Who will be the Day 2 WR?

12 (11 actually) options for the Seahawks on day 2

I’ve seen every play of Puka Nacua’s NFL career and I don’t hesitate to say he’s every bit as valuable as Ja’Marr Chase. They have different styles and skills, you probably couldn’t find a better fit for Nacua than Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford, but Nacua is the wide receiver version of Russell Wilson.

He was just poorly evaluated as a prospect and teams were afraid of certain negatives that they’re usually correct for avoiding. Just not in Puka’s case.

Nacua was PFF’s 236rd ranked prospect in 2023 (the draft only had 259 total picks) and it’s hard to find anyone who thought he would become a starter, let alone a top-5 receiver:

• 2,476 yards in his first 28 career games

• 322 yards in his first 3 playoff games

• 69.2% catch rate, 9.3 yards per target, 10 touchdowns

He’s in a great system with a quarterback who has a penchant for producing historical wide receiver seasons (Calvin Johnson, Cooper Kupp, and Nacua’s record-breaking rookie year), but as I said before I’ve seen all the games and Nacua is ELITE. He makes more of Stafford in his twilight years than Stafford makes of him.

The Rams got him with the 177th pick and there were 19 receivers drafted ahead of him, including Jaxon Smith-Njigba, the first wideout off the board.

Similarities from 2023 to 2025

The upcoming rookie wideout class has the same feel as 2023, when JSN was the first receiver picked at 20th and the best of the bunch was the 20th-picked receiver. Without knowing if Travis Hunter is a wide receiver or a cornerback or both, most people start the “receiver class” conversation at Tetairoa McMillan and Matthew Golden mid-first, then drop to Emeka Egbuka and Luther Burden as possible late-first, with the likes of Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel, Tre Harris, and Jack Bech often mentioned as players who could kick off the run on day two.

Comparing this group to 2023, JSN’s pre-draft journey was similar to McMillan’s in that he was once considered a top-10 lock before the conversations softened on his value between January-April and nobody knew who would actually be the first receiver off of the board. In Daniel Jeremiah’s final 2023 mock, he had JSN to the Bucs at 19, after the Titans made Zay Flowers the first receiver picked at 11.

DJ’s other picks were Jordan Addison to the Vikings at 23 (correct) and Quentin Johnston to the Bills at 27. Jeremiah even mentioned the fact that WR stock was one of the great mysteries leading up to the day of the draft:

In reality, and not that far off from predictions, there was a run on receivers from 20-23 and none others were taken on day one.

There was a clear top (which wasn’t close to the top-10, unlike 2024 with Marvin Harrison, Malik Nabers, and Rome Odunze) and then the league was underwhelmed by the leftover options even though some of them have been better than Johnston and comparable to the other three:

• The Panthers took Jonathan Mingo at 39 (bust)

• The Packers took Jayden Reed at 50 (so-so)

• The Chiefs took Rashee Rice at 55 (injuries)

• The Broncos ended the second round with Marvin Mims (strong second half in 2024)

The third round was even better than the second and even challenging the first:

• The Texans took Tank Dell at 69 (career in danger due to injuries)

• The Giants took Jalin Hyatt at 73 (bad)

• The Browns took Cedric Tillman at 74 (not good)

• The Colts took Josh Downs at 79 (good)

• The Cardinals took Michael Wilson at 94 (OK)

• The Raiders took Tre Tucker at 100 (fine depth)

If not for Dell’s injury, which could take him out for 2025, we could be talking about him and Downs as really good starters. Hyatt, Tillman, and Tucker play with some of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL. The NFL drafted 10 receivers on day two, making a total of 14 picked before day three and Puka Nacua still needing to wait for 73 more picks until his name was called.

The 2025 receiver class might end up having a similar run:

The last pick of day 2 is 3.102. Coincidentally, the 14th-ranked receiver on the NFL Mock Draft Database consensus big board is Oregon’s Tez Johnson at 105.

I find this to be especially relevant to the Seattle Seahawks, a team with four picks on day two (2.50, 2.52, 3.82, 3.92) and if nothing else an opening on the roster for depth at receiver after trading DK Metcalf and releasing Tyler Lockett. The 2025 draft is not a “BAD” wide receiver class, it’s just not exactly clear to anyone who will succeed at the next level, who will be overdrafted, and who is being overlooked and underappreciated like Nacua a couple of years ago?

And don’t mix up “take a wide receiver on day three because Puka exists!” with more important facts:

• While Nacua is the best receiver in the 2023 class, JSN, Flowers, and Addison the next three-best (first rounders)

• Of the 19 receivers picked on day three, Nacua is the only star and the league may only unearth two or three other starters at best (Kayshon Boutte, Dontayvion Wicks, Andrei Iosivas, Demario Douglas being the players who are even close)

• Nacua isn’t a once-a-year gem, he’s a once-every-five-years GEM

The NFL’s only current day three stars at receivers are Nacua, Amon-Ra St. Brown (a very early fourth round pick), and to a lesser degree Darnell Mooney and Khalil Shakir.

The Seahawks have JSN and Cooper Kupp under contract for three more years (JSN, if you include a fifth-year option) and while Kupp could only be around for 1-2 seasons, a first round receiver may do too much waiting to warrant a pick that early in 2025. A fourth or a fifth round pick could be a hidden gem like St. Brown or Nacua, but those players are 1-in-50, if not 1-in-100 exceptions.

