The 2025 NFL Draft is almost here, and Yahoo Sports experts Nate Tice and Charles McDonald are breaking down the top prospects position by position. Here are the quarterbacks. Check out Nate and Charles’ consensus big board here, along with Nate’s final big board and Charles’ final big board.
Other prospect rankings: QBs | RBs
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5. Luther Burden III, Missouri
Here are the top five wide receiver prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft. (Davis Long/Yahoo Sports)
1. Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
Nate Tice: A monster on the outside, McMillan is a smooth athlete with excellent hands and ball skills that give him true X-receiver upside. He consistently creates yards with the ball in his hands because of his strength and balance, and plenty of burst in such a big frame. He is also a good route runner who can consistently sink on his route breaks, with the ability to create separation on the intermediate levels.
McMillan was dominant in 2024 when the ball was anywhere in his vicinity and has the makings of a matchup nightmare at the next level. He also already has experience working from the slot, not just vertically but on underneath routes as well, with his ability to get in and out of breaks really shining on these routes.
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McMillan is a big receiver who most importantly plays big. His volleyball and basketball background constantly show up in his game; he is very comfortable extending for throws away from his frame (which happened often at Arizona) and he doesn’t lose speed when catching the ball on the move because of his confidence in his hands.
McMillan lacks elite long speed, but he still has enough speed — and most importantly the frame and ball skills — to win consistently vertically. McMillan brings a lot to the table and can be an instant strong contributor at the next level because of his route-running polish and ball skills. I’m very bullish on McMillan.
Charles McDonald: There aren’t many true Day 1 bona fide starting outside wide receivers in this class, but McMillan from has the profile of one. He led the Big 12 in receiving yards without the sharpest quarterback play and routinely displayed his skills as a potential No. 1 NFL receiver.
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McMillan raised eyebrows by electing not to run a 40-yard dash this draft season, but the big-bodied WR has shown enough overall talent and ability to be one of the more coveted players in the class.
2. Travis Hunter, Colorado
Charles McDonald: Putting Hunter anywhere but the top spot feels like overthinking, even if he doesn’t ultimately live up to the lofty hype he set for himself after a once-in-a-lifetime college career.
In addition to the Heisman Trophy, Hunter won the Bednarik Award for the best defensive player in college football and won the Biletnikoff Award, which goes to the best wide receiver in the country. Hunter is a legitimate first-round prospect at both wide receiver and cornerback, thanks to some otherworldly ball skills and overall athleticism that make him an impact player on both sides of the ball. So far, Hunter is adamant on playing both ways in the NFL, which will prove tough, but it’s hard to doubt someone who has already made it this far on his talents.
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Hunter might be a bit more pro-ready at cornerback right now, where his instincts and athleticism can make him a nuisance for passing games, but a play at wide receiver is completely defensible (and exciting) as well.
The term “generational” gets thrown around way too much in draft coverage, but for someone like Hunter, it actually applies.
Nate Tice: As the most dynamic player in the country, Hunter was a game-changer at cornerback and wide receiver in college. Still, I think his best path as a professional is as a full-time defender with some spot duty on offense — a usage resembling his coach/mentor Deion Sanders when he played with the Dallas Cowboys in 1996.
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Hunter can consistently stay sticky to his coverage assignment, showing off the quickness and body control to thrive in man-to-man situations, with the excellent burst to make plays on the football and nullify the receiver. He plays with a high level of intelligence for the position, and will take calculated gambles to fall off his coverage assignment and even bait quarterbacks into interception opportunities. Hunter’s ball skills and feel for the position are rare. His athleticism is unlocked by his innate ability to always find — and come down with — the football. Hunter seems to make a big play in every quarter of the game.
The ball skills, quickness and body control all show up when Hunter plays wide receiver, too, but he is more raw at the position, lacking the refinement he shows on the other side of the ball — and, yes, he has rapidly improved this season. He also plays bigger than his listed size (6-foot, 188 pounds) because of his hands and hand-eye coordination, while also being able to create with the ball in his hands. This makes two-way play at the next level a real possibility, even if it’s for a small package of plays.
Hunter’s moderate bulk does not come up as a tackler; he’s a physical defender. But it is also a reason why I have some hesitation about Hunter being a full-time player on both sides at the next level (along with the sheer mental load, but that’s something that can come with time). No matter what, Hunter is a helluva football player and whatever team drafts him is getting a game-changing talent.
3. Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
Nate Tice: Egbuka is ol’ reliable at wide receiver. He checks a lot of boxes as a prospect, even if none of his tools are elite. He is strong with good size, and is a sound and clean route runner who can play in the slot and outside with a great feel against zone and how to make himself friendly to the quarterback.
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Egbuka has good hands, speed and body control to consistently create yards after the catch with the burst to split defenders. He might not have the highest ceiling for a prospect, but he is an extremely smart player with a very high floor — with enough athleticism to keep tapping into. Ultimately, Egbuka is useful and an ideal No. 2 WR in today’s NFL who can fill a lot of roles.
Charles McDonald: Egbuka is a prototype slot prospect. He’s willing to do all the dirty work in the middle and lower areas of the field and has no qualms about playing with toughness when necessary. Egbuka might not have been as flashy as his teammate Jeremiah Smith last season, but he’s a Day 1 starter in the slot, which has a lot of value in today’s game.
4. Matthew Golden, Texas
Charles McDonald: Golden shot up big boards as the 2024 season went along, including mine, and his big week in Indy didn’t slow him down. He’s a smooth route runner and operator who can beat press with his balance, burst and strength.
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Golden doesn’t have overwhelming size, but he maximizes it with toughness and comfort in extending for footballs away from his body. He has the ability to line up inside and out, and is effective underneath and on throws downfield because of his body control and hand-eye coordination. He might not have true No. 1 upside, but he can be a very good secondary receiver for somebody because of how effective he is in a variety of different roles. He plays a lot like DJ Moore.
Nate Tice: Golden hit the national spotlight with a big-time run through the College Football Playoff. He played well enough all season where he merited first-round consideration before it. Golden has speed for days and can be a big-play threat from Day 1 in the right offense.
5. Luther Burden III, Missouri
Nate Tice: An explosive slot wide receiver who can create first downs and touchdowns out of nothing, Burden has a good frame and is a weapon on manufactured and underneath touches. He can also win deep because of his very good speed and hand-eye coordination.
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Burden still has to show more as a route runner and whether he can win consistently on the outside and against press (he has mostly played from the slot or after being put in motion), but he has the ability to create explosive plays that NFL teams covet, with the ball skills to pluck the football from a variety of angles. He endured some inconsistent QB play in 2024, which hindered some of his progress.
Burden’s role has been streamlined in his career. He can be an exciting player if he goes somewhere that can expand his route tree and overall skill set.
Charles McDonald: Burden was a victim of poor quarterback play this season, but that shouldn’t change much about how people feel about him when it comes to his NFL projection. He’s a quality wide receiver prospect who has some nice speed and the ability to be a nuisance in the open field.
Burden might not profile as a stereotypical No. 1 wide receiver, but he’s the perfect player to have starting for a team as it collects wide receiver talent.
