| Score | Overall |
| 91.9 | 5 |
| Position | Day |
| 1 | 1 |
| Score | Position | Day | Overall |
| 91.9 | 1 | 1 | 5 |
| Height: | 6' 4" | Weight: | 219 lbs |
| Hands: | 10 | Arms: | 31.5 |
| 40 YD Dash: | DNP | 10 YD Split: | DNP |
| Vertical: | DNP | Broad: | DNP |
| Shuttle: | -- | Cone: | DNP |
| Height: | 6' 4" | Hands: | 10 | 40 YD Dash: | DNP |
| Weight: | 219 lbs | Arms: | 31.5 | 10 YD Split: | DNP |
| Broad: | DNP | Cone: | DNP | ||
| Vertical: | DNP | Shuttle: | -- |
| Height: | 6' 4" | Hands: | 10 | 40 YD Dash: | DNP | Broad: | DNP | Cone: | DNP |
| Weight: | 219 lbs | Arms: | 31.5 | 10 YD Split: | DNP | Vertical: | DNP | Shuttle: | -- |
First-Team All-American (2024)
First-Team All-Big 12 (2024)
Biletnikoff Award finalist (2024)
Third-Team All-American (2023)
Second-Team All-Pac-12 (2023)
Third in NCAA in receiving yards in 2024 (1,319 yards)
Mouth-watering prototype X WR profile. McMillan is a classic height, weight, speed wide receiver – a throwback X type. Not in a limiting way either — he still has plenty of alignment versatility, but he can handle the entirety of the high-value route tree and handle the volume of a premier WR1 in the NFL. Overall, he is a fantastic athlete and can win at all three levels.
Top-notch route runner for size. What jumped off the tape to me was Tet’s short-area quickness and ability to get in and out of breaks for his size. He is certainly on the Drake London/Mike Evans spectrum. I especially love how he attacks leverage with what I call "wrong side releases/stems," only to threaten space and access clean breaks inside or threaten the outside shoulder to stack and play in the blind spot of the defender. He also does a great job using tempo alterations to off-balance defenders. Long story short: he is an ASS Man.
Premier above-the-rim ability. Tet has some of the craziest highlight-reel contested catches I have seen. He can attack the football in the air with body control and a unique ability to contort despite his size. He instantly becomes a mega threat on back-shoulders and 50/50 balls in the end zone.
Silly RAC ability. McMillan can win 1-on-1 after-the-catch matchups in the open field. The only other player I can remember with this size profile who broke so many tackles after the catch was the aforementioned London, and I think Tet is even better at it than he was.
Green-flag production profile. It is pretty rare that, from a numbers standpoint, a player doesn’t have a singular red flag in the profile for the analytics crowd. Tet checks just about every box imaginable and does so with elite raw numbers as well.
Long strides will slightly limit his short-area route tree. McMillan is a high-cut 6’4", so this shouldn’t come as a shock. Even with abnormal quickness for his size, there are just some routes in the short parts of the field he won’t have success with. There is a reason the NFL has pivoted away from bigger WRs as the prototype, and this is the main one.
Occasionally loses the deep ball in the air. This isn’t a consistent issue, but every once in a while he seems to track the ball funny and take an awkward route.
McMillan is the type of prospect you really have to nitpick to fill out the weakness section of his profile. He is the best WR in this draft class by a wide margin and is in the mix for the top-10 overall scores I have given to a WR in 11 years of grading prospects. In McMillan, NFL teams are getting a prototypical X WR with elite vertical ability, RAC ability, and separation ability. He scores as a top-10 player overall and should be drafted as such.
| Score | Overall |
| 86.2 | 33 |
| Position | Day |
| 2 | 2 |
| Score | Position | Day | Overall |
| 86.2 | 2 | 2 | 33 |
| Height: | 6' 1" | Weight: | 206 lbs |
| Hands: | 10 | Arms: | 32.375 |
| 40 YD Dash: | 4.44 | 10 YD Split: | 1.58 |
| Vertical: | 38.5 | Broad: | 127 |
| Shuttle: | -- | Cone: | DNP |
| Height: | 6' 1" | Hands: | 10 | 40 YD Dash: | 4.44 |
| Weight: | 206 lbs | Arms: | 32.375 | 10 YD Split: | 1.58 |
| Broad: | 127 | Cone: | DNP | ||
| Vertical: | 38.5 | Shuttle: | -- |
| Height: | 6' 1" | Hands: | 10 | 40 YD Dash: | 4.44 | Broad: | 127 | Cone: | DNP |
| Weight: | 206 lbs | Arms: | 32.375 | 10 YD Split: | 1.58 | Vertical: | 38.5 | Shuttle: | -- |
Second Team All-ACC (2024)
Jon Cornish Trophy finalist (2023, 2024)
Started in 23 of 24 games played in college
In 2023, was the first Stanford receiver to have more than 1,000 yards since 2018
Had 294 yards and 3 touchdowns against Colorado in 2023
Big, rocked-up frame with height and length. Ayomanor is the prototypical X WR. He is STRONG, and his size and playstyle remind me of a cross between Michael Pittman Jr. and Michael Wilson. He might have a touch more athletic upside than Pittman Jr. as well.
