Wide Receiver Train Full Speed Ahead- CHOO CHOO!

[LEBills]

My personal 2025 WR rankings:

 

#4 Cleveland “Tre” Harris III WR Ole Miss (RD 2-3)

- LEBills favorite WR in the draft

- Was Malik Nabers HS QB

- Historically efficient 2024 season

 

What does he do on film?

 

Best combination of speed, strength and hands in the draft

- 1:28 Short curl, sheds the first two defenders and then takes the eventual tackler for a ride for the first down

- 1:33 it’s hard to see in these highlights but Harris had cooked his defender. Dart misfired and Harris bailed him out

- 2:39 screen pass with limited blocking in front of him. The tackler just falls right off of him as he powers for a first down

- 2:56 for a player his size, does a good job sinking his hips after faking inside to complete the outbreaker. Then he is just so hard to bring down once he has the ball.

- 3:03 stutter step freezes the DB before he slants in. Then he just outruns the defense for the TD

- 3:21 double move torched the future draft pick O’Donnell Fortune. Such a good tracker of the ball, Harris slows down to make the over the shoulder catch of the Dart pass and then runs for 15 more yards once the defender first gets there hands on him

- 3:56 just out completed the defender in tge end zone on another terrible pass

- 4:17 just outruns the CB and Safety, nbd

5:46 over the shoulder catch after being led into the defender by stupid Dart

- 6:11 breaks the initial tackle then outruns the LSU secondary for 50 more yards

- 6:20 literally did the same thing to them

- 6:37 unstoppable all game, when Ole Miss needed it they gave it to Harris. Breaks one defenders ankles and scampers into the endzone

- 7:14 another display of elite ball tracking

- 7:39 hit 5 yards short of the first down line and just carries the defender for the first

- 7:52 elite ball tracking

- 8:31 gosh darn it Dart. Harris way past his guy, ball terribly underhrown and Harris goes over two defenders to rip the ball down

 

Weaknesses:

- Injuries cost him of most of his 2024 season

- Inopportune mistakes vs LSU, Kentucky and Florida

- Limited route tree at Ole Miss

 

Conclusion:

I felt Tre improved from 2023 to 2024 but that he was more explosive in 23z A major reason for that was his injuries - some he played through, and some that cost him multiple games - zapping him of some of his wiggle and explosiveness. Unfortunately, his play style lends itself to taking big hits and I worry about his long term durability. If he was guaranteed perfect health, he would be my WR2 in the class.

 

A player that can transcend a system and that can be fed when you need your offense to reset. Even watching some of his Louisiana Tech games, he made the same type of plays outside of the Ole Miss system. Drafting Harris is taking a shot at a WR1 knowing there is a chance injuries continue being a problem

 

 

[LEBills]

My personal 2025 WR rankings:

 

#3 Emeka Egbuka WR Ohio State (RD 1)

- returned kicks as a Freshman

- destined to be the 5th OSU recover drafted in the first round in the past 4 years

 

What does he do on film?

 

 

Refined and reliable:

- 4:03 effortless reparation at top of routes

- 4:45 takes a step in towards the defender which briefly freezes him, Egbuka re-accelerates for quick separation, 4th down conversion and TD

- 6:45 so quick out of his breaks, even if the defender is on top of him he creates a moment of separation

- 9:40 fight through the initial traffic to get out to his route and a big touchdown

- 12:47 pretty play finding the hole shot in the zone and nice sideline catch

- 16:35 his speed without the ball in his hands is deceiving. Ran right by everyone down the seam

- 17:56 just gives QBs answers in high pressure situations

 

Weaknesses:

- Not very shifty or powerful as a runner. -  - Does not cause many missed tackles

- Played mainly in the slot at Ohio State

 

Conclusion:

Long tenured Buckeye who is likely underrated by the draft community like Chris Olave was coming out. Olave was expected to come out for several years and kept returning to Columbus and Egbuka did the same. Not a startling athlete like other in this class, his smoothness as a route runner is where he will make his living.

 

I see Egbuka as a better version of Tyler Boyd who will specialize as a zone killer and chain mover. One of the safest players in the draft destined to a long career starting on good teams but never a headliner.

[Lothar]

On 4/9/2025 at 7:53 AM, HappyDays said:

 

No I don't think they have. But when a 2nd round talent at a position of need might be available in the 5th, no harm in doing their due diligence on him. I don't know the specifics but it doesn't sound like the concerns are criminal in nature. The comparison has been to Jermaine Burton. So you have to figure out if he is going to skip NFL practices like Burton has done which means he's not worth drafting in any round, or can his personality be managed enough to take a flyer on him.

Even if the Bills decide he's worth a 5th round flyer, you know teams like KC don't apply the same rigorous rules as Beane would. There's no way he makes it past Round 3 unless there's a LOT more under the surface.

