The Detroit Lions could be looking to add young depth at wide receiver in the 2025 draft.
Each of the top four wideouts from a season ago are back, as Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jameson Williams, Tim Patrick and Kalif Raymond will all suit up for the team in 2025. However, the unit is thin when it comes to young depth and could look to the draft to help add a piece to the mix.
There are several intriguing options littered throughout the class, including a Michigan native with high upside and exceptional athletic traits.
Here is a collection of wide receivers that the Lions could target in each round of the upcoming NFL draft.
First round
Matthew Golden, Texas
Golden had a solid showing at the NFL Combine and boosted his stock into becoming a very likely first-round pick. He is incredibly fast, as evidenced by his 4.29 40-yard dash in Indianapolis. Additionally, he has exceptional footwork and can run any route within the route tree and has solid hands.
After two seasons at Houston, Golden transferred to Texas and enjoyed the best season of his career. He recorded 58 receptions for 987 yards and nine touchdowns, with all three stats being career-best numbers.
Here is a collection of wide receivers that the Lions could target in each round of the upcoming NFL draft.
First round
Matthew Golden, Texas
Golden had a solid showing at the NFL Combine and boosted his stock into becoming a very likely first-round pick. He is incredibly fast, as evidenced by his 4.29 40-yard dash in Indianapolis. Additionally, he has exceptional footwork and can run any route within the route tree and has solid hands.
After two seasons at Houston, Golden transferred to Texas and enjoyed the best season of his career. He recorded 58 receptions for 987 yards and nine touchdowns, with all three stats being career-best numbers.
With some return ability also at his disposal, Golden could contribute at the NFL level in a number of ways. If the Lions are looking to add another burner to their crop of wideouts, Golden is one of the best options available
Second round
Elic Ayomanor, Stanford
Ayomanor is a big, physical receiver with good long speed and the ability to secure contested catches at a solid rate. At 6-foot-2, Ayomanor ran a 4.44 40-yard dash and had a 38.5-inch vertical jump.
The wideout appears to handle press coverage efficiently on film, which allows him to generate easy releases off the line of scrimmage. He uses his frame well with the ball in the air, as he brought in 14 of his 29 contested catch opportunities in 2024 according to Pro Football Focus.
Ultimately, Ayomanor is one of the few wideouts who projects to stick at the X receiver role and play it at a high level. As a result, he fits a need Detroit has and could wind up being a wise investment.
Third round
Jaylin Noel, Iowa State
Noel is predominately a slot receiver who had an excellent performance at the Combine, as he ran a 4.39 40-yard dash and had a 41.5-inch vertical jump. With his fluid speed and high-level athleticism, Noel could be a nice piece to add to Detroit’s group of receivers.
Amon-Ra St. Brown owns the slot role, but has the ability to bump outside in the event that a player like Noel is deemed good enough to get reps right away. If not, he could be solid insurance with the ability to contribute in a pinch.
Noel isn’t all just traits, though, as he had over 1,100 receiving yards last season for the Cyclones. He’s a talented option who plays bigger than his size and caught over 50 percent of his contested opportunities according to PFF.
Fourth round
Pat Bryant, Illinois
The Lions met with Bryant formally at the Combine, and there’s plenty to suggest that he would be a good fit as a mid-round receiver. For starters, he has the size that fits Detroit’s desires as a potential X receiver. Additionally, he earned a solid 71.2 PFF grade as a run blocker which fits the Lions’ style of receivers that they target.
Because he takes blocking as an integral part of his game, there’s an avenue for him to potentially carve out a role early in his tenure with the Lions. He also exploded with a career-high 984 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in 2024, so the best for him could still be to come with some development.
Fifth round
Nick Nash, San Jose State
One of the nation’s most productive wideouts in 2024, Nash dominated the Mountain West in his final collegiate season. After modest production throughout his career, he notched 1,382 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns in 2024.
Nash ascended quickly into one of the best wideouts at the collegiate level, as his breakout season came just two years after a season in which he had six catches for 62 yards. As a result, it’s worth wondering whether there’s even more to come as he reaches the NFL ranks.
