunately, Royals' senior season was cut short after the wideout suffered a deltoid tear in his right foot against New Mexico on October 19. The Aggies' wideout missed the final five games of the year and couldn't help his team on the field. He finished his final college campaign with 55 catches for 834 yards and six touchdowns.
If Royals didn't suffer a season-ending foot injury, he was on pace to total over 1,400 receiving yards in 2024. Even though his season ended early, it was easy to see why he was the featured target in that Aggies offense. He averaged 7.9 yards after the catch per reception and forced 17 missed tackles across his seven games.
After suffering a season-ending injury in 2024, many dynasty owners were interested to see where Royals would go in the draft. He posted a 4.42 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and appeared to be fully past that deltoid tear. While the Utah State product had to wait a few days to hear his name called, the Kansas City Chiefs eventually took him with the 133rd overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Fourth-round WR Jalen Royals getting some work in at OTAs today.#Chiefs l #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/8A7cprSMnG
— Sports Radio 810 WHB (@SportsRadio810) May 29, 2025
This landing spot might not be the best for Royals in the short term. With Xavier Worthy, Rashee Rice, and Marquise Brown all under contract for the 2025-2026 season, the rookie will likely not see many opportunities in Year 1. However, he could eventually overtake Brown for that WR3 role in this offense, considering the veteran is only on a one-year deal.
Therefore, this is a tremendous long-term landing spot for Royals. He is connected to the best quarterback in the NFL, Patrick Mahomes, and no head coach is better than Andy Reid at designing plays. That makes the Utah State product a solid pick later in the third round of 2025 rookie drafts.
Verdict
If you are on the clock in rookie drafts and these two wide receivers are still on the board, it won't be an easy decision. Both of these wideouts are solid picks in the later rounds and could turn out to be steals when we look back at this draft class in a few years.
However, Bryant is the better selection in 2025 rookie drafts. He has the higher draft capital and has the potential to be a WR2 in the NFL one day. The Broncos' wideout also faces less competition for targets right away in Year 1. So, he should be your preferred pick in drafts over Royals, who doesn't have an easy path to playing time in 2025 and beyond.
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