[Maine-iac]

Still a mid round guy but he's going to climb draft boards.  Has been one of my favorites because of where we could get him but that might be changing.

 

[Nephilim17]

1 hour ago, Maine-iac said:

Still a mid round guy but he's going to climb draft boards.  Has been one of my favorites because of where we could get him but that might be changing.

 

I'd love the Bills to take a chance on mid-round size/speed guy who is still developing.

Horton just gobbles up the turf with those long strides. Looks like a better route runner than Dont'e Thornton who is even bigger and faster and a good blocker but doesn't seem to have much of a route tree — yet. I'd love to take a chance on either guy.

We burned a 3rd round pick last year on a backup DT; take a chance on a WR with size and speed this year. 

[LEBills]

My personal 2025 WR rankings:

 

#2 Elic Ayomanor WR Stanford (RD 2)

- Grew up in Canada until HS

- Put up nearly 300 yards against Colorado, half of which came against (a hobbled) Travis Hunter

 

What does he do on film?

 

Natural if not unrefined route runner:

- 4:52 awesome pacing on route and selling the go before breaking it off for the back shoulder catch, setting Stanford up for the win.

 

- 5:20 really great snapping off the route to the corner of the EZ

 

- 7:13 fights through 3 or 4 defenders in his route and gets to the front pylon

 

- 10:53 pretty impressive wiggle for a player of his size

 

 

Are his hands improving?

- 13:18 brushes off the attempted hold by the DB and excellent deep tracking. 

 

- 13:41 tracking down the errant pass like an outfielder. Critical for his play style and plays he was missing earlier in the year

 

- 15:00 threw Quincy Riley (a good CB) to the side and finished with a nice deep ball track

 

Weaknesses:

- For such a strong player, he allows balls to get ripped out or will just drop them after a bit of contact

- Has some quicks to his game, but not overly dangerous after the catch

 

Conclusion:

I was skeptical of Ayomanor going into evaluation for his apparent lack of separation and a few too many drops. As the season went on, I think he started playing better despite his QB situation. The drops lessened (though we’re still there at times), and he seemed to have more wiggle and juice off the line.

 

Ayomanor is a player who I would be nervous drafting but also nervous to pass on. He looks like Mike Evans on the field but his hands are holding him back. I think some of his releases off the line are some of the more impressive of this class, but then he has such bad hand placement to catch the ball. If a team feels confident they can fix his catching technique he is going to be a monster.

[Dr. Who]

12 minutes ago, LEBills said:

My personal 2025 WR rankings:

 

#2 Elic Ayomanor WR Stanford (RD 2)

- Grew up in Canada until HS

- Put up nearly 300 yards against Colorado, half of which came against (a hobbled) Travis Hunter

 

What does he do on film?

 

Natural if not unrefined route runner:

- 4:52 awesome pacing on route and selling the go before breaking it off for the back shoulder catch, setting Stanford up for the win.

 

- 5:20 really great snapping off the route to the corner of the EZ

 

- 7:13 fights through 3 or 4 defenders in his route and gets to the front pylon

 

- 10:53 pretty impressive wiggle for a player of his size

 

 

Are his hands improving?

- 13:18 brushes off the attempted hold by the DB and excellent deep tracking. 

 

- 13:41 tracking down the errant pass like an outfielder. Critical for his play style and plays he was missing earlier in the year

 

- 15:00 threw Quincy Riley (a good CB) to the side and finished with a nice deep ball track

 

Weaknesses:

- For such a strong player, he allows balls to get ripped out or will just drop them after a bit of contact

- Has some quicks to his game, but not overly dangerous after the catch

 

Conclusion:

I was skeptical of Ayomanor going into evaluation for his apparent lack of separation and a few too many drops. As the season went on, I think he started playing better despite his QB situation. The drops lessened (though we’re still there at times), and he seemed to have more wiggle and juice off the line.

 

Ayomanor is a player who I would be nervous drafting but also nervous to pass on. He looks like Mike Evans on the field but his hands are holding him back. I think some of his releases off the line are some of the more impressive of this class, but then he has such bad hand placement to catch the ball. If a team feels confident they can fix his catching technique he is going to be a monster.

Really interesting. I've appreciated these write-ups. 

[LEBills]

Just now, Dr. Who said:

Really interesting. I've appreciated these write-ups. 

Appreciate the support. These have been fun for me to do. I’ll finish off #1’s report tomorrow then just do a list of the top 10 fits for the Bills. Then it’s almost draft time!

[SoonerBillsFan]

3 hours ago, LEBills said:

Appreciate the support. These have been fun for me to do. I’ll finish off #1’s report tomorrow then just do a list of the top 10 fits for the Bills. Then it’s almost draft time!

Outstanding work !

[LEBills]

My personal 2025 WR rankings:

 

#1 Terairoa McMillan WR Arizona (Round 1)

- 5 star HS recruit

- Over 2700 yards in past two seasons

 

What does he do on film?

