The wide receiver position is absolutely loaded in both fantasy and reality. It’s so hard to put together any sort of position ranking list without feeling like you left someone off or slighted a really good player or two. And yet, I’m going to give it a shot … and I’ll absolutely feel the aforementioned regret, shame, etc.
After pouring hours into charting a ton of the guys drafted the last few years for Reception Perception, I decided to sit down and rank the top 15 wide receivers who are currently 25 years old or younger heading into training camp (not including rookies).
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Note: These are not simply fantasy rankings. Instead, this is how I view these guys as pure individual NFL players removed from the context of their situations.
1) Ja’Marr Chase
In last year’s version of this piece, I wrote that “Ja’Marr Chase hasn’t necessarily had that 2022 Jefferson or 2023 Lamb season quite yet” but he had every part of the skill set needed to do it and could indeed “have that type of campaign as soon as this season.”
Sure enough, that’s exactly what happened, as Chase essentially ran away with the 2025 Triple Crown, leading the sport in catches, yards and touchdowns.
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Chase is an undeniably explosive player; he might be the best bet among all NFL wideouts to snag a short reception and take it to the house. However, he’s always been well undersold as a route runner, technician and overall craftsman. I’ve spoken with him over the years about his intention to master all three wide receiver positions and win from every alignment. That was well expressed in 2024, as he took a career-high 32.2% snaps from the slot.
2) Puka Nacua
Puka Nacua didn’t disappoint one bit in his follow-up to a record-breaking 2024 rookie season. While he missed some time with a knee injury, he was the most efficient wide receiver in the NFL when he played. He led all wide receivers with 200-plus routes in successful targets per route run (23.5% of routes), yards per route run (3.57) and first downs per route run (17.7% of routes). There’s a healthy gap between Nacua and the second-place finisher in each category.
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While we all agree that Nacua benefits from playing with Matthew Stafford in Sean McVay’s offense, he is not a creation of his surroundings. His 91st percentile success rate vs. zone coverage and 92nd percentile success rate vs. press in Reception Perception help confirm that. Nacua was already an after-catch demon, playing with rare power at the receiver position, but he made significant strides as both a separator and ball-winner in tight coverage in 2025. Overall, based on his film, I’m comfortable saying that Nacua made the leap into the Tier 1, elite group of NFL wide receivers.
3) Amon-Ra St. Brown
It’s tough to argue against the production of Amon-Ra St. Brown. Among this cohort of receivers, he ranks first in successful target rate (64%) and second in first downs per route run (13.9%) since 2022. He’s been a hyper-efficient player who has carried a large burden of the targets in one of the NFL’s best offenses.
St. Brown is one of the best power slot receivers in the NFL, if not the best. Knocking him down too far in your rankings because of alignment is outdated thinking. St. Brown also deserves tremendous credit for improving as a separator against man and press coverage on an incremental basis every single season of his career. At worst, he’s the first option among the NFL’s second tier of receivers.
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4) Malik Nabers
Malik Nabers was a walking, talking, explosive-play machine back at LSU and he largely brought every bit of that to the NFL field. Frankly, he was even more impressive as a technician than I expected right out of the gate. Some of his outrageous 2024 volume numbers (targeted on 31% of routes) are a reflection of a poor surrounding cast but his talent is commensurate with a player who should get the football as much as possible. It was a close call between Nabers and Ladd McConkey in terms of the best rookie wide receiver at beating man coverage last season. Those are the types of players we want to be super bullish on going forward.
His ability to survive a poor rookie-year landing spot is a testament to his separation skills and big-play ability with the ball in his hands. On that note, I spoke with Nabers earlier this year and was quite impressed with his detailed approach to winning after the catch. Someone with his athletic traits paired with such a strong sense of the work and craftsmanship of the position can push to be one of the best wideouts in the NFL in due time.
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5) Drake London
Drake London exploded for a major breakthrough third season and showed off his multi-layered skill set. After being deployed as a near-exclusive X-receiver in his first two seasons under Arthur Smith, London took career-high snaps in the slot and off the line of scrimmage in his first season with a new Rams-based coaching staff. Zac Robinson and co. really weaponized London’s separation skills by putting him in motion and getting him work from multiple alignments. We got to see his strong ability over the middle on quick-hitters with Kirk Cousins through most of the season and then were reminded of his elite traits as a ball-winner on deeper, out-breaking routes with Michael Penix Jr. at the close.
Hopefully, we see the best of both worlds come together in Penix’s first full season as the starter in what’s a well-constructed passing game. London should be viewed as an already established star player, considering he’s right alongside Ja’Marr Chase in this cohort in yards per route run (2.10 to 2.18) and successful targets per route run (both 14.2% of routes). However, there’s another level to jump in his game and he’s a dark-horse bet to lead the NFL in targets this year.
6) Ladd McConkey
While this doesn’t mean he will be the top guy over the long term, as you can see based on my ranking here, Ladd McConkey was the best rookie wide receiver on film last season. It wasn’t just tape; McConkey was productive as the clear-lead dog in the Chargers’ passing game. Among this cohort of players, his 3.01 yards per route run vs. man coverage ranks second behind only Puka Nacua since 2022. Even better, his 84.4% success rate vs. press is currently the sixth-best mark in the Reception Perception full history database (2014 to present).
