2025 NFL Draft: WR Rankings Evolve as Luther Burden III Falls and Latest Top-10 Mock

Every cycle, certain top-level NFL prospects don't perform to preseason expectations.

Numerous examples can be cited over the years. Leonard Taylor III ended up being the best example from this past April's draft class. Taylor was viewed a first-round prospect going into last season. Ultimately, the defensive tackle went undrafted, only to make the New York Jets' roster and become a contributor.

Taylor's situation is an extreme example. Still, it shows how preseason projections can vastly change.

For 2025, the WR class is evolving far differently than initially anticipated. Missouri's Luther Burden III being the prime example. Burden was viewed as a potential top-three talent entering the cycle. He's currently WR3 on Bleacher Report's draft rankings and dropping (more on that in a bit). Conversely, Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan went from a potential mid-to-late first-round projection to a top-three talent. Ole Miss' Tre Harris continues to work his way into top-10 contention as well.

Each of these names will be discussed this week by the Bleacher Report Scouting Department. Brandon Thorn, Cory Giddings, Dame Parson and Matt Holder break down which prospects are trending, positively and negatively, based off Week 9's action.

Finally, a top-10 mock draft—order based on B/R's latest power rankings—provides a glimpse of how things could shake out prior to next week's NFL's trade deadline.

1. Edge Nic Scourton, Texas A&M

Nic Scourton transferred to Texas A&M after being a second-team All-Big Ten performer last season with the Purdue Boilermakers. Scourton may not eclipse last year's sack total (10), but he's been a regular disruptive force while playing against SEC competition.

"With an impressive blend of size (6'4" and 285 pounds) and athleticism, Scourton has an opportunity to be the top edge defender in this year's draft class," Holder said. "He made a strong statement to boost his stock last weekend, going up against LSU's well-respected offensive tackles Will Campbell and Emery Jones. While Scourton had just one sack, he got the best of those two throughout the game with several pressures in the contest."

2. RB Jarquez Hunter, Auburn

The running back class seemingly gets stronger and more impressive with each passing week. This past weekend, Auburn's Jarquez Hunter stole the spotlight. The senior prospect is well on his way to eclipsing 1,000 yards after managing 863 through the Tigers' first eight games.

"Hunter brings a compact frame with a low center of gravity as a ball-carrier," Parson said. "He displayed the burst/acceleration to knife through the first and second-levels of the defense in his breakout game against Kentucky last weekend.

"With 23 carries for 278 yards, and two touchdowns, Hunter showcased why he should not be flying under the radar for the 2025 NFL draft."

3. LB Jackson Woodard, UNLV

The UNLV Rebels have been one of the nation's best non-Power Four programs this season. Unfortunately, they ran into the Boise State Broncos this past week.

Jackson Woodard is one of the Rebels' top performers, with a team-leading 77 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, four interceptions and eight pass breakups. He stood tall against a tough opponent.

"Heisman Trophy candidate Ashton Jeanty may have gone for 128 yards against UNLV," Holder said, "but he also logged the most carries (33) he's had this season and was held to a season-low 3.9 yards per rush. Woodward was a big reason for that as he was all over the field, collecting 14 total tackles. He's more of an under-the-radar draft prospect right now, but a performance like that against elite competition will certainly grab the NFL's attention."

4. WR Brennan Presley, Oklahoma State

A projection as a pure slot receiver at the next level doesn't have the same connotation as it once did. Slot receivers are starters in today's NFL. They are critical components to an offense. Some are even the featured targets in their offense.

Oklahoma State's Brennan Presley, who is listed at 5'8" and 175 pounds, needs just 13 more catches to become the Cowboys' all-time leader after Saturday's 15-catch, 183-yard performance against the Baylor Bears.

"Presley is a slot receiver who excels with the football in his hands," Parson said. "This was evident in the best game of the season against Baylor. Presley is a tough run-after-catch receiver and handles a variety style of offensive touches. He's also a dynamic returner."

Oklahoma State has featured numerous standout wide receivers throughout the program's history, such as Dez Bryant, Justin Blackmon, James Washington and Rashaun Woods. Presley could outshine them all by the time he leaves Stillwater.

5. CB Azareye'h Thomas, Florida State

The Florida State Seminoles haven't been an exciting squad to watch this fall. After going undefeated through last year's regular season, expectations were high this season. Sadly, the Seminoles once again fell on hard times with a 1-7 record.

Not everything or everyone in Tallahassee has been a disappoint. Junior cornerback Azareye'h Thomas has been one of the few bright spots.

"Thomas has had a solid and consistent season so far," Giddings said. "He's a toolsy player with the ideal length and athleticism the NFL wants in cornerbacks. Although he has been a bit inconsistent in creating turnovers, he shows the ability to match most wide receivers. It will be interesting to see whether he decides to declare for the '25 draft class, because he has the potential to be considered among the top half of the cornerbacks selected."