Bonafide press-beater. Ayomanor has by far the most reps on tape of him beating press in the class. The small caveat is that not a lot of WRs in the class have seen press consistently. He has a variety of go-to release types, most notably a "hesi-cross" and a “split” release. On top of that, he is insanely strong and is more than willing to get physical at the line of scrimmage. Press him at your own risk.
Bully-ball route runner with technical refinement. Most of his damage is done on the vertical tree and slants. He viciously attacks corners' leverage and makes them carry his weight before snapping into breaks. Ayomanor comfortably attacks the outside shoulder and has a variety of "throw-by" techniques that allow him to access free yards underneath on hitches, comebacks, and slants. While he does have a slight tendency to come into deeper breaks high, he more than makes up for it with his ability to slam the breaks and stop on a dime — which also gives him the ability to set up double moves for later on. He profiles as a possession-type boundary weapon who can also win over the top on go balls and posts.
He checks the body-control box. Ayomanor has a plethora of high-level, above-the-rim catches. He has also had some ridiculous one-handed catches, toe-tappers, and complete layouts for the ball. He isn’t quite on the Tetairoa McMillan level in this regard, but he routinely displays good body control.
Coaches’ dream. This guy has that menacing approach to the position that reminds me a ton of Puka Nacua. He plays every play like it could be his last — fill in whatever cliche you like best. On a serious note, Ayomanor plays violently. He makes DBs think twice about playing him physically in coverage. He lines up and blocks his tail off in the run game. He is excellent in the scramble drill. He does all of the little things right. Plus, we have countless stories about his obsession with getting better and his work ethic. This is a player coaches will love to bet on.
Untimely drops were an issue. Ayomanor’s hands technique is inconsistent. Sometimes he makes hard catches look easy and easy catches look hard. Many of his drops were of the concentration variety – when no one would be around him, and he was trying to run before securing the ball to his frame. It seemed like the more traffic there was, the easier he made it look.
Stanford's offense limited his route tree. I mentioned the routes he is good at running, but unfortunately, I don’t know about the other routes because he wasn’t asked to run them. The Stanford offense was fairly limiting, and projecting him reminds me a little bit of Brian Thomas Jr. last season, in that almost all of his production came on three routes.
YAC production creates a red flag in his analytical profile. For a guy who competes the way he does and has the size and strength he does, you’d think his numbers after the catch would be much better. For me, this isn’t a huge issue and can be easily explained away by what he was asked to do as a player, primarily lining up wide on the boundary and running routes pinned to the boundary. There just wasn’t a lot of opportunity for YAC.
There is something to be said about the one and only WR who took it to Travis Hunter in college — Ayomanor is the one. He has all the desirable traits to be a starting X WR in an NFL offense. His game does have some limitations though and considering the gaps in his tape (because of Stanford’s offense), he might need a little bit of a developmental runway to get up to speed. His mentality and raw ability though should buy him some quick favor with most coaching staffs. Officially he is a top-5 WR for me in the class and scores with a 2nd round grade.
| Score | Overall |
| 85.9 | 36 |
| Position | Day |
| 3 | 2 |
| Score | Position | Day | Overall |
| 85.9 | 3 | 2 | 36 |
| Height: | 5' 10" | Weight: | 194 lbs |
| Hands: | 8.75 | Arms: | 29.5 |
| 40 YD Dash: | 4.39 | 10 YD Split: | 1.51 |
| Vertical: | 41.5 | Broad: | 134 |
| Shuttle: | -- | Cone: | 6.82 |
| Height: | 5' 10" | Hands: | 8.75 | 40 YD Dash: | 4.39 |
| Weight: | 194 lbs | Arms: | 29.5 | 10 YD Split: | 1.51 |
| Broad: | 134 | Cone: | 6.82 | ||
| Vertical: | 41.5 | Shuttle: | -- |
| Height: | 5' 10" | Hands: | 8.75 | 40 YD Dash: | 4.39 | Broad: | 134 | Cone: | 6.82 |
| Weight: | 194 lbs | Arms: | 29.5 | 10 YD Split: | 1.51 | Vertical: | 41.5 | Shuttle: | -- |
Team Captain (2023, 2024)
Big 12 Co-Special Teams Player of the Year (2024)
First-Team All-Big 12 KR/PR (2024)
Honorable Mention All-Big 12 WR (2024)
Second-Team All-Big 12 (2023)
Finished 9th in receiving yards (1,194) in 2024
Finished his career with 4,226 all-purpose yards
Athletic profile lacks nothing. Noel is an elite athlete in just about every way it is measured at the football level. He has one of my favorite athletic profiles in recent memory at the position. He is highly explosive with excellent start/stop ability. He jumps out of the gym. He has the agility of Spider-Man. He has 4.3 speed. The cherry on top is that he was pound for pound the strongest player on Iowa State’s football team. All of this is backed by both GPS and Combine testing. He is also built incredibly well with a dense, muscular 195 lbs frame at just 5’10". He is an absolute stud.
