2025 NFL Draft Wide Receiver Scouting Report (Part 9) - Tai Felton, Tetairoa McMillan, Tez Johnson, Theo Wease Jr., and Tory Horton
Hey all,
Back with the penultimate part of the WR Scouting Series! Back with another part of the WR Scouting Series! For part 9, as I’ll be doing in-depth evals of Tai Felton, Tetairoa McMillan, Tez Johnson, Theo Wease Jr., and Tory Horton.
As usual, I have a video and Spotify/Audio-only option below if anyone prefers to watch/listen to the eval.
Video Link:
Spotify/Audio-Only Link:
Tai Felton, Maryland
Height: 6’1”; Weight: 183 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 22 years and 1 month
Class: Senior
Overall Grade: 2.67/4 (May Have a Future Role)
2024 Stats:
Receiving: 143 targets; 96 receptions; 1124 yards; 9 touchdowns
Drops: 8 (Drop Rate: 7.7%)
Snap Distribution: Wide (70.7%); Slot (29.3%)
Hands: A-
Route Running: C
Release: D+
Yards After Catch Potential: C+
Jump Ball/Contested Catch: C
Body Control/Ball Tracking: A-
Future role: C+
RAS: A
Strengths:
Great body adjustment skills
Plays like a center fielder downfield
Can quickly establish leverage
Has good potential after the catch
Diverse roles in offense
Areas of Improvement:
Minimal exposure to press
Serious issues dealing with physical coverage
Limited route runner
Disappointing success in contested catches
A bit stiff after the catch
Comp: Isaiah Coulter
One of the big breakout stars of 2024 was Tai Felton. He has greatly improved these past few years finishing with 23 receptions, 309 yards, and 2 touchdowns as a sophomore, 48 receptions, 732 yards, and 6 touchdowns, and then capped off his career finishing with 96 receptions, 1124 yards, and 9 touchdowns. So, while a number of people will point to Felton as a one-year wonder, there is a clear progression we can see in his career. In terms of what he’s showing on film, he has great hands to be a reliable receiver. He consistently catches the ball away from his body and has late hands to make it harder for defenders to make a play on the ball. He also showed really great ability to adjust to throws that are off-target. Down the field, he can operate like a center fielder with the way he can track the ball over his shoulders and effortlessly finish catches. He also showed very good awareness around the sidelines to finish catches inbounds. Also, he has quick feet and some good footwork in his breaks to help get open and quickly establish leverage. Once he makes the catch, he has a very fluid transition from receiver to runner which is impressive at his size. He also has very quick acceleration and great top speed to run past defenders. He even shows some ability to make defenders miss with some well-timed cuts and good pad level in his runs. Also, he does a good job keeping his legs moving to at least try to pick up a few extra yards when he’s brought down. He also showed good vision which translates from his experience as a returner. Speaking of being a returner, he has a lot of versatility he brings with his experience as a returner, on the outside, in the slot, and in motion.
Despite having that versatility, he is still limited in a number of ways. He ran a limited route tree and needs to work on his cuts. While he does often break down in his cuts, he typically doesn’t explode out of his breaks which can cause a bit of difficulty creating separation. Also, he will often rush his cuts leading to them being a bit rounded. I was also disappointed to see his limited vertical ability with his athleticism and size. He often struggled to stack his defender and could often lose leverage on downfield routes. Part of the issue is that he really struggles with holding his route path and not getting redirected by corners. He often could avoid this issue on shorter patterns but was unavoidable on deeper concepts. It's just too easy for defenders to stonewall his route path and he has so much trouble trying to disengage that it often takes him out of the play. Those issues with physicality also showed in his limited experience against press. For the season, he was often protected from press due to being put in motion or being set away from the line. However, the times he did face press were often ugly. He has poor hand counters and his feet often weren’t quick enough to keep him clean. Also, he seemed to have a limited release package which made it easy to predict his move. He also isn’t as impressive of an athlete as his combine testing may suggest. He certainly is a good athlete but he doesn’t look like a top-tier athlete with great explosiveness like his RAS indicates due to some stiffness. He is often a bit stiff with his change-of-direction ability needing an extra step or two to change direction. Also, he’s a poor blocker who often lacks the physicality and leverage to hold his block. Finally, he lacks the hand strength and measurables to make him as good in contested catch situations as people may suggest. He has small hands, arm length, and wingspan for his size with 9” hands, 30” arms, and a 72’ 6/8” wingspan. 9 inch hands are a bit small for his size but his arm length and wingspan are more aligned with players less than 6 feet tall.
