Best player comps for Tetairoa McMillan, Luther Burden, and the rest of the 2025 NFL Draft WR class
We are just a day away from the 2025 NFL Draft class officially kicking off. The excitement is definitely in the air, and soon, we will see where 257 of the best prospects in the class officially call home in the NFL. For a three day stretch, every team has nothing but optimism for the […]
We are just a day away from the 2025 NFL Draft class officially kicking off. The excitement is definitely in the air, and soon, we will see where 257 of the best prospects in the class officially call home in the NFL. For a three day stretch, every team has nothing but optimism for the future of their organizations.
Fans across the league have gotten spoiled with the amount of wide receiver talent coming into the league the last few seasons. The 2025 class is not nearly as good, but still has plenty of value to be found. To get a better idea of what the types of players each is, here are some fun prospect comparisons. It isn’t necessarily a predictor of success, but recognizing play styles.
Tetairoa McMillan (Arizona) – Tee Higgins
The biggest mismatch ability that McMillan brings to the table is his sheer size and catch radius. He’s one of those players who is never fully covered with how far he can extend outside of his frame. While his play strength isn’t quite as good as Higgins, the way they win, and their body types are.
Luther Burden III (Missouri) – Golden Tate
Burden, like Tate, operated best out of the slot where his talents after the catch really shines. They are both very strong athletes that can break a ton of tackles. For a shorter wide receiver, Burden also makes some surprising adjustments at the catch point.
Matthew Golden (Texas) – Doug Baldwin
Some will look at Golden’s forty-yard dash time of 4.29 seconds and assume he’s this stellar downfield threat. In reality, Golden wins with more nuance and tremendous body control. His game is very similar to Baldwin, who was a very underrated player for the Seattle Seahawks under head coach Pete Carroll.
Emeka Egbuka (Ohio State) – JuJu Smith-Schuster
Egbuka is more exploded than Smith-Schuster but the ways they win are very similar. You are going to see Egbuka operate as a high level out of the slot with his combination of intelligence and physicality. He is also a better player after the coach than you would anticipate.
Jaylin Noel (Iowa State) – Steve Smith Sr.
Some might find this comparison a bit generous, but it’s hard not to love what Noel brings to the table. He does everything you would expect of a 5-10, 194-pound pass catcher, excelling as a route runner and his ability to create explosive plays. Noel’s talents adjusting to the football in the air, and make plays at the catch point, is what makes him very unique for his size.
Jalen Royals (Utah State) – DJ Moore
Think of a densely-built outside receiver that does his best work tracking the football down the field. Now take that same wide receiver and envision some slot upside with his YAC ability. That’s Royals summarized perfectly.
Tre Harris (Ole Miss) – Eric Moulds
Harris had one of the biggest jumps of any wide receiver this past season. He excels in contested catch situations, but is also a very underrated athlete. While Harris is just a solid-good NFL athlete, he has the play style to win in a couple of different areas.
Elic Ayomanor (Stanford) – Miles Austin
Ayomanor is a very interesting player. When you look at him, you’d expect him to be a catch point dynamo. While he has flashes, Ayomanor players like a much smaller receiver, excelling as a route runner and having underrated long speed.
Savion Williams (TCU) – Cordarrelle Patterson
There may not be a more interesting athlete in the 2025 class than Williams. He’s a wide receiver by trade, but his film as a running back and wildcat quarterback brings a lot of intrigue. Williams is a large athlete, but very explosive and allows for a lot of offensive versatility.
Jack Bech (TCU) – Rishard Matthews
This comparison will probably come off with slight disappointment, but go back and look at Matthews’ career. At his best, he was a really smooth power slot who did a lot of nice things. Bech isn’t a dynamic athlete, but he is very powerful.
Jayden Higgins (Iowa State) – Kenny Golladay
Higgins is a leggy runner who can kind of lul you to sleep as an athlete. His ball skills and catch radius allow him to make some plays down the field. There is also some impressive upside as a route runner here for a 6-4 pass catcher.
Isaiah Bond (Texas) – Brandin Cooks
The 2024 season was the tale of two halves for Bond. Early in the year, he looked like he could contend to be one of the first wide receivers off the board. Then he got injured, struggled down the stretch, and has been dealing with some off field concerns this draft process. At his best, Bond is a big play threat with underrated hip fluidity.
Tai Felton (Maryland) – Ihmir Smith-Marsette
Possessing a slender frame with tons of long speed and quickness, Felton’s play style is eerily similar to Smith-Marsette coming out of Iowa. Hopefully Felton develops better than his comparison. There are a lot of athletic traits to like, but lack of play strength could hold him back.
Kyle Williams (Washington State) – Jalen Nailor
Williams is an ultra quick pass catcher with nice explosiveness to make plays down the field. The hype surrounding Williams has reached a somewhat ridiculous level recently, but he still has a role on the next level. It’ll probably be more in a low volume role, but has big play potential.
Tory Horton (Colorado State) – Tyler Johnson
Some will see Horton’s 4.41-second forty-yard dash time at the 2025 NFL Scouting Combine, and potentially get the wrong idea. Horton, like Johnson, excel as sleek route runners. His long strides and deceptive movements allow for Horton to be a tough cover on man situations.