Explosive, snappy route runner. You see the physical traits pop up immediately when he is running routes. He shakes corners like Allen Iverson hitting a crossover in the early 2000s. Noel could stand to clean up some of the details (we saw progress in Mobile on this front) but the vertical route running ability, paired with how he can gear down and stop on a dime, is a recipe for what I call "free yards." Noel can also win by straight-up running by CBs and plowing through breaks, or he can also sink and explode through his breaks without telegraphing his intentions. I also appreciate his use of feints and tempo switches to generate separation. He is such a sudden mover that CBs are forced to respect every small manipulation he throws at them. His ceiling as a route runner is higher than anyone in the class.
Deep press-beating toolbox. Starting with synced-up feet and hands, Noel has a variety of explosive, sudden-release moves. He has a deadly diamond release, and between his strength and quickness, he can get off the line without being touched. He didn’t see press-man a lot in college, but he absolutely destroyed it when it was deployed (Kansas, Iowa, and Miami in 2024 for example). We also saw him shred press at every opportunity in Mobile, while most of the WRs there really struggled with it.
Football vacuum. Noel has a unique ability to haul in throws that are way off-target. This is especially noticeable in the short parts of the field when a ball is rocketed over his head or behind him. His ability to quickly adjust and snag it out of the air is highly valuable, those are the types of plays that usually turn into turnovers.
Tough runner with the ball, including as a return man. Noel isn’t necessarily a "make-you-miss" guy, but his vision and burst allow him to do damage with the ball in his hands. He is adept at finding creases and exploding into space. Most notably, he plays with no fear and is willing to run hard into hoards of defenders and fight for every possible inch. All of this gives him some extra value as a potential return man early in his career as well.
Doesn’t bring height or length to the table. Noel is of short stature (5’10") and has sub-30” arms. With the way he plays and the way he is most likely to be used in the NFL I don’t see this as a huge problem, but it does inherently limit him and force him into certain roles.
Needs to become more detail-oriented. Noel can get "drifty" as a route runner, especially on routes that don’t have clear breaks. On flats, speed outs, and some crossers, you can see him get lackadaisical with the angles. Almost all of his 9 drops in the last two seasons were of the focus variety and had nothing to do with his hands technique.
Teams looking to find the next Amon-Ra St. Brown need look no further. From the mental makeup and the attitude to the play on the field – Noel = ARSB is my favorite stylistic comp I’ve made in 11 years. The only real difference between the two is Amon-Ra’s college resume and tape were slightly better, while Noel’s athletic profile is a juiced-up version of Amon-Ra’s. The only real limitation for Noel is his lack of size and length. For me he profiles as a primary slot WR with huge vertical upside who also kicks out and plays on the outside. Like Amon-Ra, I think Noel could thrive in a 50-50 Slot/Wide role. Noel scores as a high day-2 prospect whom I would be comfortable drafting as early as the late first round.
| Score | Overall |
| 85.1 | 39 |
| Position | Day |
| 4 | 2 |
| Score | Position | Day | Overall |
| 85.1 | 4 | 2 | 39 |
| Height: | 6' 1" | Weight: | 214 lbs |
| Hands: | 9 | Arms: | 31.5 |
| 40 YD Dash: | DNP | 10 YD Split: | DNP |
| Vertical: | 34.5 | Broad: | 125 |
| Shuttle: | -- | Cone: | 6.84 |
| Height: | 6' 1" | Hands: | 9 | 40 YD Dash: | DNP |
| Weight: | 214 lbs | Arms: | 31.5 | 10 YD Split: | DNP |
| Broad: | 125 | Cone: | 6.84 | ||
| Vertical: | 34.5 | Shuttle: | -- |
| Height: | 6' 1" | Hands: | 9 | 40 YD Dash: | DNP | Broad: | 125 | Cone: | 6.84 |
| Weight: | 214 lbs | Arms: | 31.5 | 10 YD Split: | DNP | Vertical: | 34.5 | Shuttle: | -- |
Second Team All-Big 12 (2024)
Biletnikoff Award Semifinalist (2024)
Senior Bowl Most Valuable Player (2025)
Fifth player in TCU history to have a 1,000-yard receiving season
Versatile with inside/out ability. Bech was a TE recruit who initially played his college ball at LSU. In fact, he led the Tigers in receiving as a true freshman TE despite having significant NFL competition on the roster in Kayshon Boutte, Trey Palmer, Malik Nabers, and Brian Thomas Jr. (He was part of the Nabers and Thomas Jr. recruiting class.) At TCU, he converted to WR and did most of his damage inside as a big-slot seam stretcher, but displayed many of the needed traits to line up anywhere. He could be a full-time outside WR in the NFL if need be.
Huge route-running potential. Bech has excellent change-of-direction skills and start/stop ability. He is both smooth and twitchy getting out of breaks and generates good separation at the top of his routes. He is technical in the way he wins at the top of the route versus winning by purely running away from defenders. His route running reminds me a lot of Cooper Kupp.
