Three-pack of 2025 NFL Prospects- WR’s

The 2025 NFL Draft will be here before you know it, and Draft Nation is here to help showcase some of the top talent for you to pay attention to. Here is a three pack of top wide receiver prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft.

WR Evan Stewart, Oregon

• 6-foot-0 175 lbs
• 2024 stats: 7 games 27 receptions 427 yards 3 touchdowns
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What to like about Evan Stewart

Evan Stewart has elite speed and burst and was reportedly timed at 4.33 in the 40-yard-dash. What makes the speedster even harder to cover, is his excellent route running ability. Stewart does a good job of changing up the speeds to his routes, and can cut in an instant. He has shown the ability to play and produce on the outside and in the slot, giving an offensive coordinator some creativity in his usage. After making the catch, Stewart is difficult to bring down and can turn a quick pass into a huge play. Stewart does not have the largest catch radius, but he has the ability to contort his body and make some difficult catches. 

Reason for concern

Stewart is on the smaller side and lacks the length that scouts like to see in an early draft pick. He can have problems with physicality and press coverage and will need to find better ways to get releases off the line of scrimmage. Stewart needs to add muscle and mass to his frame to withstand the physical part of the NFL game. He loses concentration from time to time, and has more double tap catches than teams like to see from an every down receiver. He competes but has issues on 50/50 balls, and may project as a stronger slot receiver.

Player comp: Darnell Mooney

Draft Projection

2nd round pick

WR Kyren Lacy, LSU

• 6-foot-2 210 lbs
• 2024 stats: 7 games 36 receptions 512 yards 6 touchdowns

What to like about Kyren Lacy

Kyren Lacy is a physical receiver who uses his superior footwork and hands to be able to get clean releases off the line. He has a habit of beating press coverage well, leaving a viable pitch and catch window for his quarterback. Between Louisiana-Lafayette and LSU, Lacy has run the full route tree and has been productive lining up wide or in the slot. After making the catch, Lacy becomes a running back and is capable of picking up large chunks of yards with his vision and physical demeanor. In the red zone he has proven to be a weapon and does an efficient job of finding the football and using his body to shield the defenders. 

Reason for concern

On the downside, Lacy has not shown much consistency from week to week. Some of the inconsistencies could be because he played behind Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. 

Lacy has decent straight line speed but not the kind that will put pressure on the back end in the pros. He performs better against man to man coverage than he does against zone coverages and struggles to find the soft spots in zones and overruns his open windows. He lacks the technique to be effective at run blocking. 

Player comp: Michael Wilson

Draft Projection

Fourth round pick

WR Jalen Royals, Utah State

• 6-foot-0 205 lbs
• 2024 stats: 7 games 55 receptions 834 yards 6 touchdowns

What to like about Jalen Royals

Jalen Royals has track and field background and has been timed at 4.30 in the 40-yard dash. He can take the top off of defenses with his straight line speed and when he gets a clean release off the line he is tough to defend man to man with his shiftiness and quick cuts. 

Royals possesses excellent body control which adds to his catch radius, and he can contort his body without slowing down, making numerous highlight reel catches. He is the ultimate competitor on 50/50 balls and does a solid job of using his body to shield defenders when he high point passes. When running routes, he is tough to mirror with his stop and go movements and can hit his full speed instantly.

Reason for concern

On the downside, Royals lacks the physicality to be able to beat press coverages and can easily get redirected on short and mid range routes by bigger cornerbacks. The level of competition that Royals has played against could be used against him when comparing him to other top prospects, and he will need to show that the 2023 season was no fluke. 

At Utah State, Royals has only lined up outside and teams will want to see how and if he can produce from the slot. Although he has elite speed, he struggles with zone coverage and finding the soft spots in the defense.

Player comp: Rashee Rice

Draft Projection

Third round pick