1. WR Luther Burden III, Missouri

Prospects are always evaluated against their best competition.

A year ago, Missouri's Luther Burden III looked like the best wide receiver on the field when the Tigers played LSU, which featured future first-round picks Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr.

This past weekend, Burden managed three catches for three yards against the Alabama Crimson Tide. Some will quickly point out that starting quarterback Brady Cook did suffer an injury during the contest.

At the same time, Burden hasn't been dominant this season. He's eclipsed 85 yards only once this year and doesn't look like the same playmaker in a class where others like Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan and Ole Miss' Tre Harris have posted huge games.

"Burden was originally rumored to split more time between playing in the slot and outside," Parson said. "This setup hasn't come to fruition. Burden has not replicated his production and success from 2023. Missouri's offense limits his exposure to facing press alignment and route options—creating a less than clean draft profile to evaluate."

Burden could easily go from being a top-five projection to someone more aligned with a late first-round ranking.

2. QB Kyle McCord, Syracuse

Syracuse quarterback Kyle McCord suffered a Chernobyl-level meltdown against the Pittsburgh Panthers. Everything went wrong. All of the doubts that circled around him after basically being forced out of Ohio State came to a head despite how successful the quarterback had been during the previous six outings.

"After playing relatively clean and consistent football, McCord finished last week with zero passing touchdowns and five interceptions—three of them went for pick sixes," Parson said. "McCord looked completely rattled and off his game for the first time all season. Performances like this one can sink a draft stock if not followed up by a bounce back."

3. Edge Abdul Carter, Penn State

The Wisconsin Badgers looked at Penn State's talented defensive front and thought to itself, "Let's attack Abdul Carter." The Badgers sent multiple traps and runs towards Carter's direction. The athletic edge didn't apply much pressure, either.

"Carter is currently labeled as a 'project' as an edge-defender since he switched positions during the offseason, previously lining up as an off-ball linebacker. He hasn't done much to shake that label this season and was unproductive as a pass-rusher last Saturday. Granted, Wisconsin's quick passing game played a factor in that, but, right now, Carter looks more like an athlete who is learning how to play the position than an NFL-ready edge."

4. QB Garrett Nussmeier, LSU

A "tale of two halves" is one of the oldest cliches in sports reporting. In the case of LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, it rings absolutely true.

Nussmeier looked great in the first half of Saturday's contest with the Texas A&M Aggies. His opponent adjusted and applied significant pressure during the second half, which forced the quarterback into mistakes. In fact, all three of Nussmeier's interceptions occurred with less than 10 minutes to play in the third quarter.

"Nussmeier is a talented gunslinger with NFL throws that can be found on tape," Parson said. "Even so, his decision-making is a concern. He has started less than ten games and it shows. If he desires to be a 1st round pick in the 2025 NFL draft, Nussmeier must protect the football better down the stretch of the regular season."

5. OT Will Campbell, LSU

LSU's Will Campbell is a future starting NFL blocker. Over the last two weeks, he's showed why he may not do so at left tackle.

"After facing the best competition over the last two weeks in Arkansas' Landon Jackson and Texas A&M's Nic Scourton (as well as Shemar Stewart) some of the questions about Campbell's ability to stay at tackle in the NFL were brought to light. It wasn't that Campbell massively struggled against these players either. In fact he had his own share of decisive wins that highlighted his strengths. However, it was in the way he lost those reps.

"Against Arkansas, Campbell was beaten three times by Jackson executing the same move (cross-chop) each time due to being a tick late with his strike timing that led to his outside hand being trapped before he lost the corner. This speaks to questions about his ability to keep rushers at his fingertips once they have initially won, which would help to widen the corner rather than have it compressed too quickly.

"Against the 6'4", 280-pound Scourton and 6'6", 292-pound Stewart, Campbell uncharacteristically lost several reps in the run game primarily due to being compressed and benched backwards. But he also lost again in pass protection after getting his outside hand swiped by Scourton and then later to an inside spin move.

"Overall, Campbell is still winning in the same ways he has all season but as competition has ramped up and the body types have become bigger/longer there have been notable losses mixed in that provide examples of why a move inside at the next level may be best."

With Tua Tagovailoa back in the lineup, the Miami Dolphins can legitimately compete again. Though the squad fell to the Arizona Cardinals this past weekend.

However, a healthy Dolphins offense knows it can score on anybody. On the surface, Ashton Jeanty's addition doesn't make complete sense, particularly with young options like De'Von Achane and Jaylen Wright on the roster.

The Boise State product is something completely different.