Tall, thick, strong, and competitive. Bech is a high-energy player that competes on every single down. His big, muscular build mixed with his competitive nature allows him to bully defenders all over the field. He is a culture guy and a tone-setter.
Vertical receiving upside. Bech might not have an ideal top gear to be a vertical WR, but he has some underrated explosiveness to him and showed growth in his ability to win against press at the Senior Bowl. He also displays excellent body control and can win in highly contested/physical situations. His ability to track the ball in the air gives him an edge over defensive backs who are late to the party as well. He makes 50/50 balls more like 70/30 balls.
Best-in-class hands. Bech displays great hands technique and works to secure the ball to his frame quickly. Had a career drop rate of just 2%.
Average long speed. Bech isn’t going to run away from defenders out of breaks. He creates those separation windows with technique and strength. He also won't run away from defenders in the open field. The lack of elite vertical juice will invite an abundance of physicality at the line of scrimmage and through the stem, with little fear of consequences. As a result, Bech will have to improve his approach to winning off the jump and improving his release game. Until then, he may be best served playing in the slot in 3-WR sets.
One-hit wonder. I am always wary of guys with only one season of top-end production under their belt. With Bech, we can give a little more leeway considering the position change as a senior, but with almost no tape from his sophomore and junior campaigns, it causes a little pause.
Bech is a versatile, high-motor WR who, interestingly, has a playstyle that resembles a combination of Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp. For any potential athletic limitations, he makes up for them with technique, skill, and willpower. He can win on the outside as a big-bodied possession-type WR who excels with route running and strong hands. Or he can slide into the slot and become a mismatch nightmare who is a tough tackle in space. He is one of my favorite prospects in the class and officially scores as a 2nd-round player.
| Score | Overall |
| 84.9 | 40 |
| Position | Day |
| 5 | 2 |
| Score | Position | Day | Overall |
| 84.9 | 5 | 2 | 40 |
| Height: | 6' 4" | Weight: | 214 lbs |
| Hands: | 9.125 | Arms: | 33.125 |
| 40 YD Dash: | 4.47 | 10 YD Split: | 1.53 |
| Vertical: | 39 | Broad: | 128 |
| Shuttle: | -- | Cone: | DNP |
| Height: | 6' 4" | Hands: | 9.125 | 40 YD Dash: | 4.47 |
| Weight: | 214 lbs | Arms: | 33.125 | 10 YD Split: | 1.53 |
| Broad: | 128 | Cone: | DNP | ||
| Vertical: | 39 | Shuttle: | -- |
| Height: | 6' 4" | Hands: | 9.125 | 40 YD Dash: | 4.47 | Broad: | 128 | Cone: | DNP |
| Weight: | 214 lbs | Arms: | 33.125 | 10 YD Split: | 1.53 | Vertical: | 39 | Shuttle: | -- |
3rd Team All-American (2024)
2nd Team All-Big 12 (2024)
Honorable Mention All-Big 12 (2023)
1,183 receiving yards in 2024 which ranked 10th nationally
TD reception in 7 straight games in 2024
Juiced-up X WR profile with positional versatility. Higgins is a big-time athlete who also brings size and length to the table. He profiles as an X WR but also has a ton of good reps on tape as a power-slot type who can pummel nickel CBs, safeties and LBs.
Insane catch radius and ball tracking skills. The reel of Higgins getting to and catching balls thrown in different zip codes is insane. It starts with his ability to track the ball in air – he looks like a centerfielder chasing down and robbing a homer. On balls thrown firmly over the middl, Higgins has displayed great reflexes to make sudden adjustments in which he covers a ton of ground. He is a QB’s best friend in this regard. Even Anthony Richardson would have a hard time missing him.
Disgusting route runner. Higgins has the goods when it comes to generating separation. It all starts with his great get-off. He really sells his drive phase, forcing defenders to engage with the vertical threat. His breaks are crisp and abrupt. He really ate up CBs on horizontally breaking routes. For a tall WR, he is exceptional at running with controlled strides and keeps his weight balanced and underneath his hips. This shortens the time required to abruptly stop and/or sink his hips and explode into a break. It also allows him to keep head over his toes. You never see him "kickstand" to slow down or go into a break. This eliminates any “tells” to the coverage defender and reduces their ability to play with anticipation, forcing them into reactionary coverage. This is the single most important factor in generating separation with route running. The cherry on top with Higgins is he has abnormally flexible ankles and he can switch up his breaks. There are not a lot of 6’4” WRs who can rip speed roll out/dig cuts. But Higgins can. DBs have no idea what to expect with him. At the top of his stem he is also very physical and can halt any chance of recovery with subtle yet effective violence.
Arguably the best hands in class. I already highlighted his ability to go up and get the ball in contested/congested situations. He has strong hands and overall great technique. He works to instantly secure the ball to his frame and rarely gets the ball knocked away once it gets to his hands. Higgins has a career drop rate under 2%, which is the best in the class.
