NFL Player News

The Bills selected Prather in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 240th overall.

Prather had a productive career at West Virginia and Maryland, topping 50 catches in three of his four years between the two schools. He has an old-school profile, relying on length and speed to beat defenders outside the numbers. It remains to be seen if he can stick in Buffalo, particularly considering the relatively similar playing style to Keon Coleman, but Prather should be able to compete for the fifth wide receiver role.

The Seahawks selected White in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 238th overall.

White (6-foot-1, 184 pounds) tanked his draft stock with a disappointing showing at the NFL Combine, where he logged a 4.61-second 40-yard dash. It was a letdown because White was a dominant wideout at UNLV, where since 2023 he produced 167 receptions for 2,524 yards and 19 touchdowns on 264 targets (63.3 percent catch rate, 9.6 yards per target) and matched the production of New England third-round pick Kyle Williams when the two were both on the UNLV roster. Similarly intriguing is the fact that White initially played for Michigan State, and during his true freshman year White torched Michigan for eight catches, 196 yards and one touchdown on 10 targets before bizarrely playing only two more games for Michigan State and transferring to UNLV. White's pass-catching abilities might not translate to the NFL, but he should at the very least stick around on special teams, because White is an uncanny punt blocker after knocking down four in 2024.

The Buccaneers selected Johnson in the seventh round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 235th overall.

Johnson started his college career with Troy in 2020 before transferring to Oregon in 2023. He primarily played in the slot position for the Ducks and demonstrated chemistry with Bo Nix, with Johnson setting a single-season school receptions record in 2023 (86). Johnson followed that up with a strong 2024 campaign, catching 83 passes for 898 yards and 10 touchdowns over 12 games, and he was named as the Big Ten Championship Game MVP. Johnson has explosive burst at the snap and gives defenders trouble in the open field, but he'll need to firm up his route running to see consistent snaps at the NFL level. He faces an uphill battle in seeing offensive snaps in his rookie season in Tampa Bay but could serve as the team's top punt returner.

The Raiders selected Mellott in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 213th overall.

Mellott was considered a borderline draft prospect by many outlets, but he found a home with the Raiders before the sixth round came to a close. Mellott played quarterback at Montana State and put his athleticism on display last year, rushing 123 times for 1,050 yards and 15 touchdowns in addition to throwing for 2,783 yards and a 31:2 TD:INT ratio. He'll make the conversion to wide receiver at the NFL level and reportedly ran a 4.39 40-yard dash after being listed at 6-foot, 208 pounds last year. He'll aim to carve out a role on the 53-man roster and will likely be asked to play special teams as well.

The Panthers selected Horn in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 208th overall.

Horn (5-foot-8, 174 pounds) was mostly a bit contributor at Colorado and will likely need to serve in the same role in the NFL, but he has deep speed to work with and is elusive with the ball. Horn was a productive starter for two years at South Florida before transferring to the Buffaloes for his final two years, and in Colorado it was a little harder for Horn to stand out in a wideout rotation where he was overshadowed by Travis Hunter and LaJohntay Wester. Indeed, Horn's production fell off upon him arriving to Colorado, with Horn specifically struggling to thrive in traffic. That's a problem, because even with his plus speed Horn probably can't threaten downfield regularly at just 5-foot-8. Receivers this short need to win on short routes from the slot to see more than decoy work, but slot targets come with the most collisions. Horn will most likely end up settling in as a long-time gadget player and returner in the NFL.

The Ravens selected Wester in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 203rd overall.

Wester was a longtime contributor at Florida Atlantic before linking up with Colorado for his final season. He caught 26 touchdowns over his final three years in college, including a career-high 10 in 2024 while also posting a career high in yards per target (9.9). Wester is small and speedy at 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds with a 4.46 40. He can function on short routes or make plays deep down the field. Wester wins in similar ways to fellow Raven Zay Flowers and could occupy that type of role in a pinch. As it stands, though, Wester has a big hill to climb to see playing time in Baltimore. Wester's ability in the return game is likely his best path to seeing the field early in his career.

The Seahawks selected Horton in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 166th overall.

There's always a reason when a player falls further than expected in the draft, but Horton is a player who always produced in college and demonstrated plus NFL speed with a 4.41-second 40-yard dash at 6-foot-3, 195 pounds. Horton stood out in a crowded Nevada rotation from 2020-21, at which point he transferred to Colorado State and torched for all of the next three years. Horton is light for his frame and missed the last six games of 2024 due to a knee injury, but if Horton's light frame isn't a problem and if the knee checks out fine then there's nothing obvious to stop Horton from eventually establishing himself as a quality boundary receiver in the NFL.

The Chargers selected Lambert-Smith in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 158th overall.

The Chargers went wide receiver for the second time this draft, previously taking Tre Harris in the second round. Lambert-Smith transferred to Auburn for his fifth collegiate season and was the clear top receiver with team highs in receptions (50), receiving yards (981) and touchdowns (eight). The 23-year-old boosted his draft stock further at the 2025 NFL Combine with a 4.37 40-yard dash and an above-average 79-inch wingspan at 6-foot-1, 190 pounds. With 19.6 yards per catch last season, he has the tools to make splash plays in the NFL, but he joins a crowded receiver room in Los Angeles.

The 49ers selected Watkins in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 138th overall.

Watkins was overshadowed by bigger names in the wide receiver corps at Ole Miss throughout his time in college, but he was still a significant contributor. He tied for the SEC lead in touchdown receptions with nine in 2024 and was also productive as a punt returner during his time with the Rebels. Watkins is likely to be buried on the depth chart even with the 49ers losing Deebo Samuel and potentially being without Brandon Aiyuk (knee) to begin the season, but he should have a chance to make the roster as a special-teams contributor.

The Titans selected Ayomanor in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, 136th overall.

Ayomanor was almost universally expected to go a round or more earlier than this, and at the very least Ayomanor was expected to go well ahead of fellow rookie wideout Chimere Dike, whom the Titans selected with the first selection in the fourth round. Ayomanor (6-foot-2, 206) is a bigger wideout from Stanford who was a highly productive pass catcher and blocker both. Ayomanor has excellent hands and rugged running ability, which combines with his 4.44 speed to make a standout all-around big-play threat. Ayomanor should push for a starting role in Tennessee even as a rookie, because the main competition after Calvin Ridley is just Tyler Lockett, Treylon Burks and Dike.