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Don’t you dare call him a slot-only player.
He has all the skills needed to be considered a true No. 1 receiver. He is extremely quarterback-friendly as a technician, wins contested catches and is a menace with the ball in his hands. The only question about McConkey’s future is whether his body can survive the full-season punishment a featured player on a good offense can expect to go their way. He suffered through several dings as a rookie and had injury issues in college. Otherwise, the sky is the limit.
7) Brian Thomas Jr.
Brian Thomas Jr. was the fourth wideout drafted among the 2024 class but he could easily go down as the best among the group. Thomas was outrageously good in a bad situation as a rookie and put in his best work, both in the box score and on film, late in the season. He has a unique skill set among NFL receivers because he has the size and speed — along with the press- and man-coverage-route chops — to win out at X-receiver on a full-time basis. However, he was dynamic on designed touches with the ball in his hands, averaging 10 yards per target on screens last year.
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In Year 2, Thomas finds himself paired with a play-caller who should be able to weaponize his special traits from multiple alignments. He needs to be a bit more consistent settling down and running routes with timing against zone coverage but that’s a normal critique for rookie wideouts. I have full faith that Thomas has all the tools in the kit to be one of the best wide receivers in the NFL for a long time.
8) Garrett Wilson
Garrett Wilson was just rewarded by the New York Jets with a massive new contract extension, and he’s, without question, worth every penny of that deal. Wilson embodies the rotten situational luck often placed upon receivers drafted in the 2022 class. Each season in the NFL, Wilson has been saddled with bottom-barrel quarterback play and/or some of the worst-designed offenses we’ve seen in recent memory. Still, he’s been incredibly productive and has gotten better each season on an individual basis. The Justin Fields pairing is a question mark for his fantasy outlook, but Wilson’s worth among NFL receivers is beyond reproach at this stage.
Wilson is an elite separator and can run any route on the tree. Even more notable, he took a big step in the contested-catch game last season, as he routinely had to adjust in-flight to passes behind or above him at the catch point. Those are the qualities that make him a true No. 1 receiver. After he spent most of the last two seasons tethered at X-receiver, only running mostly go, slant and out routes, I’m excited to see him with more dynamic deployment under OC Tanner Engstrand, who was the passing-game coordinator in Detroit.
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9) Chris Olave
Since he entered the league in 2022, Chris Olave ranks sixth amongst this cohort in yards per route run (2.22) and sixth in first downs per route run (11.1% of routes). Fantasy football players seem to think Olave is more of a theory than an actualized player but that’s just simply not true. He’s been an extremely productive wideout since he was drafted by New Orleans. Olave is a fantastic route runner and a dangerous separator down the field.
While there are some areas where he can improve his game, the issues for Olave have largely been outside of his control: an archaic offense in 2022/2023, his wayward chemistry with Derek Carr and, of course, serious concussions. He played extremely well as the X-receiver in Klint Kubiak’s offense last season but I’m excited to see how he’s deployed in a more versatile way with Kellen Moore.
DeVonta Smith took a career-high 47.5% snaps in the slot last year under Moore and posted his most efficient season to date. I can envision a similar outlook for Olave if concussion issues don’t rear their ugly heads again this year.
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10) Josh Downs
The next three names, all of whom were drafted in the 2023 class, are really tight but give me Josh Downs at the top of the group. The Colts wide receiver trailed only Nacua and Nabers among this cohort in targets per route run (29.4% of routes) and was fifth in successful targets per route (15.1% of routes). Throwing the ball to Josh Downs produced good results and provided some of the few highlights in an otherwise downtrodden Indy passing game last season.
Downs is such a positive force in the offense because he’s a dynamic separator at all three levels, and against both man and zone coverage. He is truly one of the best route runners at the position. Additionally, he’s an excellent ball-winner in tight coverage and has been such dating back to his UNC days with Drake Maye. He’s more like a Tyler Lockett-type of player than your typical popgun slot merchant. Downs needs a better offensive environment to really put it in the box score but he’s a fantastic young wide receiver whom the Colts need to put a premium on featuring in their passing game.
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11) Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Jaxon Smith-Njigba took a major step forward in Year 2 from a production standpoint. The reality is that he was always a good player; the per-route metrics from his rookie season were a false flag and were impacted because he played behind two great receivers. JSN has always been a fantastic receiver when working against man coverage and the Seahawks finally weaponized that last season. He led all wide receivers with 4.96 yards per route run against man coverage from Week 10 on.
Smith-Njigba’s ability to win against man coverage and the condensed nature of Klint Kubiak’s offense should ease any concerns about him taking more reps outside in Year 3. I’d like to see him improve as a tackle-breaker with the ball in his hands to put the final touches on his case as a true No. 1 receiver in what should be a breakthrough third season.