Highly competitive after the catch. Despite a huge average depth of target, Higgins was still able to do some damage after the catch. He has good balance to absorb and shake off tacklers. His vision is above average and he has ideal burst to take advantage of daylight.
Underdeveloped release package. He could stand to work on his salesmanship at the top of his routes. This is probably the one thing stopping Higgins from scoring as a first rounder for me. He struggled to get off press at times. Even some of his "wins" lack a little bit of translatability as they are slow releases. Generally speaking, Higgins takes a lackadaisical approach. This just muddies up the timing on some routes once he gets into the stem. In the NFL things need to happen even faster. On the bright side, we saw improvement from 2023 to 2024 and then saw even more improvement in Mobile during the Senior Bowl practices.
Good,not great, top gear. Higgins is a phenomenal athlete but the strength of his profile lies in the explosive element, his quick acceleration and leaping ability. He definitely has some speed but the reality is, most starting CBs in the NFL are faster. On Go balls and post routes that extend beyond 30-40 yards, he is going to give way to some recovery and potentially find himself in some contested situations. In the open field he isn’t going to win foot races against starting CBs either.
The X WR is back! It has been maybe five years since a draft class has featured a handful of bigger WRs with actual skill. Higgins is another one in this class. Higgins profiles as an ideal X WR who will thrive as an ISO player in 3X1 formations but also has positional/alignment versatility and can be used as a mismatch weapon out of the slot. He is a tremendous athlete with great body control and a developed route running ability. Higgins is a highly competitive player with ball-winning prowess and the ability to make some plays after the catch. He scores as a high 2nd-round caliber prospect.
| Score | Overall |
| 84.7 | 42 |
| Position | Day |
| 6 | 2 |
| Score | Position | Day | Overall |
| 84.7 | 6 | 2 | 42 |
| Height: | 5' 11" | Weight: | 191 lbs |
| Hands: | 9.5 | Arms: | 30.625 |
| 40 YD Dash: | 4.29 | 10 YD Split: | 1.49 |
| Vertical: | DNP | Broad: | DNP |
| Shuttle: | -- | Cone: | DNP |
| Height: | 5' 11" | Hands: | 9.5 | 40 YD Dash: | 4.29 |
| Weight: | 191 lbs | Arms: | 30.625 | 10 YD Split: | 1.49 |
| Broad: | DNP | Cone: | DNP | ||
| Vertical: | DNP | Shuttle: | -- |
| Height: | 5' 11" | Hands: | 9.5 | 40 YD Dash: | 4.29 | Broad: | DNP | Cone: | DNP |
| Weight: | 191 lbs | Arms: | 30.625 | 10 YD Split: | 1.49 | Vertical: | DNP | Shuttle: | -- |
Led Texas and finished 3rd in the SEC in receiving yards in 2024 (987)
Led Texas and tied SEC lead in receiving touchdowns in 2024 (9)
Former 4-star prospect
Abundance of linear explosiveness. Golden tested as the fastest WR at the NFL Combine with a sub 4.3 40 time and a 1.49 10-yard split. You also see incredible leaping ability all over his tape.
Can generate big-time separation at the top of his routes. Golden is a salesman. He works in tempo changes, feints, and fakes to sell route breaks. Despite his blazing speed, he can gear down quickly to load and explode into breaks. His suddenness on double moves is a huge advantage for scheming up big plays with him.
Aerial artist. He demonstrates elite body control on the regular. Golden tracks the ball well and can become a contortionist in the air as he works to get to off-target throws. He can make quick adjustments in the short part of the field without losing steam.
Added value as a returner. Golden has some monster kick returns under his belt, including returning two kicks for scores in 2023 while at Houston. As a return man, you really see his big-time twitch come to life as he erodes angles and zooms past the coverage team.
Hands are very inconsistent. Golden has consistently maintained a drop rate near 10% each of the past three seasons. Some of his drops are of the concentration variety but become more common in high-traffic areas.
Needs to become a more detail-oriented player. Golden’s route running can sometimes become lackadaisical, usually when he isn’t expecting the football. He has a tendency of popping up high in his stem and slogging through the route breaks. He also isn’t a super-friendly target for the QB on static routes and doesn’t always fight to uncover or work back to the QB.
Play strength is lacking. Golden can get easily moved off his route by physical CBs. He also can get pushed off the ball by aggressive CBs and Safeties in contested situations. In the run game, he is a net zero blocker. I also worry about him facing press at the next level.