Let's not forget that Mike McDaniel's high-flying offense is rooted in Kyle Shanahan's scheme, which is built upon a strong run game. Jeanty is a true workhorse, with homerun capabilities. He can shift the emphasis within the Dolphins' system to take pressure off of Tagovailoa, which hopefully keeps the quarterback upright and healthy.

Jeanty is carrying the Boise State Broncos program to a potential playoff appearance and possibly the program's first-ever Heisman Trophy. His balance and penchant for breaking big plays in the run game are special.

There's very little the Dolphins can do to help Tagovailoa more than give him a best friend to hand the ball to on the regular.

New York Giants head coach Brian Daboll was succinct when asked if he'd consider benching starting quarterback Daniel Jones.

"Nope," he told reporters.

Obviously things can change rapidly. Ask the Indianapolis Colts, head coach Shane Steichen and former starting quarterback Anthony Richardson.

The Giants have already made a significant long-term investment in Jones, though. The team has also won with him at the helm. But New York is currently 2-6 and looking for some answers.

A defensive tackle may not be the most obvious answer. Still, the value of landing Michigan's Mason Graham in the back half of the Top 10 to pair with Dexter Lawrence and Brian Burns is too much to pass.

Graham is another potential game-wrecker. Going into this past weekend's action, Graham graded as the nation's best interior defender, according to Pro Football Focus. He already had 19 run stops, while providing legitimate interior pressure as a pass-rusher.

If a quarterback is off the table, at least for one more season, the Giants can build their identity through a defensive front that can dominate opponents.

Maybe the Cleveland Browns have something in Jameis Winston as their starting quarterback. After all, Winston won the AFC Offensive Player of the Week after his 334-yard, three-touchdown passing performance against the Baltimore Ravens.

It's easy to think that the Browns will be in the quarterback market after this season. Deshaun Watson's season-ending Achilles tear seemingly signaled the end of that massive franchise-changing blunder. Winston, meanwhile, isn't signed beyond this season.

This particular pairing is contingent on a few factors, starting with assumption that Winston returns. Second, Dawand Jones must continue to show he can handle left tackle against an opponent with a better pass-rush than the Ravens. Finally, Browns defensive end Za'Darius Smith is one of the hottest names supposedly on the trade block.

Cleveland doesn't necessary need to reinvest in another pass-rusher, but Georgia's Mykel Williams fits the team's guardrails, as a 20-year-old prospect at a premium position from a pipeline program. Williams has as much upside as any eligible prospect, which makes him extremely enticing, especially with the idea of him playing opposite Myles Garrett.

Between now and April's draft, the Las Vegas Raiders organization will be preoccupied with the thought of selecting a quarterback.

One hang-up exists, though. The top of the 2025 quarterback class is currently a two-horse race between Miami's Cam Ward and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders. A solid QB3 has yet to fully present himself. Meanwhile, both of the previous two signal-callers aren't available for the Raiders to take in this slot.

So, the Raiders must add whomever they feel has the best chance to be a quality starting quarterback in the NFL, even if that selection may be viewed as a reach. Alabama's Jalen Milroe, Georgia's Carson Beck, LSU's Garrett Nussmeier, Texas' Quinn Ewers, USC's Miller Moss, Ole Miss' Jaxson Dart and Clemson's Cade Klubnik have all flashed. They've also have potential concern areas as well.

Penn State's Drew Allar is fascinating, because he's more of a traditional quarterback prospect. The 6'5", 243-pound signal continues to grow and show signs he can eventually start for an NFL team. He's only 20 years old as a true junior prospect, but he delivers the ball to all three levels with some zip.

The Raiders could and should take a chance on that type of talent.

The New Orleans Saints find themselves in a bind. They're 2-6 with an injured veteran quarterback, who may or may not be the starter going into next season.

Plus, the Saints are older in a few key spots, which usually portends the type of moves that help a squad in the short term. How the organization progresses will be fascinating. It'll probably be based on how well or poorly the second half of the season goes.

As of now, we'll operate under the assumption that Carr will return for another season and the Saints front office will continue to build around its veteran leadership.

Clearly, New Orleans has some offensive weapons in running back Alvin Kamara, tight end Juwan Johnson and wide receivers Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed. However, that final position group doesn't include a talent like Ole Miss' Tre Harris.

Olave and Shaheed are both under 6'1 and 190 pounds. Whereas Harris is solidly built 6'3", 210-pound target. He currently leads all Power Four wide receivers with 987 receiving yards and in average receiving yards per passing attempt, per Fantasy Footballers' Marvin Elequin.

The New York Jets think they're competing this season. Gang Green's all-in approach hasn't resulted in many wins, though. In fact, New York lost its previous five games, including an embarrassing last-minute defeat at the hands of the rival New England Patriots this past weekend.

