Woody's Top 2025 Freshmen Receivers
Best names to know for C2C leagues
With 2025 supplemental drafts starting soon, I wanted to continue my series of supplemental drafts by highlighting some receivers I believe can be solid options in supplemental drafts. If you missed my other two articles, here is a link to my 2025 freshmen running backs.
I also did a quick article with some veterans under 20% rostership on Fantrax that may be of interest. You can view it here as well!
Alright let’s talk freshmen WRs! I honestly could have made this list much longer but felt nine good quality names would be a good start along with some honorable mentions for guys spread throughout the drafts I have seen so far in C2C supplemental mocks.
1. Dakorian Moore, Oregon (above)
The top name in the recruiting class for 2025 receivers is not really a surprise here for anyone. He is a great receiver both in the services and in my model which prioritizes multiple years of high end production. He checks in 92% in my model which is a fine spot for NFL relevant players. Combine this high school outlook with a fairly open opportunity to breaking year 1 zero standards and be highly involved as a freshman really makes this a simple pick. Evan Stewart and Kenyon Sadiq look like the top returning guys to compete with targets while the running backs and a guy like Lowe will be a tertiary options in the receiving game. No discount here for those interested!
2. Talyn Taylor, Georgia
Yes I am scared to even whisper the name of a Georgia WR I think could be relevant but here I am ready to say Taylor could be WR1 of this class with his potential. He finds his high school score as tied at the 12th highest of 685 receiver high school scores dating back to 2015. That is insanely impressive with names like ARSB, Burden, Jeremiah Smith, Garrett Wilson, JSN, and Emeka Egbuka up there. For a long term play of NFL relevance buzz down the road, this is a great profile to consider. The key will be seeing if he can crack the lineup rotation in year 1 enough to overcome the vital year 1 zero metrics that we want to see for freshmen receivers. Zachariah Branch as a transfer and Dillon Bell are the best production guys to contend with here, but it is not a deep roster of talent that should keep off the five star.
3. Lotzeir Brooks, Alabama (above)
This is more of a C2C type bet as of now for Brooks. He is highly rated in my model (top 5 versus 25th in the composite) and has been absolutely buzzing this spring. I truly believe we could sit here in season and see him making a strong case as WR2 of the team over Bernard, Hale, and Horton. He has the quick twitch to create nice windows for his QB to target him which should be solid for whichever quarterback takes the job. He has also done a good job of adding some weight to his frame so he is sitting closer to 190lbs now than the recruit weight of 170s. He may lack in the TD department with the other talent around him, but you could have a nice PPR play even this season.
4. Daylan McCutcheon, Texas
McCutcheon is the under-discussed Texas freshman receiver which may be a mistake in hindsight for the masses. French and Lockett both will cost owners a pretty price in drafts, but it is McCutcheon who has had some starter rep buzz recently this spring. Dre and Wingo are both recovering from injuries so the young guys are getting lots of practice with the first and second team. McCutcheon is probably not worth much in drafts so you can take a later flyer on potentially the best talent of the group. The team only returns about 20% of its receiving production from last year so there are plenty of opportunities for McCutcheon to earn the favor of new starter Arch Manning.
5. Elijah Thomas, Oklahoma
Thomas goes around the fourth round in supplemental drafts right now so this is not exactly a sleeper pick here. Oklahoma is moving forward with the former Washington State scheme and Mateer here to lead it again. While Thomas will need to fight off transfer Javonnie Gibson, Deion Burks, and Isaiah Sategna for relevance at minimum. Gibson and Sategna were showing out this spring before both are now out rest of spring practice with injury. This has opened the door for Thomas to get additional reps which is good for the freshman who left high school with production that let him rank around CeeDee Lamb and Marvin Mims entering college.
6. Jerome Myles, Texas A&M (above)
Talent bet here with Myles; the injuries are kind of scary since he has been shut down two seasons in a row now for injuries. When on the field though, Myles is a stud with production that represents that upside. He is running track this spring so that could be encouraging to show where he may be in recovery from a leg injury in the fall. The returning receivers for the team had 381 and 218 yards respectively. KC Concepcion was brought on and carries the most career college production, but he is more of a gadget / line-of-scrimmage guy so a role can still exist for Myles. Mario Craver was also brought on in the transfer portal but faces legal issues currently. Missing the spring will not help Myles build momentum for this year. Texas A&M does not have the formidable depth chart that should hold Jerome Myles back though once he arrives. Considering every other player I mention today is an early enrollee for spring, I think that says a lot of Myles.
7. Ed Small, TCU
Year 2 starting quarterback who loves to throw the ball returns with Eric McAlister and nothing else. This is the dream for Ed Small to go from running with the 2’s in the spring to making a case for working with the starters beside McAlister and probably Manjack. A lot of the C2C community has Terry Shelton as the higher freshman to target in supplemental drafts, but he has the worse production profile from high school so there is a chance he is staying up there for the higher composite ranking in services. This creates a buy low window for Small in C2C leagues with a path rise in value after Year 1. I doubt Hoover is leaving after this season unless the NFL draft grade is crazy high so that leaves Small with a shot to inherit the top position vs Manjack after the season when McAlister exhausts his eligibility (pending good health for enough games played).
8. Travis Smith Jr, Tennessee
Betting on Travis Smith Jr is a C2C only bet for me. It is hard to trust Tennessee to really develop someone for the NFL so I want to preface that here so people understand the model likes the player and I like the opportunity he can have in the scheme to be relevant some as a freshman and sophomore. The returning class for Tennessee combines for 31.26% of the receiving yards left. Chris Brazzell II will be the most productive of the returners with Mike Matthews and Brandon Staley next who combined for a whopping 19 targets, 10 catches, 111 yards, and 2 TDs. There is a path to top four here as he currently is working second string in the spring with potential for more. This season should also coincide with the team letting second year starter Nico Iamaleava take more control as the team moves on from the former standouts of Jaylen Wright and Dylan Sampson.
9. Andrew Marsh, Michigan (above)
Name the best Michigan receiver on roster. Semaj Morgan or Donovan McCulley for the die hards will likely be the answers, but neither of those guys are super talented to keep others away. Marsh scored well on my model and looks to be a nice jack of all trades target for Bryce Underwood to have as a security blanket when needed. Play action from a dependable run game should help the passing game open up windows too for Marsh to succeed. He is creative after the catch which should allow him to make some big gains and a little speed to take advantage of the creases he finds. The spring practice news is hushed this time at Michigan, but he is there getting an opportunity to get acclimated with the team and build some chemistry.