Golden is a smooth, yet explosive route runner with ideal big-play potential. I don’t see Golden being a huge target hog in the NFL, but he should thrive in a role as a Jameson Williams type who has big-play opportunities consistently manufactured and schemed for him. He has some work to do to improve his hands, but it is undeniable that he will be a math-changer in the NFL. From a play-style standpoint, I see Tyler Lockett. Officially, he scores as a top-5 wide receiver in the class and has an early 2nd-round grade from me.
| Score | Overall |
| 83.9 | 51 |
| Position | Day |
| 7 | 2 |
| Score | Position | Day | Overall |
| 83.9 | 7 | 2 | 51 |
| Height: | 5' 10" | Weight: | 180 lbs |
| Hands: | 8.5 | Arms: | 30.5 |
| 40 YD Dash: | 4.39 | 10 YD Split: | 1.51 |
| Vertical: | DNP | Broad: | DNP |
| Shuttle: | -- | Cone: | DNP |
| Height: | 5' 10" | Hands: | 8.5 | 40 YD Dash: | 4.39 |
| Weight: | 180 lbs | Arms: | 30.5 | 10 YD Split: | 1.51 |
| Broad: | DNP | Cone: | DNP | ||
| Vertical: | DNP | Shuttle: | -- |
| Height: | 5' 10" | Hands: | 8.5 | 40 YD Dash: | 4.39 | Broad: | DNP | Cone: | DNP |
| Weight: | 180 lbs | Arms: | 30.5 | 10 YD Split: | 1.51 | Vertical: | DNP | Shuttle: | -- |
Led Alabama in 2023 with 48 receptions for 668 yards and 4 touchdowns
Finished 3rd in receiving yards for Texas in 2024 with 540 yards
Contributed 4 rushes for 98 yards in 2024
Former state champion sprinter
Unanimous 4-star prospect
Math-changing physical tools. For my money, Bond is the most explosive player in the class. He has both blinding speed and insane change of direction ability. He is elusive and agile. He is an instant accelerator and is capable of putting immense stress on the defense with sheer presence alone. The way he moves very much resembles Jameson Williams and Jaylen Waddle. He can eliminate a 10-yard cushion faster than his QB can count to 1. He has the potential to score every time he touches the ball and, at worst, will affect the way defenses line up. This allows the offense to dictate terms.
Untapped route-running ability. Despite never having eye-popping production, Bond has the physical tools and detailed chops to be a high-level separator. He has extremely flexible ankles and loose hips which allow him to break at very harsh angles and do so suddenly. He also finishes routes at a high level. On routes working back toward the QB, he does a good job of fighting to find space and keep the target window clean. Against zone, he continues working to give his QB a window.
High-level ball skills and tracking ability. Bond played his college football with Jalen Milroe and Quinn Ewers throwing to him, so he had no shortage of opportunities to make adjustments on poorly thrown balls. While he isn’t a go-up-and-get-it type of receiver, he is more than capable of using his speed and quickness to make rapid adjustments or chase a ball down.
Can get pressed into oblivion. Bond’s tape getting off press isn’t pretty. He can get stonewalled at the line of scrimmage and never get back into the play. He will need whatever team he lands on to hide him.
Thin frame and limited play strength. Bond weighs just 180 pounds, and you can see it all over his tape. I already mentioned his struggle to get off press, but he also can get moved off his route rather easily at the top of his stem. In contested or congested areas, defenders have an easy time moving him off the ball and preventing completions. He is electric with the ball in his hands and does a good job preventing significant contact from tacklers, but when they do get a piece of him, he goes down rather easily.
Red-flag production profile. Bond has one career 100-yard game in three years of college football and has a career-best season of just over 800 yards despite not missing any time. We can certainly write off some struggles related to the poor quarterback play he has dealt with in college, but this is undoubtedly frustrating. Most college wide receivers have to overcome bad quarterback play, and he just hasn’t.
Bond is a collection of premium car parts. The right mechanic can take those parts and assemble a Tesla Model-S Plaid. The wrong one will fail to get the most out of him. Bond brings an explosive playmaking element to the NFL with serious potential as a separator. He should force the defense's hand and see an uptick in saggy two-high coverage looks. At worst, he should slide into a gimmick-heavy role with lots of designed touch and go-ball opportunities. Bond scores as a day-2 player and ranks inside my top-10 WRs in the class.
| Score | Overall |
| 83.4 | 57 |
| Position | Day |
| 8 | 2 |
| Score | Position | Day | Overall |
| 83.4 | 8 | 2 | 57 |
| Height: | 6' | Weight: | 202 lbs |
| Hands: | 9.625 | Arms: | 31.5 |
| 40 YD Dash: | DNP | 10 YD Split: | DNP |
| Vertical: | DNP | Broad: | DNP |
| Shuttle: | -- | Cone: | DNP |
| Height: | 6' | Hands: | 9.625 | 40 YD Dash: | DNP |
| Weight: | 202 lbs | Arms: | 31.5 | 10 YD Split: | DNP |
| Broad: | DNP | Cone: | DNP | ||
| Vertical: | DNP | Shuttle: | -- |
| Height: | 6' | Hands: | 9.625 | 40 YD Dash: | DNP | Broad: | DNP | Cone: | DNP |
| Weight: | 202 lbs | Arms: | 31.5 | 10 YD Split: | DNP | Vertical: | DNP | Shuttle: | -- |
Former Consensus 5-star prospect
Second Team All-Big Ten (2022)
Third Team All-Big Ten (2023, 2024)
Academic All-American (2022)
Finished 3rd in the Big Ten in TD receptions (10) in 2022 and 2024
Finished 17th all-time in receiving yards in Big Ten history (2868)
Prototype power-slot profile. Egbuka is densely built with height and length, far bigger than the average slot WR. He has tremendous play strength and toughness. He thrives playing in traffic and exudes strong hands and body control at the catch point. He has had a lot of success in contested situations and is a proven reliable target, even with tight coverage.
