The 2025 NFL Draft is still a ways away. A lot can and will change between now and then. Nevertheless, dynasty fantasy football season is upon us.
The NFL Combine is here and it’s time to dive into these rookies. This year’s wide receiver class doesn’t look quite as good as recent ones. Here are our latest 2025 dynasty rookie wide receiver rankings.
Top Rookie Wide Receivers To Draft in Dynasty Leagues
1) Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
We’ll see what the NFL Combine brings, but Tetairoa McMillan sure looks like the best wide receiver prospect of this class. His talent was evident the moment he stepped foot on Arizona’s campus.
As a true freshman, McMillan led the Pac-12 in yards per reception (18.0). Sure enough, he took a huge leap forward as a sophomore, catching 90 balls for 1,402 yards and 10 touchdowns. As a junior, he led the Big 12 in receiving yards with 1,319, which included five games with 100+ yards receiving.
At 6’5”, McMillan has all the makings of a classic X receiver. But he’s not just a “go up and get it” guy; he’s a polished route runner who should be able to win right away at the NFL level.
It would be a major surprise if McMillan didn’t start in Week 1 as a rookie.
2) Luther Burden III, Missouri
The more I study Luther Burden III, the more I like him.
There are some who may ding Burden for the significant drop in production from his sophomore to junior years. In 2023, he had six 100-yard receiving games, yet he had only one this season.
However, it’s not entirely Burden’s fault. In fact, it may not be at all.
Missouri experienced injuries at the quarterback position, which played a huge role in Burden’s lack of gaudy numbers. As a reminder, he caught 86 passes for 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns in 2023.
Landing spot will be paramount for Burden. Primarily a slot receiver, he’ll need the right offense and the right quarterback to maximize his potential.
3) Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
At this point last year, Emeka Ebguka was considered a first-round dynasty rookie selection. Then, he decided to return for his senior season.
We know the stigma against four-year players is real. However, it can also be taken a bit too far. The reason early declarations are viewed more favorably is because they show an ability to perform at a high level sooner. Ebguka was capable of going to the NFL as a junior — he simply chose not to. Chris Olave did the same thing.
Egbuka caught 81 passes for 1,011 yards and 10 touchdowns last season.
Ohio State has a pretty good track record when it comes to producing highly capable NFL-caliber wide receivers. Given that Egbuka was pro-ready a year ago, he should be able to hit the ground running on whatever NFL team drafts him.
This feels very much like Olave’s situation, where the talented and NFL-ready WR was dinged for returning to school for an extra year. Perhaps Egbuka’s value will only rise between now and the draft. If it doesn’t, he may end up being one of the best values of the first round.
4) Travis Hunter, Colorado
As we get closer to the draft, it should become easier to evaluate Travis Hunter. We simply haven’t seen a prospect like him in decades, possibly ever. It’s safe to say Hunter will play both cornerback and wide receiver at the NFL level. The question is — what will the split look like? How much will he prioritize one over the other?
Reportedly, Hunter will test as both a CB and WR at the Combine, which doesn’t really help us. We simply do not have enough information yet.
If you want to argue Hunter is the WR1 of this class, I certainly won’t stop you. In fact, if he came out tomorrow and said he was only playing wide receiver in the NFL, he could be the WR1 of this class.
Talent-wise, it’s all there. Hunter caught 96 passes for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns this season. He led the Big 12 in receptions and receiving scores. The main concern for his fantasy value is that two-way players simply do not exist anymore.
We will learn a whole lot more about the NFL’s plan for the Heisman Trophy winner during the pre-draft process. Obviously, for fantasy purposes, we don’t want him playing much cornerback at all. But if NFL teams view him as a better corner than wide receiver, he could end up being a completely wasted pick if he’s only playing part-time on offense.
Where Hunter ends up in dynasty rookie drafts is still a work in progress. He could end up as high as a top-three pick or literally go undrafted. As we get closer to the NFL Draft, we’ll get more clarity on how heavily Hunter’s playing time will skew WR vs. CB. The range of outcomes here is as wide as it is unprecedented.
5) Tre Harris, Ole Miss
I don’t feel particularly good about any WR beyond the top three (and Hunter if he primarily plays WR). Without a doubt, there will be guys ranked later that end up hitting. However, predicting who they will be could prove challenging.
Tre Harris has three years of very strong production. In his final season at Ole Miss, he caught 60 passes for 1,030 yards and seven touchdowns in only eight games. He was also a fifth-year senior, which begs the question of why he did not enter the 2024 NFL Draft.
The track record of five-year college athletes hitting big at the NFL level is not great. At the same time, Harris looks the part and has the production to go along with it. If he tests well at the Combine and gets first-round draft capital, I just may be able to look past the fifth-year concerns.
6) Matthew Golden, Texas
Matthew Golden is such an interesting prospect. He’s gained considerable steam over the past few weeks, now being talked about as a potential first-round pick in the NFL Draft.
On the one hand, he’s an early declare, which we love to see. He led the SEC in touchdown receptions as a junior, despite playing alongside the much more hyped Isaiah Bond.
On the other hand, he only had one year of decent production and it wasn’t really that great, catching 58 balls for 987 yards and nine TDs as a junior. He averaged a paltry 1.82 yards per team pass attempt.
Golden may end up a better real-life WR than a fantasy one — a guy who is a solid NFL WR2/3 that has some spike weeks but is never a consistent option in fantasy lineups.
7) Elic Ayomanor, Stanford
8) Isaiah Bond, WR, Texas
9) Xavier Restrepo, WR, Miami
10) Tez Johnson, Oregon