• Tetairoa McMillan is an all-around threat: McMillan placed in the top five in PFF receiving grade from all three target depths in 2024 and is PFF’s No. 3 overall prospect.

• Iowa State’s Jayden Higgins thrives in the intermediate range: Higgins leaves Iowa State with a 95.8 intermediate PFF receiving grade while ranking second in receiving yards on such plays (859).

• 2025 NFL Draft season is here: Try PFF’s best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2025’s top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.

Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

The wealth of receiver talent in any given NFL draft makes it all the more important to understand each player’s skill set, including from which areas of the field they excel. Here, we’ll examine the Power Four’s top draft-eligible wide receivers on targets of various distances — short (1-9 yards), intermediate (10-19 yards) and deep (20-plus yards). To qualify, players had to record at least 20 targets in the given category.

Short (0-9 yards)

1. Andrew Armstrong, Arkansas Razorbacks (90.3)

Armstrong finished third in short-area targets this past season (56). He caught 44 passes for 480 yards (both top-three marks), gained 224 yards after the catch (third most) and 112 yards after contact (eighth most) and moved the chains 21 times (tied for fifth most). His 82.6 PFF grade on contested short targets led all receivers, as he secured eight of 10 such targets. He also hauled in eight of his 13 targets on third and fourth downs for seven first downs.

Armstrong boasted an 89.8 short-area receiving grade across his college career, ranking first among draft-eligible Power Four receivers.

2. Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona Wildcats (82.6)

McMillan caught 45 of 54 short-area targets for 471 yards (third most) and a touchdown in 2024. He did drop four such passes and lost a fumble on one, but the Arizona standout still made plenty of plays. He forced 15 missed tackles (tied for second most), secured each of his nine conversion-down targets for eight first downs and brought in seven of nine contested targets for five first downs. He also finished fourth with 206 yards after the catch. 

McMillan earned a career 79.3 PFF receiving grade on targets within 9 yards of the line of scrimmage, racking up 906 receiving yards across three years.

3. Luke Grimm, Kansas Jayhawks (81.9)

Grimm secured 25 of 29 short-field targets for 220 yards and a touchdown in his fifth year at Kansas. He gained 15 first downs, forced five missed tackles and recorded three explosive gains. He generated a 109.8 passer target rating this past season (career best) and garnered a career 78.2 PFF receiving grade on those throws.

4. Jayden Higgins, Iowa State Cyclones (81.4)

Higgins tied Arkansas’ Andrew Armstrong with 56 short-area targets in 2024. The Iowa State star caught 44 passes for 412 yards, three touchdowns and 26 first downs (tied for second most) on such plays. He also finished in the top 10 in yards after the catch (182) and yards after contact (fifth).

The 64th-ranked player on PFF’s 2025 big board caught 68 short-field targets for 726 yards (third most) across two seasons at Iowa State. He ranked fourth in PFF receiving grade on short targets (80.0) for his college career.

5. LaJohntay Wester, Colorado Buffaloes (81.0)

Wester led the Buffaloes in short-field targets (34) in his lone season with the team. He caught 31 such passes for 352 yards and four touchdowns (second most). Wester picked up 186 yards after the catch, gained 20 first downs, forced four missed tackles, recorded five explosive gains and averaged 10.35 yards per route run (third most) on those plays. He also secured 12 of 14 conversion-down targets for 160 yards (most) and eight first downs. 

Intermediate (10-19 yards)

1. Jayden Higgins, Iowa State Cyclones (93.8)

Higgins, one of the top short-area targets, was also dangerous downfield. He tied for first in intermediate targets (45) and led all eligible receivers in receiving yards (530) in 2024. He also gained 31 first downs on 32 catches and caught four touchdown passes on intermediate looks. The Iowa State star tallied the most 15-plus-yard gains (22) on those plays in 2024 and secured seven of 10 contested targets.

Higgins leaves Iowa State with a 95.8 intermediate PFF receiving grade while ranking second in yards (859). He caught 52 intermediate passes in that span for five touchdowns and 49 first downs.

2. Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona Wildcats (92.3)

McMillan caught 21 intermediate passes for 369 yards and was the only draft-eligible receiver to record double-digit missed tackles from that target depth (10). He amassed 14 gains of 15-plus yards, gained 104 yards after the catch (seventh most) and caught two touchdown passes. Each of his catches gained first downs. 