Though there are aspects that make me interested in Felton, I can’t help but shake the feeling that his limitations will make it hard to make it in the NFL. He has a thin frame and has serious issues against press and in contested catch situations that often kill thinner receivers’ careers. Add in his limited route tree and it gets very tricky to trust that he’ll put it all together in the NFL. As I mentioned, he has steadily increased every year in college but continuing that in the NFL is another beast. As for a comp, I have Isaiah Coulter as his comp. Both have good size and great athleticism to make them intriguing players. Also, both have very good ball tracking skills and foot speed to show the potential to win in more diverse ways. However, both struggle against physicality in their routes and against press. Also, both ran limited route trees which could further limit them in the NFL. Coulter looks like he has been having trouble sticking with teams even outside of the NFL. I’m more optimistic about Felton making it which makes this comp a bit of a low-end projection. However, both have similar limitations which shows what Felton’s worst-case scenario is.
Tetairoa McMilllan, Arizona
Height: 6’4”; Weight: 219 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 22 years and 0 months
Class: Junior
Overall Grade: 3.21/4 (Good Starter)
2024 Stats:
Receiving: 130 targets; 84 receptions; 1319 yards; 8 touchdowns
Drops: 7 (Drop Rate: 7.7%)
Snap Distribution: Wide (78.1%); Slot (21.6%)
Hands: B+
Route Running: B+
Release: C
Yards After Catch Potential: B
Jump Ball/Contested Catch: A-
Body Control/Ball Tracking: B+
Future role: B+
RAS: A-
Strengths:
Great blend of size and athleticism
Very good jump ball catcher with big catch radius
Great at finishing catchers through contact
Can be a very clean and tricky route runner
Versatile player who can fit in any role
Areas of Improvement:
Can struggle with physical coverage and press
Needs to use hands more in release and routes
Can sometimes misread throws
Good mover in space but can’t break tackles
Effort and technique as blocker is lacking
Comp: Drake London
Tetairoa McMillan is the favorite to be the first wide receiver taken in the draft and is still considered by some to be the top receiver over potential receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter. His blend of athleticism and size is a big reason why he has so many fans. There just aren’t a lot of players who are 6’4” and as fluid athletes as McMillan. That fluidity shows in all his routes as he can break down and make clean cuts on whip and out breaking routes to leave the defender in the dust. He is also able to create separation thanks to a good understanding of how to get cornerbacks’ hips turned and then attack their blind spot. Though he wasn’t always given a chance to do so, he is capable of running a full route tree. He also has great use of tempo to make some of the more simple routes harder to cover. If he doesn’t win with his route or the play breaks down, he is a great improviser who is very good at finding openings in the defense. When he’s making the catch, he catches the ball with good, late hands and with good hand technique. He also mostly shows good ball tracking skills and consistently catches the ball away from his body to not give the defense much of a chance to make a play on the ball with his long arms. What also makes him a very friendly target is his consistent ability to work back to the ball. Also, a lot of times long, lanky receivers often have trouble finishing catches through contact. McMillan though is excellent at this and converted on 60% of his opportunities in 2024 and has converted on nearly 50% of his opportunities throughout his career. Also, sometimes thinner pass catchers are afraid of contact but he showed little hesitation making catches over the middle of the field. It likely isn’t surprising but he’s a deadly jump ball threat as well. He has such good concentration to finish jump ball opportunities and can make some really impressive body adjustments even along the sidelines. He also has really great timing and is even capable of jumping through contact to make plays on throws. Once he makes the catch, he becomes an immediate threat with essentially no hitch in his transition from pass catcher to runner and great peripheral awareness to know where he should go. As he is fluid in his route running, he also has more wiggle than you’d expect for a player his size and can sometimes get defenders to miss on jukes. He also has really good curvilinear movement to quickly change course without losing speed to escape defenders. Finally, He showed flashes of really impressive footwork and timing at the line of scrimmage to get clean releases when defenders are hesitant. He also has a lot of potential to get clean releases thanks to his fluid movement and long arms. However, if teams are concerned about his release he has a lot of experience playing out wide, in the slot, and in motion to add even more versatility.
