Every draft has late-round sleepers who become contributors in their rookie years, and 2025 likely will be no different. With rookie minicamps ended, this year’s class now has to work in with the rest of the roster. The 2025 WR class was touted as not having a lot of stars, but having a lot of quality. Let’s look at some late-round receivers with a chance of seeing the field early in 2025.
Smith is in one of the better situations for a late-round receiver. The Jets are resetting after hiring Aaron Glenn as head coach and Tanner Engstrand as offensive coordinator. Engstrand was Detroit’s passing game coordinator the last two seasons, and the depth chart is not exactly stacked ahead of Smith.
Garrett Wilson is New York’s alpha, but Smith should work his way onto the field. He popped off for 48 catches, 817 yards, and four touchdowns in his final season at Georgia, and Smith ran a 4.36 40-yard dash at the Combine. He’ll compete with Malachi Corley and Tyler Johnson for New York’s WR4 role, but Allen Lazard could be on the move if a certain QB signs with the Pittsburgh Steelers (just a rumor).
What rookie wouldn’t want to play with Patrick Mahomes? Royals was rated higher than his fourth-round placement suggests heading into the draft, but he heads to Kansas City with a chance to contribute. He posted a solid 2023 season at Utah State with 71 catches, 1,080 yards, and 15 touchdowns, and backed it up with a strong start to 2024 before injuring his foot.
The Chiefs reached Super Bowl 59 despite a down year offensively. Xavier Worthy and a returning Rashee Rice will be the top WR options, but Royals has the build and tools to see the field over the rest of the Kansas City WR room.
Ayomanor is a big-bodied, outside WR who has a chance to start for the Titans. After redshirting his true freshman season, Ayomanor had back-to-back productive years at Stanford, totaling 1,844 yards, 125 catches, and 12 touchdowns in his career. He’ll need to work on his route running, but he has excellent size and good speed to be a threat.
Calvin Ridley and the recently acquired Tyler Lockett are at the top of Tennessee’s receiver room. Lockett will play in the slot, so Ayomanor needs to beat out Van Jefferson, Treylon Burks, and fellow fourth-round pick Chimere Dike.
Tory Horton, WR, Seattle Seahawks No. 166
Horton steadily improved each of his first four years in college before a knee injury cut his 2024 season short. He gained over 1,100 yards and scored eight touchdowns in his first two seasons at Colorado State, and recovered from his knee injury to run a 4.41 40-yard dash at the Combine.
The injury likely caused him to fall to the fifth round, but Horton is an experienced receiver with the build to step onto the field quickly. Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Cooper Kupp are locks for WR1 and WR2 in Seattle, but Horton should be able to beat out Marquez Valdes-Scantling.
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