Where do the Jets go from here? Does a surprising win over the Houston Texans on Thursday Night Football change things?

Based on the team's roster composition, they need to win now. They've made the moves to indicate that's the plan. Yet they're not winning. And it's unclear whether New York will take a different approach next offseason.

Sitting where the Jets currently do, they can stand pat and simply take a top-end prospect from the 2025 class. Michigan's Will Johnson certainly fits the mold.

While New York already has a significant investment in fellow corner Sauce Gardner—which will only grow since his first negotiating window opens up this coming offseason—Johnson can provide an ideal bookend, while mitigating expenditures throughout the course of his rookie contract.

Furthermore, D.J. Reed is a pending free agent. Johnson adds another significant talent, while taking over an outside corner spot.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are playing better as of late, but their next stretch of games is brutal with matchups against the Philadelphia Eagles, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions—two of which are on the road—before Doug Pederson's squad reaches its bye week.

The Jags could realistically be a 2-9 team going into the final stretch of their season. Considering the internal expectations entering this season, that effort would be viewed as a colossal failure.

One potential silver lining is yet another premium draft pick to add another elite talent. In this particular case, Jacksonville lands the class' No. 1 overall prospect, Colorado's Travis Hunter.

As part of the Jaguars roster, Hunter should primarily be viewed as a cornerback, with the potential to contribute in some offensive sub-packages. Currently, Jacksonville ranks next-to-last in pass defense.

The idea of Hunter actually being able to primarily concentrate on one position is exciting since he's never done so. He's already a top prospect, as a corner or wide receiver. However, an opportunity to drill down on the nuances and techniques at one spot can make an already special player turn into something extraordinary.

New England Patriots rookie quarterback Drake Maye looks like he can be the real deal in his limited time as a starter. Currently, he's in the concussion protocol after leaving Sunday's game against the New York Jets.

But the Patriots must see the potential. The next step is seeing a way to properly build around this year's third overall draft pick.

Tight end Hunter Henry currently serves as New England's primary receiving threat. He leads the team with 32 receptions and 358 yards. These numbers indicate a massive need to find an outside target capable of winning matchups.

Arizona's Tetairoa McMillan has exploded with a few huge performances this season. The latest came this past weekend, when the 6'5" target caught 10 passes for 202 yards against the West Virginia Mountaineers.

But the Wildcats have lost four in a row and McMillan's surrounding cast is creating inconsistencies within his performance. Arizona's protection issues compounded by quarterback Noah Fifita's poor decisions have had the wide receiver's weekly production yo-yoing.

Still, the traits for a future WR1 are obvious with McMillan, who is far more fluid than a target of his size should be.

Here's the thing about Will Levis as the starting quarterback of the Tennessee Titans: This season is nothing more than an extended tryout. He's not guaranteed anything beyond the current campaign.

Right now, the Titans have given no indication of keeping him as their starter if a better option is available, which one is in this scenario.

Levis is currently dealing with a shoulder injury that cost him the last two games. Injuries happen. At the same time, availability is important, especially when a young quarterback needs to be on the field to prove that he's "the guy."

Until proven otherwise, the Titans are looking for a long-term solution behind center. Enter Colorado's Shedeur Sanders. The Buffaloes quarterback continues to put up big numbers, with 961 passing yards and nine total touchdowns over Colorado's last three games.

Overall, Sanders has showed marked improvement this season, particularly when pressured. A season ago, Colorado's crumbling offensive line nearly crushed the ascending quarterback. This year, Sanders has been far more efficient against pressure, even though the Buffaloes' blocking can still be problematic at times.

More pressure—literally and figuratively—will be applied if Tennessee does select Sanders. He's showed that he can handle it.

Whether or not the Carolina Panthers decide to move Bryce Young before this year's trade deadline, the organization's search for another franchise quarterback has already begun.

To Young's credit, the 2023 No. 1 overall pick didn't play poorly against the Denver Broncos. But he was thrust back into the lineup because of injury. He's clearly not the confident thrower and leader the Panthers initially thought he could be.

Instead, the team will looking in a different direction.

Miami's Cam Ward exudes confidence and playmaking ability. Keep in mind, he went from originally starting at an FCS program, Incarnate Word, to the Pac-12 with the Washington State Cougars to a Heisman Trophy candidate with the Miami Hurricanes.

Ward has showed improvement at each stop, to the point where he's now QB1 on B/R's rankings. The ability was always present, though. Ward's primary growth this season has been not allowing mistakes to compound throughout a contest. His 2,746 passing yards and 24 touchdown tosses lead all Power Four quarterbacks, with 186 rushing yards and four more scores added to the mix.

If the Panthers can get solid trade value—likely a mid-round pick—to move Young, they should. A clean break is necessary, be it now or later.