Though McMillan does a lot of things bigger receivers often aren’t capable of, he still has the same core struggle a lot of them have trouble with. Winning against physical coverage. He is just way too willing to let the defender initiate contact and get an edge on the play. That makes things much tougher for McMillan than they need to be and forces him to win with quality routes. Even if he does win, he is often thrown off the intended route path and can disrupt the timing of the play. The disappointing part of this is that he has such long arms and he just doesn’t use them efficiently. Usually his counters are delayed and weak and just create more wasted motion. Also, it’s one thing for him to have struggled clearing initial contact, but he struggled to disengage from physical coverage leading to the corner being close to his pocket and increasing the number of times he had to make catches through contact. Those struggles with physicality also show in some jump ball situations. While he’s great at making plays on the ball, he again makes things more difficult by needing to jump around the defender instead of boxing them out. There were also a few instances when it seemed like he attacked the ball with improper hand technique and also sometimes had the ball sneak up on him. It didn’t happen a lot but he will just need to ensure he is maintaining his focus to help limit his drops. When he does make a catch and is out in space, he can make defenders miss as I mentioned but typically will go down at first contact. Also, while he is capable of running a diverse route tree thanks to his cuts, he often ran a simplified route tree with a number of drag routes over the middle. Finally, his effort and technique as a blocker are disappointing as he is way too upright in his stance and just like his release, has poor hand usage.
Before his recent fall, I’ve seen McMillan touted as the next great wide receiver and while I have been a big fan of his these past couple of years, I do think there is more risk than some people want to admit. His release is really concerning and is something that I haven’t really seen improvements in from 2023. NFL coaching could improve that but if it doesn’t he could have major issues on the outside. With the degree of difficulty going up in the NFL, he may have trouble being as consistent of a contributor as he was in college with his current struggles. Now the good thing is that he is such a fluid athlete capable of making great cuts to create separation regardless of press. Also, he is very comfortable being used in motion and playing from the slot so teams have ways to work around that. I think an ideal spot for him is to play the Z potentially for his whole career or at the very least until he cleans up his release. As for a comp, after months of fighting to make it clear that Mike Evans isn’t a good comp for McMillan, it seems most people have finally seen the light and are in agreement with my midseason comp of Drake London which I’m sticking with. Now I will admit it’s not a perfect comp since McMillan is a more fluid and quick athlete than London. However, both have inside and out potential and really impressive route running skills despite not having the most expansive route tree. Also, both have big frames and are very good at attacking the ball in the air and timing their attacks to give defenders little chance to break it up. Both are also great in contested catch situations and are comfortable making catches in the middle of the field. However, both can struggle with keeping on their route path due to some work needed in their release. I feel London was a bit further along in his release so I’m not certain that McMillan will be able to provide the consistent impact London did as a rookie if a team plays McMillan at the X. However, if they move him to the Z and let him find space and get clean breaks, he will be a great playmaker for any offense.