Big-time catch radius. He has pristine body control and can make adjustments on the football. He can contort in the air and will put his body on the line.
Zone coverage dismantler. My favorite element of Egbuka’s game is the way he attacks zone coverages. He has a great feel for working into space and finding soft spots. He pushes hard in the drive phase and can move defenders off their landmarks to create openings.
Brings a strong RAC element. Egbuka is a nightmare to bring down in the open field. He is both powerful and elusive. He has good contact balance and can shrug off defenders or make guys miss. He fights for every inch and is a chain mover with the ball in his hands. I love how quickly he can transition from catch to run.
Just an average athlete. Egbuka isn’t a bad athlete, but he definitely will not set the world on fire. He is more smooth than explosive. You see it most when running the vertical route tree — he really struggles to stack and threaten DBs. He also isn’t going to create a lot of early separation against man coverage with burst out of breaks or get-off.
Limited route runner. For one, he wasn’t tasked with an overly complicated route tree. He ran a lot of hitches, comebacks, slants, and shallow crossers, and was heavily involved in the screen/jet gameplan. You also see him struggle to get in and out of breaks fluidly. He doesn’t possess a lot of salesmanship qualities yet, either.
Egbuka is a high-floor prospect with a high football IQ, toughness, and yards-after-catch ability. His play style and likely NFL role remind me a lot of Rashee Rice, as a player who will primarily be featured against zone, as a RAC threat, and from the slot. It's not to say he can’t play out wide, but the payoff there is going to be limited in comparison to what you get out of him from the slot, especially while he develops his route running within an NFL route tree. Egbuka scores as a 2nd-round prospect for me.
| Score | Overall |
| 82.1 | 65 |
| Position | Day |
| 9 | 2 |
| Score | Position | Day | Overall |
| 82.1 | 9 | 2 | 65 |
| Height: | 6' | Weight: | 206 lbs |
| Hands: | 8.5 | Arms: | 31.25 |
| 40 YD Dash: | 4.41 | 10 YD Split: | 1.54 |
| Vertical: | DNP | Broad: | DNP |
| Shuttle: | -- | Cone: | DNP |
| Height: | 6' | Hands: | 8.5 | 40 YD Dash: | 4.41 |
| Weight: | 206 lbs | Arms: | 31.25 | 10 YD Split: | 1.54 |
| Broad: | DNP | Cone: | DNP | ||
| Vertical: | DNP | Shuttle: | -- |
| Height: | 6' | Hands: | 8.5 | 40 YD Dash: | 4.41 | Broad: | DNP | Cone: | DNP |
| Weight: | 206 lbs | Arms: | 31.25 | 10 YD Split: | 1.54 | Vertical: | DNP | Shuttle: | -- |
Former consensus 5-star prospect (2022)
Top WR prospect in his class (2022)
First-Team All-SEC (2023, 2024)
Second Team All-American (2023)
Dense build with excellent juice. Burden is thick. He has a rocked-up, muscular frame with quads that would make many RBs jealous. His build suggests a capacity for significant volume.
YAC machine. Burden is a problem with the ball in his hands. He is devastating on screens, shallows, and jet sweeps. In the short part of the field, he transitions from catch to run with lightning quickness and can lean on his explosiveness to make stuff happen. He has excellent contact balance and some "make-you-miss" moves. The burst and quickness out of cuts are the main components of his YAC game. He combines all of this with pretty good vision and a knack for finding daylight.
Vertical ability out of the slot. Burden’s ball tracking and ability to play above the rim are significantly better than most primary slot WRs. He has no problem locating the ball in the air and plucking it with late hands, not allowing DBs to access the football. He has demonstrated great body control and "go-up-and-get-it" ability.
Fraudulent production profile. An enormously high percentage of Burden's production came on either screens or slot fades. In fact, if we assume Burden is drafted somewhere on day 1 or day 2, he ranks 4th in this type of production since 2018. The accompanying list of players is not a good one — Malachi Corley, Tutu Atwell, Wan’Dale Robinson, and Treylon Burks.
Profiles as a slot-only WR with limited versatility. To make matters worse, over the last two seasons of Burden’s college career, he had only 333 receiving yards when lined up out wide. Most of these yards came on screens, with the occasional switch release seam or hitch. He has almost no tape of him beating press coverage or winning routes on the outside.
