Who's WR1 In 2025 NFL Draft After Week 1?

The race to be the 2025 NFL Draft’s No. 1 wide receiver prospect began this past weekend with an electric Week 1 of college football. Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan, Missouri's Luther Burden III, and Colorado's Travis Hunter all put forth outstanding performances. McMillan should be considered the early favorite, but the battle should intensify all campaign long.

Tetairoa McMillan

McMillan enjoyed a historically impressive showing in Saturday's 61-39 victory over New Mexico. The Waimanalo, Hawaii native was completely uncoverable, racking up 208 receiving yards and three touchdowns in the first half. McMillan ended up finishing with 10 catches for 304 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 30.4 yards per reception.

McMillan is a traditional "X" receiver with dominant tendencies on the boundary. He's very much made in the mold of a DeAndre Hopkins or A.J. Green as a towering prospect who can win by boxing out cornerbacks at the catch point. Prototypical size and ball-tracking ability are present. McMillan pairs those traits with long-striding speed and twitchy releases at the first level.

NFL offenses are still obsessed with receivers that are cut from McMillan's cloth. Whoever drafts the first receiver in 2025 will likely be searching for a go-to weapon for their young quarterback. McMillan's size and QB-friendly catch radius will endear itself to receiver-needy teams.

Luther Burden III

Burden enjoyed a fruitful debut to his 2024 campaign in Thursday’s blowout 51-0 victory over Murray State. The Tigers standout recorded three receptions for 39 yards and one touchdown. Burden’s end-zone visit highlighted his ability to make the first defender miss in space.

Burden will be considered more of an alignment-versatile receiver than McMillan. The three-level playmaker can play multiple positions but particularly thrives when lining up as the slot receiver in Missouri's offense. Burden is capable of stretching defenses vertically, or he could convert short passes into explosive touchdowns via open-field speed, elusiveness, and advanced instincts.

Burden plays bigger than his size (5-foot-10, 210 pounds) by often winning contested catch situations. The St. Louis native is ultimately a very different receiver than McMillan who wins in different ways. NFL general managers will select their preferred flavor when choosing between McMillan and Burden.

Travis Hunter

Hunter displayed his two-way dominance by accumulating seven receptions for 132 yards and three touchdowns in Thursday's 31-26 victory over North Dakota State. Hunter played 55 snaps on offense and 69 on defense. Colorado head coach Deion Sanders will continue utilizing his superstar talent on both sides.

Hunter's third touchdown was an eye-opening highlight. Despite being draped by extremely tight coverage, Hunter did an outstanding job adjusting to the ball in flight and snatching it out of the air.

Whether Hunter should play receiver or cornerback at the next level will be an exhausting debate during the pre-draft process. Many argue he's a more natural corner, but it wouldn't be shocking if he pushed to play receiver due to the current size of NFL contracts pro receivers are signing. Hunter will be considered a premium prospect no matter which position is his final destination.

The 2025 NFL Draft will be littered with high-level receiver prospects. It was a historic start to what's shaping up to be an elite class of pass-catchers. McMillan's showing deserves early consideration for WR1.