Tez Johnson, Oregon
Height: 5’10”; Weight: 154 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 22 years and 11 months
Class: Fifth-Year Senior
Overall Grade: 2.5/4 (May Have a Future Role)
2024 Stats:
Receiving: 101 targets; 83 receptions; 898 yards; 10 touchdowns
Drops: 3 (Drop Rate: 3.5%)
Snap Distribution: Wide (16%); Slot (79.3%)
Hands: B
Route Running: C+
Release: D+
Yards After Catch Potential: B+
Jump Ball/Contested Catch: C
Body Control/Ball Tracking: B+
Future role: C+
RAS: C+
Strengths:
Great vision on screen plays
Quickness in open space
Quick feet in routes and release
Good ball tracking skills downfield
Slightly bigger catch radius than listed size
Areas of Improvement:
Poor success converting contested catches
Limited route tree
Iffy release against press
Physical coverage could potentially stop him
Small frame
Comp: Ryan Switzer
Despite his size, Tez Johnson has enjoyed productive years the past 2 seasons at Oregon thanks to being a perfect fit for their passing scheme. He’s great at getting out on short patterns and making a very quick and fluid transition from receiver to runner to quickly get downfield. He has great acceleration to get to full speed quickly and has very good cuts and suddenness to make defenders miss in space. He also shows very impressive vision with the ball in his hands. He not only can find the best path to take even if it’s in his peripheral vision but he also knows how to set up his blocks to create running lanes thanks to his experience as a returner. He was also an effective returner thanks to his great movement skills that let him change direction quickly and shift his speed to get defenders off balance. His movement skills and quick feet are also his best asset in his route running. He is able to use his quickness and explosiveness to create early separation and have quick cuts. Also, he does a good job getting his defender to break one way and then bursting to the other with the opening he created. He also has a really good eye for openings against zone coverage which will likely be necessary if he is limited to the slot in the NFL. Also, though most of his targets were close to the line of scrimmage, he looked to have good ball tracking skills on his deep targets including being able to finish catches over his shoulders. He also showed good ability to adjust to balls that were off his frame and made his attacks with good timing. He also has a better-than-expected wingspan which helps give him a bigger catch radius than other receivers his height when he does extend his arms out.
The big issue is hoping that he extends his arms out to make the catch. More times than not, he will often just settle on body catches instead of catching the ball with his hands. Also, he has continued to struggle converting contested catch situations with a success rate of just 33.3% in 2024. He had these issues in 2023 and it’s frustrating he still hasn’t improved these. Also, his route tree didn’t become more diverse compared to 2023 and may have actually regressed. He just seemed so limited to running routes around the line of scrimmage that it makes it harder to envision him in a normal NFL offense. Now his ball tracking skills may suggest he can win downfield more but he needs to prove it to coaches. Regardless, for the routes he ran, he often lacked nuance and tempo in them. When he did try to use some deception, he often tried to be too fancy with his cuts which didn’t let him be a ready pass catcher quickly enough for the quarterback. Also, he would often just try to simply run his route as quickly as he could which led to some sloppy cuts. His small frame will also of course limit his success as he just really struggles with aggressive coverage and is often redirected on his path. Also, his smaller size made it more difficult for him to stay clean in his release or be at risk of press taking him out of the play which led to a lot of horizontal movement to try to desperately avoid contact at times. He didn’t try to go to them that much, but his arm counters were also typically too weak to have any meaningful success against press. So, while he has good foot speed to maybe have a slim chance at playing outside, his slim frame will likely limit him to the slot in the NFL.
I think the disappointing combine has calmed down some of the excitement about Johnson. Honestly, even if he lit up the combine, it's just hard for receivers with the frame of Johnson to be successful in the NFL. There are just too many ways to stop them with physical coverage and the reduction in space often nullifies their success after the catch. Tank Dell is the best recent example of a player defying those poor odds but he is also a different player to Johnson as he played the majority of his snaps outside and had a better foundation for his release. So, as for a comp other than Tank Dell, I have Ryan Switzer as Johnson’s comp. Both have good foot speed and acceleration to help them get early separation and make plays after the catch. Also, both understand how to give themselves a chance to beat press thanks to their quick feet. Both can also get good leverage in their routes. However, both are body catches and don’t always finish catches through contact. Also, neither have big frames which causes difficulties against physical coverage. Switzer struggled in the NFL in part due to his size and I have concerns the same could occur for Johnson. With his physical and technical limitations, it makes it hard to be overly optimistic about his outlook.