McMillan garnered a career 95.5 intermediate PFF receiving grade (third) and led all receivers in targets (111), catches and yards. He caught 62 intermediate passes for 1,126 yards and eight touchdowns, with 42 gains of 15-plus yards.

3. Xavier Restrepo, Miami (FL) Hurricanes (91.6)

The fifth-year player brought in 22 intermediate passes for 458 yards (third most) and led all receivers in yards after the catch (157) and yards after contact (88). Each of his catches moved the chains, and he caught three touchdown passes. Restrepo forced seven missed tackles, recorded 18 explosive gains (third most) and averaged 14.31 yards per route run (second) on intermediate passes.

He was targeted 64 times at the intermediate level over the past two seasons, securing 43 passes for 840 yards (third most) and six touchdowns. He posted 34 explosive gains across that span with 15 catches of 20-plus yards (tied for most), leading to a career 94.0 intermediate PFF receiving grade.

4. Elijah Spencer, Minnesota Golden Gophers (91.5)

Spencer caught 23 intermediate passes for 377 yards and three touchdowns in his second season at Minnesota. He recorded an 86.0 intermediate PFF receiving grade in his first two seasons at Charlotte, bringing in 25 passes for 442 yards (fifth most) and six touchdowns (tied for second most).

Ayomanor, the 36th-ranked player on PFF’s 2025 big board, caught 17 intermediate passes for 280 yards and four touchdowns. He recorded eight gains of 15-plus yards and forced two missed tackles. He also recorded an 86.7 PFF receiving grade in contested situations, securing five of eight such targets for 67 yards and a touchdown.

Ayomanor earned a 90.4 intermediate PFF receiving grade over the past two seasons, with 31 catches for 463 yards.

Deep (20-plus yards)

1. Jaylin Noel, Iowa State Cyclones (96.0)

Jayden Higgins wasn’t the Cyclones’ only downfield threat. Noel caught 14 of 25 deep targets for 609 yards and four touchdowns. He tied for first in deep catches and led all receivers in deep receiving yards. Noel placed in the top three in yards after the catch (155) and yards after contact (45), also securing six of 10 contested deep targets for 250 yards (second most).

The 125th-ranked player on PFF’s 2025 big board emerged as a deep threat in 2023 with eight catches for 243 yards and three touchdowns. He led all draft-eligible receivers in deep PFF receiving grade over the past two seasons (96.4) and ranked second in deep yardage (852).

2. Pat Bryant, Illinois Fighting Illini (94.7)

Bryant caught 12 deep passes for 386 yards (ninth most) in 2024. He tied for first with six touchdown grabs and finished in the top 10 in yards after the catch (70) and yards after contact (36). 

Bryant racked up 150-plus deep yards in each of his past three seasons and ranked fourth in deep PFF receiving grade (94.3) for his career. He caught 21 deep passes in that span for 692 yards and eight touchdowns.

3. Kyle Williams, Washington State Cougars (92.7)

Williams secured 14 of 24 deep targets for 454 yards (fourth most) and six touchdowns in 2024. He also finished in the top 10 in yards after the catch (71) and yards after contact (26). 

Williams posted a career 93.7 deep PFF receiving grade across five seasons (sixth), with 190-plus deep receiving yards in each of his last four seasons. He caught 23 passes for 806 yards (third most) in two seasons at Washington State and led all draft-eligible receivers with 10 touchdown catches. He is the only receiver on this list to record double-digit touchdowns from deep targets in that span.

4. Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona Wildcats (92.1)

A true triple threat, McMillan is the only receiver on this list to rank in the top five at every target depth. He secured 12 of 31 deep targets (second most) for 472 yards (third most) and five touchdowns in 2024. He gained 101 yards after the catch (fourth most), and led all receivers in conversion-down deep targets (12).

McMillan earned a career 94.1 deep PFF receiving grade (fifth) and tallied 300 or more deep yards in each of his three seasons. He caught 35 passes for 12 touchdowns and paced all receivers in deep targets (86) and yards (1,230) across that span. He is the only 2025 draft-eligible Power Four receiver to cross 1,000 yards from deep.

5. Matthew Golden, Texas Longhorns (92.1)

Golden caught 13 deep passes for 438 yards (fifth most) and four touchdowns this past season. He secured six of seven conversion-down deep targets for 209 yards and a touchdown.

Golden spent two seasons at Houston before 2024, bringing in eight deep passes for 266 yards and five touchdowns with the Cougars. He earned a career 90.1 PFF receiving grade across his three-year college career.