Offensive spark plug? Best receiver fits for Patriots in 2025 draft

Editor's Note: In the lead-up to the 2025 NFL Draft, Phil Perry is identifying the best fits for the Patriots at each position based on the traits that Mike Vrabel and Eliot Wolf value as well as intel from coaches and scouts.

We've already hit on offensive tackles, interior offensive linemen, tight ends, running backs, quarterbacks, slot cornerbacks, safeties, linebackers and defensive tackles. Next up: wide receivers.

You know the Patriots are going to be interested in taking a wide receiver in this year's draft. I know the Patriots are going to be interested in taking a receiver in this year's draft. The entire NFL knows the Patriots are going to be interested in taking a receiver in this year's draft.

But which ones will they be most interested in?

It's a question worth asking, because Mike Vrabel's club does already have players at that position who should be factors in 2025. And because, while the high-end talent at the position is lacking in this draft relative to other years, there are certain types of receivers in this draft class who could make an immediate impact in Foxboro.

If you're taking a clear-eyes look at the position, there are three players who figure to have a real role in New England next season: Stefon Diggs, Mack Hollins and Kendrick Bourne.

Diggs and Hollins just got paid. Of course both have to be fully healthy and ready to go, but eventually they should be staples at the position. Bourne has no guarantees left on his contract, but he figures to be a regular contributor based on his familiarity with Josh McDaniels, with whom he had his best professional season in 2021.

After that? Unclear.

Ja'Lynn Polk is a second-round pick in his second year, but he wasn't Vrabel's second-rounder. DeMario Douglas provides some electricity from the slot, but he's a slot-only option, and it remains to be seen how he'll mesh with McDaniels, who appreciates versatility in his wideouts.

Javon Baker has talent, but he wasn't able to wrestle real responsibility from the other wideouts on the team in 2024. Kayshon Boutte flashed down-the-field skills working alongside Drake Maye, but he was a sixth-round pick in 2023 and doesn't have a physical skill set that will lock him into playing time in his third season.

For this list, we'll try to combine receiver preferences we've observed from Vrabel, McDaniels and executive vice president of player personnel Eliot Wolf.

Vrabel's best receiver in Tennessee was AJ Brown, who left Ole Miss as a big-bodied explosive threat with (as a high-end baseball player) excellent ball-tracking skills. McDaniels has always valued intelligence, toughness and versatility in his pass-catchers.

And Wolf comes from an executive tree that favors physical specimens with good size, strong 40 times and measurable explosiveness.

Without further adieu...

Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State

If you're just looking at mock drafts, Egbuka isn't thought to be atop the list of receivers in this class. But he brings a toughness and versatility to the position that the consensus top wideout Tetairoa McMillan doesn't.

Egbuka (6-foot-1, 202 pounds) hails from what has become the new Receiver U and left Columbus with the most receptions in school history (205). It's a remarkable feat given the players he played alongside like Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Marvin Harrison Jr. and Jaxon Smith-Njigba.

A three-year starter and 2024 captain, Egbuka may not be a burner, but he's already considered a pro-level route runner, and he could play all over the formation in McDaniels' offense.

Matthew Golden, Texas

Golden may be off the board before the Patriots are considering a receiver in the draft. That's what happens when you run a 4.29-second 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine. But his game is about more than just speed. (Scouts were surprised at his time, saying he may not play to that eye-popping number.)

He has excellent hands, and he showed a certain degree of competitive toughness by chipping in as a kick returner and returned two for touchdowns before transferring from Houston.

At 5-foot-11, 191 pounds, Golden won't be everyone's cup of tea. But he's considered by some evaluators a safer player than fellow SEC athletic phenom Luther Burden III from Missouri, who has drawn questions from scouts about the consistency of his effort level.

Jaylin Noel, Iowa State

Easy gas from the slot. Noel checks a number of boxes for the Patriots, and it wouldn't be a surprise if they opted to target him on Day 2 of the draft.

The 5-foot-10, 194-pounder lit up the combine with a 4.39-second 40, a 41.5-inch vertical and a whopping 11-foot-2 broad jump to go along with an impressive 6.82-second three-cone time. A two-time captain, he earned first-team All-Big 12 honors last year with 80 catches and 1,194 yards.

Evaluators wonder if Noel will be able to win purely on speed, if he can create more after the catch, or if he can continue to develop as a route-runner at the next level. But his athletic traits, leadership skills and competitiveness should allow him to continue to improve.

Jayden Higgins, Iowa State

It's a two-fer from Matt Campbell's program on this list. Not difficult to understand why. Higgins is another next-level athlete, though in a very different mold than his teammate Noel.

The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder clocked a 4.47-second 40 in Indy to go along with an eye-opening 39-inch vertical. He reeled in 87 catches for 1,183 yards and earned third-team All-American honors.

Another Day 2 possibility for New England, Higgins' size and hands (three drops on 210 targets, per The Athletic) would make a lot of sense on the outside for McDaniels. But he proved to be versatile at Iowa State, and on tape he showed the want-to to create after the catch.