Theo Wease Jr., Missouri
Height: 6’3”; Weight: 200 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 23 years and 10 months
Class: Redshirt Fifth-Year Senior
Overall Grade: 2.46/4 (Needs Improvement to Contribute)
2024 Stats:
Receiving: 89 targets; 60 receptions; 884 yards; 4 touchdowns
Drops: 2 (Drop Rate: 3.2%)
Snap Distribution: Wide (86.6%); Slot (12.6%)
Hands: B+
Route Running: C+
Release: B-
Yards After Catch Potential: B-
Jump Ball/Contested Catch: B-
Body Control/Ball Tracking: A-
Future role: C
RAS: F+
Strengths:
Great hands
Maximizes his length in catch attempts
Can make concise cuts in routes
Promising YAC ability despite athletic testing
Previous success in contested catches
Areas of Improvement:
Can better use his frame in contested catches
Limited route tree
Tendency to round some routes
Minimal release package
Limited athleticism
Comp: David Bell
Though Luther Burden III was getting most of the attention leading up to this season at Missouri, Theo Wease Jr. had a very productive season that shouldn’t get overlooked. He has great hands thanks to always using great hand technique. He consistently will high-point the ball with his big frame and is clearly very comfortable making catches away from his frame. Also, he is capable of making tough adjustments to balls going low as well as going high up to get his hands on balls. He even showed good awareness around the sidelines to finish the catch and keep both feet inbounds. Also, he makes himself an even easier target by consistently working back to the quarterback. As a route runner, he can make some really quick, concise cuts at times. He also showed a really good eye for zone coverage and knew how to work himself into openings. Also, he does a good job getting leverage early in his routes to win on short and intermediate routes. He can also win early leverage thanks to his quality release skills. He does a good job using his long arms and quick feet to win against press. Despite the poor athletic testing, he actually is pretty good after the catch. He has a very good transition after the catch and good peripheral vision to avoid tacklers. If tackles do get their hands on him, he has good balance and pad level to survive hits. Plus he can sometimes make them miss thanks to his good timing in his cuts. He also shows good vision after the catch and looks comfortable following blocks. Finally, while his contested catch rate was disappointing at 36.4% in 2024, he was previously very good in this area with success rates of 66.7% in 2023 and 55.6% in 2022.
However, that drop in success in contested catch situations can’t be ignored in case it becomes the new norm for him. A way I think he can get those numbers back up is by doing a better job shielding the ball from defenders. He can sometimes box them out a bit but often doesn’t hold them back which gives them more of a chance to make a play on the ball. Also, it’s hard to ignore his lack of athleticism. It shows after the catch as he can often be caught from behind and fail to separate vertically. Also, his lack of explosiveness causes him trouble trying to separate underneath. Something that can help with at least the underneath routes is him selling his vertical more. He often doesn’t press enough with this which lets defenders be ready to jump shorter routes. Also, he can use some nuance in his routes to help overcome his lack of athleticism as he can often just focus on his cuts but not add too much else to his route. Also, he ran a pretty limited route tree which is concerning how he will do in the NFL with a more expansive tree. For the limited routes he ran, I did notice him having a tendency to round cuts in some of them, particularly his out routes. Finally, though his release skills are solid, his release package lacks diversity which will be easier for NFL corners to beat.
While Theo Wease Jr. shouldn’t be overlooked, I also am not positive of how high it’s worth valuing him. His lack of athleticism already creates a big barrier to significant contributions in the NFL. He will need to become an elite route runner and diversify his release package if he wants to become an NFL starter. Otherwise, I expect either more dynamic or more polished players to jump him on the depth chart. As for a comp, I have David Bell as his comp. Both have great ball skills and big catch radii. Also, both have very reliable hands and are tough to bring down after the catch. However, both are very athletically limited which could make separation more difficult in the NFL. Also, both don’t have enough polish in their route running or release to overcome those athletic limitations. Bell has struggled to make any impact and the Cleveland Browns keep adding receivers which signals their lack of trust in Bell’s development. Hopefully, Wease can do a better job developing in his key areas and work his way into a role as a WR3 for a team.