So Seattle’s sweet spot for a receiver in this class, if they even take one, could end up going between 50 and 92. Who are the top prospects in that range?

This post doesn’t include Egbuka, Burden, Golden, or McMillan, but not because they couldn’t be Seahawks or because I have an issue with them.

12 Day 2 WR prospects

Jayden Higgins: 6’4, 214, 4.47, 1.54

Dane Brugler: Overall, Higgins is an ascending height-weight-speed athlete with the physicality and catch radius to be a productive NFL starter as he continues developing his route/release precision. His game is similar to what Nico Collins put on tape at Michigan.

Some analysts see Higgins as a first round pick, so he may not make it to 50.

Jaylin Noel: 5’10, 194 lbs, 4.39, 1.52

Dane Brugler: Overall, Noel is a smaller target but very quarterback-friendly, because of the confidence he has in his hands and his athletic versatility, which makes him tough to cover. His scouting report and college tape give flashbacks to those of Christian Kirk when he was an NFL Draft prospect. Noel can have a similar pro career.

Noel’s been on my mind this entire time, will he make it to the 50/52 picks?

Jalen Royals: 6’, 205 lbs, 4.42, 1.53

Dane Brugler: Overall, Royals combines smooth footwork with athletic body control, physical play strength and tracking skills to be a three-level threat as he expands his route tree. He has the talent to emerge as a team’s WR2 within his first few NFL seasons.

I’m guessing the Jalen, Jaylin, Jayden thing is going to give us all problems. Royals has often been cited as the most underrated receiver of the class, but I think quite a lot of players get that label.

Savion Williams: 6’4, 222 lbs, 4.48, 1.60

Dane Brugler: Overall, TCU leaned into Williams’ unique athletic profile in 2024, and the manufactured touches showcased his ability to create with the ball. However, the move came out of necessity, because of Williams’ inconsistencies as a traditional receiver. He projects as more of a “joker” weapon and needs a creative play caller who can utilize him in different ways (similar to Cordarrelle Patterson).

Williams has met with the Seahawks in the process already.

Tory Horton: 6’3, 196 lbs, 4.41, 1.53

Dane Brugler: Overall, Horton must tighten his route running and get stronger, but his fluidity, speed and natural tracking skills can be weaponized by the right coaching staff. He projects as a rotational Z receiver/punt returner who can gradually push for starting flanker reps.

The Seahawks need a Tyler Lockett replacement more than they need a DK Metcalf and Horton’s athleticism is off the charts.

Elic Ayomanor: 6’2, 206 lbs, 4.44, 1.56

Dane Brugler: Overall, Ayomanor lacks natural refinement but can be a matchup weapon. He is a large, physical target for the quarterback with a sizable catch radius and the ability to challenge vertically. He has yet to play his best football.

Just keep telling yourself, “It’s Elic, not Eric.” One-third of his 63 catches came in two games last season, but Stanford is a program in disarray.

In a game against Travis Hunter’s Colorado in 2023, Ayomanor had 294 yards and three touchdowns in an unbelievable 29-point comeback:

Jack Bech: 6’1, 214 lbs, DNP

Dane Brugler: Overall, Bech’s acceleration is more build-up than immediate, and he will need to prove himself versus NFL press coverage, but he is urgent as a route runner with the ball-winning skills and competitive personality that will play. He has experience both inside and outside, and his play style is reminiscent of Puka Nacua.

Bech was a Senior Bowl standout, perhaps as much for his tragic story as his game-winning touchdown. Which is not to diminish Bech’s accomplishments at the Senior Bowl, only that people will remember what he had to overcome to be there more so than the game itself. Putting Bech in a room with Cooper Kupp, a player he draws comparisons to, could do wonders for his career.

Isaiah Bond: 5’11, 185 lbs, 4.39, 1.58

Dane Brugler: Overall, Bond has unquestioned athletic talent and upside, but he will need to prove to be more reliable within the structure of an offense for an NFL coaching staff to trust him. There is a boom-or-bust element to his projection, but the “boom” will be pretty appealing on Day 2.

Bond turned himself into police on a sexual assault warrant this month, which could mean he goes undrafted and for sure means that a lot of fans want nothing to do with him while there is an active investigation into those allegations.

Tre Harris: 6’2, 205 lbs, 4.54, 1.57

Dane Brugler: Overall, Harris doesn’t have the explosive speed or separation skills that teams covet in a No. 1 receiver, but he is a controlled athlete with the play strength and ball skills to be a dependable possession target. He projects as an NFL starter and a team’s No. 2 target — if he can stay healthy.

Does the exit of one Ole Miss receiver mean the addition of another? Harris had over 1,000 yards in only eight games last season, but over half of that came against non-conference competition without anywhere near NFL talent:

Kyle Williams: 5’11, 190 lbs, 4.40, 1.53

Dane Brugler: Overall, Williams might not stand out with his size or play strength, but he compensates for that with his ability to accelerate to top gear rapidly and create catchable windows for his quarterback. With more seasoning, he can become a WR2/3 for an NFL offense.

PFF didn’t even include Williams in their draft guide, but he has emerged in recent weeks as a potential second round pick. The Seahawks have met with Williams, which shouldn’t surprise anyone given that he is an in-state prospect and he had 14 touchdowns in 2024.

Which day 2 WR stands out to you?

Seaside Joe 2234