12) Rashee Rice
Rashee Rice was only in our lives for a brief moment last year but he was excellent in his role with the Chiefs. I said after his rookie season that if he was going to maintain high volume with this play style and presnap deployment, he would need to become an elite zone-beater. It wasn’t a full season but he turned in a 99th percentile success rate vs. zone coverage mark in Reception Perception. Over the last two seasons, he ranks second among this cohort in yards per route run (2.56) and third in first downs per route run (12.6% of routes). Some of that is inflated because of the small sample (he’s 42nd among the group in total routes run), his unique role and his playing with Patrick Mahomes, but his unique blend of speed and power also does a ton of heavy lifting.
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Right now, Rice profiles very similarly to JuJu Smith-Schuster’s early career run with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That’s not a bad place to be but I’m hoping to see signs of growth against man coverage this season and beyond so that he can walk further down the power-slot receiver archetype, a la Amon-Ra St. Brown. Rice’s rookie season Reception Perception profile did carry some similarities to St. Brown’s Year 1 showing.
13) Marvin Harrison Jr.
Marvin Harrison Jr.’s rookie season was a disappointment relative to overly lofty expectations based on his predraft hype and his fantasy football ADP. However, when viewed in isolation, he was a good starting-level NFL X-receiver as a rookie. That’s not nothing; it’s a difficult gig, especially in this offense. I expect offensive coordinator Drew Petzing to make a more concerted effort to increase MHJ’s reps in the slot and off the line of scrimmage in 2025.
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Harrison is a much better separator than credited, especially when breaking off man coverage routes over the middle of the field. His quarterback needs to find him more effectively in those moments in Year 2. For Harrison’s part, he needs to work on coming back to the ball, in addition to playing with more physicality and cleaner attack techniques at the catch point.
Overall, I’m still optimistic about Harrison’s chances to develop into a star-caliber player on his own, even if there are big outstanding questions about his deployment in Arizona and match with Kyler Murray.
14) Zay Flowers
Zay Flowers held down this exact same spot in last year’s version of this piece. He enjoyed a strong second season, during which he improved in several key areas. Flowers gets his share of schemed touches but showed growth against press coverage and remains one of the better zone-beaters. He and Lamar Jackson were much more in sync for downfield shots, and Flowers made defenses pay.
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Flowers is still a bit mistake-prone at the catch point and can get a little loose on the details of his routes against man coverage. Those are some of the areas he needs to take another step to launch further up this list and be considered a true No. 1 wide receiver. He is, however, a really good player who has made the Ravens’ pass offense better because of the layups his quick separation ability brings for Jackson.
15) George Pickens
Just like Flowers, George Pickens is also ranked in the same position as he was last season. I will note that it was a close call between him and the first three names in the “just missed the list” section below and I wouldn’t argue if you prefer any of them to the former Steelers wideout.
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Even if he wasn’t a consistent player all through the course of last season, 2025 was still the best season of Pickens’ career when viewed in isolation. He improved dramatically as a separator against man coverage, especially on quick stop routes and slants. He’s the perfect fit for what was a vacant X-receiver gig in Dallas prior to his arrival. As long as Pickens is locked in, he could have a 2024 Tee Higgins-like season; one of the most productive No. 2 receivers in the league across from a versatile alpha wideout.
Just missed the list, in order
Jayden Reed didn’t take a step forward as an individual player in Year 2, but he didn’t regress, either. His frustrating production was mostly due to the offense’s run-heavy nature after Jordan Love’s injury and some confusing deployment. I still have plenty of hope for a true breakthrough season for Reed because he’s an excellent separator and has improved in the contested catch game. He needs to address the drop issues from last season.
Jameson Williams took a big step forward in his third NFL season. He’s not a perfect player but was dangerous as a run-after-catch weapon on digs, slants and crossers. His speed shows up more in his ability to run away from people than it does on go routes on the outside.
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Jordan Addison is an excellent option as the No. 2 receiver across from Justin Jefferson. He took a step forward as a ball-winner in tight coverage. His production might take a hit if this offense is a little bit less dangerous through the air with J.J. McCarthy set to start in the NFL for the first time.
Rome Odunze is someone I’m willing to bet on as a big riser up this list in future seasons, if not as soon as this year. He was in the same tier of prospects as guys like Nabers and Harrison but was stuck in a uniquely miserable situation as a rookie. His play as a rookie was more than acceptable, much better than the per-route zealots will let you believe — they made the same mistake with JSN. He should be the X-receiver of Ben Johnson’s offense and could lead this team in receiving.
Rashod Bateman is a long-time personal favorite of mine. I still hold out hope that he can offer a real boom season at some point in his career. Even after multiple challenging injuries, his individual talent level is not far off from some guys ranked above him on this list.
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Khalil Shakir emerged as a great answer in the slot for the Bills. He’s a tough and rugged runner after the catch with good hands and instincts for zone coverage.
Xavier Worthy looks like a useful player for the Chiefs’ passing game but it’ll be interesting to see where his role settles with Rashee Rice coming back. Hopefully, some of those missed deep shots from early last season connect in 2025 because that’s where he’s at his best as a separator.
Ricky Pearsall doesn’t have a case for this list based on a nearly lost rookie season after an August shooting. However, he was so fantastic as a man-coverage-beating receiver down the stretch of last season that I want to include him in the hopes he takes a big jump in Year 2. He’s someone I’m betting on.
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