By Cooper Girolamo
The Wide Receiver position is the deepest position coming into the 2025 draft. Guys like Tetairoa McMillan, Luther Burden, and Emeka Egbuka are at the top, highlighting the very talented class. While every team would salivate at the opportunity to add any of these players to their team, only one team will get the opportunity to make their quarterback very happy by adding one of these guys to their team.
Tetairoa McMillan
Carolina Panther (Pick #8)
The top wide receiver prospect that has teams oozing at the idea of adding them to their roster is Tetairoa McMillan out of the University of Arizona. McMillan is a freak of nature at the wide receiver position coming in at 6’5″ 215 pounds. An absolute nightmare for defenses, the junior receiver from Hawaii put up an insane 175 catches, 2,700 yards, and 18 touchdowns over the last two seasons. This is with a very mediocre Arizona team around him, with the Wildcats going 4-8 last fall. In the 2024 season opener, McMillan had maybe the best collegiate game ever from the receiver position all year where he had 10 receptions, 304 yards, and 4 touchdowns.
McMillan is such an exciting prospect and one of the most sure-thing receiver prospects to enter the draft in recent memory. This all makes him the perfect pick for the Carolina Panthers at pick No. 8 in the draft. The Panthers believe they have found their franchise QB with former number one overall pick Bryce Young taking massive strides during the course of the 2024-2025 season. In the back half of the year, the Panthers were one of the top-scoring offenses thanks to Young. They went toe-to-toe with both Superbowl teams, the Kansas City Chiefs and Philadelphia Eagles, narrowly losing both games. They did all that with their top weapons being an aging Adam Thielen and Jake Coker. They are in desperate need of a WR1, and McMillan gives them that from day one making him a no-brainer pick for the Panthers. A move that will make Bryce Young a very happy man.
Luther Burden
Washington Commanders (Pick #29)
Luther Burden is the most polarizing prospect in this draft as some experts have him as 1A and 1B with McMillan and others have him not even as a first-round talent. I see him as comfortably the number two receiver in this draft. While the Washington Commanders have other needs, they saw how amazing their new quarterback Jayden Daniels is and I’m sure they want to make him happy early and often in this NFL draft so why not take a top wide receiver to give him another weapon? Burden would be a great compliment to Terry McLaurin.
A 5’11” 205-pound receiver out of the Missouri, Burden was an impact player from his first day as a Tiger hauling in 45 catches, 400 yards, and six scores as a freshman. He then followed it up with a monster 2023 season where he had 91 catches, 1200 yards, and 9 touchdowns. He had a slight slump in this past season, but throughout his college career he has shown he can make plays if you get him the ball. Although a lot of his routes were screens, hitches, and curls he was very explosive with the ball in his hands, something the Commanders love. Head Coach Dan Quinn and Offensive Coordinator Kliff Kingsbury are amazing at maximizing player’s strengths, hiding their weaknesses and getting their playmakers the ball as much as possible, which makes Burden the perfect piece to add to this already dynamic Commander’s offense.
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Emeka Egbuka
Pittsburgh Steelers (Pick #21)
Emeka Egbuka the Wide Receiver out of Ohio State would slide perfectly into the Pittsburgh Steelers offense. If they decide to select the 6’1″, 205-pound receiver with the 21st overall pick they would be greatly improving the somewhat stagnant Pittsburgh offensive of this past season. The Steelers year after year make the playoffs behind a fantastic defense and a great coach, but once they get there they consistently flame out and are sent packing after round one. They want to change that stereotype surrounding them and want to do it quickly. To do this they need a quarterback and another playmaker on offense. With this year’s quarterback class being sub-par instead of taking a flyer on a quarterback like they did a few years ago with Kenny Pickett, they would get that play-maker and worry about Quarterback in free agency or next year’s draft.
This past season the Steelers WR2 was filled by a rotating door of Calvin Austin III, Van Jefferson, and Mike Williams. None of those players struck much fear into opposing defenses. Egbuka would do that as in this past National Championship winning season with Ohio State Egbuka put up 81 catches, just over 1,000 yards, and 10 touchdowns. He would join the likes of Marvin Harrison Jr, Jaxson Smith-Njigba, and Garrett Wilson to name a few as recent phenomenal receivers to come out of OSU and immediately make a major impact in the NFL. The Steelers would love to add that to their offense, especially with rumors that their current WR1, George Pickens may get traded. Whether he does or not, Egbuka would step into the WR1 or WR2 role immediately and make a massive impact on the Steelers’ offense from day one.
If these teams play it correctly, they will be adding a lot of big plays and tons of touchdowns to their teams this April if they select these perfect fits.