Lacking resume and chops as a route runner/separator. It's probably not shocking that someone with this production profile has no high-level reps of route running on his tape. When I watch Burden run routes, I don’t see anything that suggests translatability to the NFL. He doesn’t utilize tempo changes or salesmanship. He is easily moved off his stem and allows timing to be disrupted. He doesn’t finish routes working back to the QB and allows DBs to play through his body/ball. Over the last two seasons, I charted one route "win" on an in-breaking route. When he has been tasked with snappy, timing-based routes, I see him fail to adequately gear down and maintain balance through the route. Some of this is obviously correctible with coaching. Some of it, though,might point to anatomical limitations. Over the past two years, Burden had just 55 catches when targeted 5 yards or more beyond the line of scrimmage. For comparison's sake, the average of the other 7 WRs in my top-8 is over 110.
Burden is one of the more polarizing players in the draft class. A huge swath of the draft community and respected evaluators really like him. For me, the draft is all about risk management and while there are certainly likable qualities to Burden’s game, I strongly believe there are much cleaner profiles to project to the NFL. In summary, Burden brings an unrefined skill set as a WR but has dynamic run-after-catch ability to go with exceptional ball skills and verticality from the slot. Officially, he scores as a late 2nd-round/early 3rd-round prospect for me.
| Score | Overall |
| 81.5 | 68 |
| Position | Day |
| 10 | 2 |
| Score | Position | Day | Overall |
| 81.5 | 10 | 2 | 68 |
| Height: | 6' | Weight: | 205 lbs |
| Hands: | 9.5 | Arms: | 30.125 |
| 40 YD Dash: | 4.42 | 10 YD Split: | 1.49 |
| Vertical: | DNP | Broad: | DNP |
| Shuttle: | 4.14 | Cone: | DNP |
| Height: | 6' | Hands: | 9.5 | 40 YD Dash: | 4.42 |
| Weight: | 205 lbs | Arms: | 30.125 | 10 YD Split: | 1.49 |
| Broad: | DNP | Cone: | DNP | ||
| Vertical: | DNP | Shuttle: | 4.14 |
| Height: | 6' | Hands: | 9.5 | 40 YD Dash: | 4.42 | Broad: | DNP | Cone: | DNP |
| Weight: | 205 lbs | Arms: | 30.125 | 10 YD Split: | 1.49 | Vertical: | DNP | Shuttle: | 4.14 |
1st Team All-Mountain West (2023)
2nd Team All-Mountain West (2024)
Had a career-best 211 receiving yards on 9 catches against Boise State in 2024
School record 15 touchdowns in 2023
All-State high jumper in high school
Explosive athletic profile. Royals profiles similarly to a RB from an athletic standpoint. He is more of a pure linear player than he is quick. His first step is lightning-fast, evidenced by his class-leading 1.49 10-yard split at the Combine. He seemingly gets to top speed instantly. He can also jump and play above the rim a bit.
Densely built, strong, and physical. Royals is also built like a RB. He is under 6 foot tall but plays around 210 pounds. He has massive, powerful quads that are the engine that makes him go. You see his play strength show up in just about every aspect of his game.
Wrecking-ball RAC threat. Royals is going to get the lazy Deebo Samuel comp… but it's not a bad one. Their physical makeup and play styles are eerily similar, especially with the ball in their hands. Royals has incredible contact balance and strength that allows him to run through most defensive backs' faces or ping pong off bigger tacklers. He will pile up yards after the catch and force missed tackles, but he doesn’t do it with finesse moves like jukes and jump cuts. He does it with brute force and explosiveness.
Press beater. The reps of Royals beating press are super impressive. He has a developed release package highlighted by a very abrupt split release. He almost always wins the leverage battle and doesn’t allow CBs to halt his progress with their punch. He also implements wrong-side releases to win space at the break. He followed up his impressive press-beating resume in college with an excellent week in Mobile during Senior Bowl practices where he was by far the best press-beater in attendance. He is a menace.
One-speed, low-urgency route runner. I am pretty torn on Royals’ ceiling as a route runner. He shows signs of lacking foot speed and requisite flexibility to excel with routes featuring sudden changes of direction or requiring explosive, harsh breaks. His offense in college was fairly limiting as well, and a lot of what they did was simply set up Royals to just go "win." This led to a very lackadaisical approach where a lot of plays he would pitter-patter and wait for other players to clear out before he would hit his break. He also doesn’t use many salesmanship techniques to generate separation or sell the vertical push. Ultimately, I think he will be best on the linear tree with a healthy diet of designed touches.
Iffy production profile. Royals had an excellent 2023 season on paper but when you adjust for the level of competition and the fact that so much was designed to hit in the short part of the field, you really start to have questions about what his usage could look like in the NFL.
Royals is a run-after-catch machine capable of giving NFL teams quality reps as a designed touch chain mover right away. You could envision him playing RB as well with his build, physicality, and explosive traits. As far as doing the more WR-centric jobs, he will need more developmental runway than some of the others. He does possess the most important trait for translatability, though, which is body control — he shows it off at the catch point and with the ball in his hands. Overall, he scores as a mid-day-2 prospect for me.
More Evaluations Coming Soon
The Fantasy Points Prospect Guide will be regularly updated as Brett Whitefield makes his way through more film.
Check back regularly for updates on both offensive and defensive players.