 

Special player

- 1:24 filthy whip route for a 6’4’’ Receiver. Looks like Julio Jones with the way he sunk his hips 

 

- 4:43 he did it again!

 

- 3:37  great job repositioning himself on the underthrown ball against two defenders. Played to his size

 

- 13:40 - 14:40 just 1 minute straight of McMillan schooling Travis Hunter

 

- 14:53 splitting the deep zone for a spectacular catch

 

- 17:05 swipes away the attempted jam, quickly hits the slant for a first

 

- 21:41 slows down to stay in the perfect hole in the zone. When he has a run way those long strides eat up a lot of ground!

 

- 24:43 very impressed by his feel in zone coverage. It’s going to be so crucial to him at the next level to dominate the center of the field like this

 

- 26:01 looks like a grown up playing 500 in the backyard with his kids

 

 

Weaknesses:

- He is not explosive, his top speed isn’t bad but it take him time to get there

- Inconsistent in how physical he plays

- No special YAC ability limits short route effectiveness

 

Conclusion:

There is no other choice, McMillan is a star. If he isn’t the first WR off the board this year, the team that passes on him will regret it.

 

Excellent feel vs zone, difficult to shadow in intermediate routes and then too big downfield or in the red zone to stop. McMillan does need to be a bit more consistent in both his tenacity and hand placement downfield. But I think we will see notable improvement in his yards after catch in the NFL when he is paired with a better QB. I’m looking forward to seeing his professional career

[Maine-iac]

On 4/8/2025 at 5:23 PM, LEBills said:

My personal 2025 WR rankings:

 

#6 Tory Horton WR Colorado State (RD 4-6)

- Should have declared last year

- Worked out in the snow at his pro day

 

What does he do on film?

 

- :14 beats Will Johnson 1v1 for the long touchdown

- 2:32 a lot of fast players struggle against zone coverage. Sits in the zone, gets the ball and then so incredibly quick going from standing still to making a big run after catch

- 4:11 double covered and still wins the jump ball and scores

- 4:56 sick double move and then shows off the best hands in the draft

- 6:15 it’s not an amazing play, but I like players that their coaches trust to handle a trick play

 

 

- 1:34 best hands in the draft

- 2:47 incredible at getting hands up last moment for the catch and touchdown

- 7:41 best hands in the draftttt

- 8:20 When a big catch was needed he delivered, then communicates with his teammates to get ready to spike the ball

- 9:14 best hands in the draftttttttt

 

Weaknesses:

- Likely played much lighter than he weighed at combine

- Knee injury ended his season

- Wins with speed and lacks physicality after the catch

 

Conclusion:

If you can’t tell, I’m a big fan. A player that should have declared last year after a showcase game vs Colorado, he came back because he was a leader at CSU. Well rounded receiver metrically with success out wide and in the slot as well as vs both man and zone. 

 

Added bonus of being a good punt returner will allow him to contribute right away to any team. Starting as a reserve and slot player be a nice way to transition to the physicality of the game, but I think he can step in as a starter immediately assuming he is 100% healthy.

Don't know why I didn't see this earlier.  Plus side notes, your weaknesses include him playing lighter than at the combine but with that said he ran a good 40 at the combine with more weight.  He might be fine packing on a little more muscle.  That also plays into the knee injury part, he seems to be moving fine.  I also definitely saw some nice fight after the catch on the video I posted.  Smith even commented he needs to fight less and go down or he'll get popped in the NFL.  I try not to get to hyped about any one pick but I'm really hoping Buffalo calls his name.

[LEBills]

7 minutes ago, Maine-iac said:

Don't know why I didn't see this earlier.  Plus side notes, your weaknesses include him playing lighter than at the combine but with that said he ran a good 40 at the combine with more weight.  He might be fine packing on a little more muscle.  That also plays into the knee injury part, he seems to be moving fine.  I also definitely saw some nice fight after the catch on the video I posted.  Smith even commented he needs to fight less and go down or he'll get popped in the NFL.  I try not to get to hyped about any one pick but I'm really hoping Buffalo calls his name.

Yea I’ve come to appreciate that weight is important for receivers. That he hasn’t played at that higher weight is an unknown so I listed it as a weakness. But from all accounts he took his rehab extremely seriously, added the weight to his frame, and kept his speed. Very exciting.

 

Yea tomorrow I will put out my list of best Bills fits of the WRs and Tory will be VERY high on it. I love him. Unfortunately the buzz is getting loud as we get closer to the draft so hopefully he remains in range for the Bills

[Mikie2times]

On 4/12/2025 at 8:20 AM, Maine-iac said:

Still a mid round guy but he's going to climb draft boards.  Has been one of my favorites because of where we could get him but that might be changing.

 

Huge sleeper off his injury