Tory Horton, Colorado State
Height: 6’3”; Weight: 196 pounds
Age on Draft Day: 22 years and 5 months
Class: Fifth-Year Senior
Overall Grade: 2.83/4 (Future Role Player)
2024 Stats:
Receiving: 38 targets; 26 receptions; 353 yards; 1 touchdown
Drops: 1 (Drop Rate: 3.8%)
Snap Distribution: Wide (64.7%); Slot (35.3%)
Hands: A-
Route Running: C-
Release: D+
Yards After Catch Potential: B-
Jump Ball/Contested Catch: B-
Body Control/Ball Tracking: A-
Future role: B
RAS: A
Strengths:
Great hands
Big catch radius
Impressive ball tracking skills
Promising vertical ability
Very good blocker
Areas of Improvement:
Missed majority of the 2024 season due to injury
Limited route tree
Rounded cuts
Questionable release success
Trouble maintaining balance in routes
Comp: Alec Pierce
Tory Horton is someone who was a sleeper going into this year. Unfortunately, he missed the majority of the season due to injury. In what he showed in his limited 2024 film and throughout 2023, his hands shined with tough hands capable of finishing catches through hits. Some receivers were scared to attack balls in the middle, but Horton never showed fear and would go up and get a ball even if it meant taking a hit. He consistently made catches away from his frame and showed some really impressive body adjustments to some off-target throws and throws on the sidelines. He has a very big catch radius and his great timing in his ball attacks let him maximize his frame and high-point nearly every ball that comes his direction. His ball skills also shine with his ability to track the ball. He can track the ball like a center fielder and consistently make catches over his shoulders to give him good vertical potential. What also helps his vertical potential is his great speed and size. He can quickly eat up a cushion thanks to his long strides and does a good job stacking his defender. He also brings good tempo to his routes to add a bit of variability to make it harder for defenders to keep up with him. After making the catch, he has good balance and foot speed paired with good timing in his cuts to survive tackle attempts. His good foot speed as well as his good arm length also could help him improve his release down the road. He likely won’t need much improvement as a blocker as he does a good job getting leverage and good hand placement in most blocks. He can get square and set a good base to give him a good anchor while bringing good fire to drive back the defender. Also, though I expect him to be an outside receiver in the NFL, he does have experience in the slot and out wide. Finally, there will likely be questions about his poor production against Colorado and Texas but Colorado did everything they could to slow down Horton, and as sad as it is, Horton finished with 40.26% of the team’s passing yards against Texas which is a good mark.
That being said, though I’m high on him I don’t want to pretend that we can just ignore his faults and try to prop up his strengths as much as possible. Starting with his route running. His injury complicates his evaluation but it especially complicates determining if he made the necessary next steps as a route runner. In 2023, he ran a very high percentage of screen, short drag, and vertical patterns. So, I was hopeful we could see a more expanded route tree. Unfortunately, with the little playing time he had in 2024, he still seemed to run a similarly limited route tree. Maybe he would have been involved in more complex routes later in the year but we need to go off of what actually showed up on tape. Also, on his deeper routes, he often struggled to establish leverage against better athletes which makes his transition to the NFL a bit worrisome. He also typically will round his cuts even when he’s trying to make them more sharp which makes it easier for the defender to cover them. Also, he doesn’t use enough nuance in his routes other than changing his tempo which leads him to often just rely on his athleticism. He can also improve his peripheral vision against zone as he can sometimes drift towards defenders and end up covering himself up. Also, he needs to find a way to keep his balance against physical coverage. There were so many times that defenders could just knock him around and essentially take him out of the play. He had similar issues against press. He often had a delayed response against press with poor use of arm counters. He also has a limited release package which isn’t ideal for keeping his slender frame from being stuck by press. Also, he can sometimes have lapses in contested catch situations due to not always boxing out defenders which makes things more difficult for him. Also, as I mentioned, he missed the majority of the 2024 season due to injury which makes it hard to know if he made the necessary improvements he needed from 2023. Finally, I do think it’s fair to question how much of his success is replicable in the NFL as he often beat up on lesser athletes in college.
Tory Horton is a difficult prospect to do an evaluation on between his injury in 2024 and playing against lower competition. I likely have him higher than most but I do see a lot of traits that do give me hope. He has good size, speed, and ball skills to at least be a vertical threat in the NFL. The big thing for him is to improve his release to ensure he can continue to contribute in those situations and not be stopped at the line of scrimmage. Anything he improves past that would be gravy. However, I hope he can continue to stack defenders to let his best skills shine. As for a comp, I have Alec Pierce as his comp. Both are very good vertical weapons with good size and ball skills. Also, both have tough hands and can make catches at the end of their frames to add a bit more flavor to their profile. However, both benefited from playing against lower competition which makes it questionable how they will perform against better athletes. Also, both struggle with physicality from corners which can stop them from showing off their vertical prowess. Pierce has become a very underrated player in a crowded wide receiver room that doesn’t have many opportunities to share between the pass catchers. Hopefully Horton is able to go to a less crowded receiver room and show improved release skills to be able to be a reliable vertical threat like Pierce has become.