If it's a bigger body the Patriots are looking for, Higgins offers a nice blend of speed, route-running skill, contested-catch ability and consistent effort that figure to make him one of their preferred choices at the position. 

Jack Bech, TCU

The Patriots need some juice at receiver. They've traveled the path of less-than-impressive-speed guys at the position, and they were once again desperately looking for help this offseason. Even if Diggs can return to something close to his 2024 pre-injury self, he's not the vertical threat he used to be. Bourne, Douglas, Boutte and Polk aren't the scare-safeties type.

And, quite frankly, neither is Bech (6-foot-1, 214 pounds). But he's their kind of guy otherwise.

Smart. Tough. Competitive. The LSU transfer played banged up last season (knee), and still ended up with 62 catches and 1,304 yards. He'll grind away at defenders as a blocker, which McDaniels will appreciate, and there's no questioning his mental toughness.

His brother was killed in the terrorist attack in New Orleans earlier this offseason, and Bech soon thereafter competed in the Senior Bowl. With a heavy heart, he established himself as one of the best wideouts in Mobile, and he caught the game-winning touchdown to finish the week.

Kyle Williams, Washington State

Williams may look like a slot (5-foot-11, 190 pounds), but he offers real down-the-field burst. After three years at UNLV, he landed at Washington State and racked up 131 catches and 2,040 yards over two seasons. He put on a separation-creation clinic at the Senior Bowl, and his 4.40-second speed is apparent on tape.

He may not have the versatility McDaniels has coveted -- if asked to block in the slot as a pro, he could have issues holding up -- but if it's deep speed and yards-after-catch burst they're after, he'd make a lot of sense on Day 2. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=elDQiHP1GJo

Tory Horton, Colorado State

Horton doesn't have the most imposing frame at 6-foot-2 and 190 pounds, but he posted outlandish production at Colorado State before an injury cut his final season short. He racked up almost 2,300 yards in 2022 and 2023 combined, then suffered a knee injury that robbed him of seven games in 2024. He was, however, healthy enough to run well at this year's combine (4.41-second 40).

A two-time captain, Horton could've left Colorado State for more NIL money at a larger program, but he stuck with the Rams. Perhaps he'll be an outside-only option as a pro. But in the middle rounds, his speed and start-stop ability will be hard to find elsewhere.

Elic Ayomanor, Stanford

What if I told you there was a receiver in this year's class who met the best corner in this class and came away from the night with a stat line of 13 catches, 294 yards and three touchdowns?

Ayomanor had the size and speed to give Travis Hunter all kinds of issues two seasons ago.

Ayomanor is physical, he's unafraid to mix it up with opposing defensive backs, and he's considered by NFL evaluators to be a safe mid-round pick thanks to his good-but-not-great on-field athletic traits.

The Deerfield Academy product clocked a 4.47-second 40 to go along with a 38.5-inch vertical in Indy.

Savion Williams, TCU

Williams is one of the more intriguing prospects at the position in this year's class. He has size (6-foot-4, 222 pounds). He has speed (4.48-second 40). He was a captain last season, and he showed real toughness as a Wildcat quarterback.

But he has -- despite some extremely high-level-of-difficulty grabs on his resume -- the highest drop rate of any wideout projected to go in the first three rounds (11.8).

If the Patriots believe they can help him get over those mental lapses, Williams and his well-rounded skill set (he completed three pass attempts last season) would be an entertaining match for Josh McDaniels.

KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Auburn

It's not often you come across a physical profile like Lambert-Smith's. The Penn State transfer ran a 4.37-second 40 to go along with a hair-on-fire 3.98-second short shuttle at 6-foot-1, 189 pounds.

The straight-line speed is one thing. And it's impressive. But that kind of change-of-direction skill as a more angular wideout is wildly impressive. Typically it's the low-to-the-ground sportscars who can get into the sub-4.0 range on the shuttle. (Think Julian Edelman and Deion Branch.)

Lambert-Smith will need to get stronger at the next level to fight off jams at the line, and he'll need to prove he can run a wider variety of routes than he did at Auburn. But his speed and length make him an enticing option for a team looking for juice at receiver.

Dont'e Thornton, Tennessee

I know, I know. A fast receiver named Thornton (4.30-second 40). You're getting flashbacks you'd rather avoid. But don't hold previous draft misses against the Patriots when it comes to this particular Thornton. He's a sturdier player at 6-foot-5, 205 pounds and with a 79-inch wingspan, and his college production is hard to ignore.

Among receivers who are projected to be drafted, Thornton had the best yards-per-reception figure on passes that traveled at least 20 yards down the field. He caught seven of 10 such targets and averaged a whopping 53.7 yards per pass.

Elijah Badger, Florida

If the Patriots wait until Day 3 for receiver help, Badger is an option worth considering. He had a back injury in 2023 that ended his final season at Arizona State prematurely. But he has real burst (4.43-second 40) and averaged 20.7 yards per catch last season (39 receptions, 806 yards).

Badger also could be a factor as a kick-returner under the NFL's new rules that should encourage more returns moving forward. The Patriots could use an athletic presence on the outside, and if they miss on some higher-end targets early, Badger could provide value late.