There are concerns about his willingness to run block and his 4.57 40-yard dash does leave more to be desired, but his production is intriguing and as a result he may be a player worth targeting in the later rounds.
Here is a collection of wide receivers that the Lions could target in each round of the upcoming NFL draft.
First round
Matthew Golden, Texas
Golden had a solid showing at the NFL Combine and boosted his stock into becoming a very likely first-round pick. He is incredibly fast, as evidenced by his 4.29 40-yard dash in Indianapolis. Additionally, he has exceptional footwork and can run any route within the route tree and has solid hands.
After two seasons at Houston, Golden transferred to Texas and enjoyed the best season of his career. He recorded 58 receptions for 987 yards and nine touchdowns, with all three stats being career-best numbers.
With some return ability also at his disposal, Golden could contribute at the NFL level in a number of ways. If the Lions are looking to add another burner to their crop of wideouts, Golden is one of the best options available
Second round
Elic Ayomanor, Stanford
Ayomanor is a big, physical receiver with good long speed and the ability to secure contested catches at a solid rate. At 6-foot-2, Ayomanor ran a 4.44 40-yard dash and had a 38.5-inch vertical jump.
The wideout appears to handle press coverage efficiently on film, which allows him to generate easy releases off the line of scrimmage. He uses his frame well with the ball in the air, as he brought in 14 of his 29 contested catch opportunities in 2024 according to Pro Football Focus.
Ultimately, Ayomanor is one of the few wideouts who projects to stick at the X receiver role and play it at a high level. As a result, he fits a need Detroit has and could wind up being a wise investment.
Third round
Jaylin Noel, Iowa State
Noel is predominately a slot receiver who had an excellent performance at the Combine, as he ran a 4.39 40-yard dash and had a 41.5-inch vertical jump. With his fluid speed and high-level athleticism, Noel could be a nice piece to add to Detroit’s group of receivers.
Amon-Ra St. Brown owns the slot role, but has the ability to bump outside in the event that a player like Noel is deemed good enough to get reps right away. If not, he could be solid insurance with the ability to contribute in a pinch.
Noel isn’t all just traits, though, as he had over 1,100 receiving yards last season for the Cyclones. He’s a talented option who plays bigger than his size and caught over 50 percent of his contested opportunities according to PFF.
Fourth round
Pat Bryant, Illinois
The Lions met with Bryant formally at the Combine, and there’s plenty to suggest that he would be a good fit as a mid-round receiver. For starters, he has the size that fits Detroit’s desires as a potential X receiver. Additionally, he earned a solid 71.2 PFF grade as a run blocker which fits the Lions’ style of receivers that they target.
Because he takes blocking as an integral part of his game, there’s an avenue for him to potentially carve out a role early in his tenure with the Lions. He also exploded with a career-high 984 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns in 2024, so the best for him could still be to come with some development.
Fifth round
Nick Nash, San Jose State
One of the nation’s most productive wideouts in 2024, Nash dominated the Mountain West in his final collegiate season. After modest production throughout his career, he notched 1,382 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns in 2024.
Nash ascended quickly into one of the best wideouts at the collegiate level, as his breakout season came just two years after a season in which he had six catches for 62 yards. As a result, it’s worth wondering whether there’s even more to come as he reaches the NFL ranks.
There are concerns about his willingness to run block and his 4.57 40-yard dash does leave more to be desired, but his production is intriguing and as a result he may be a player worth targeting in the later rounds.
Sixth round
Isaac TeSlaa, Arkansas
After dominating Division II competition at Hillsdale in Michigan, TeSlaa took his talents to the SEC and suited up for Arkansas for his final two seasons. His numbers were modest, with 896 career receiving yards, but his athleticism is quite intriguing.
TeSlaa’s tape is full of highlight-reel contested catches, and 54.2 percent contested catch rate is evidence of his ability to make plays in tight quarters. The Hudsonville native has tantalizing athletic traits and would be a nice investment with plenty of potential.
Seventh round
Ricky White, UNLV
White is a name who may be familiar to some Lions fans, as he first made his mark at Michigan State with an eight-catch, 196-yard performance against Michigan early in the 2020 season. However, he did not participate in offseason activities the following year and wound up transferring to UNLV.
He was incredibly productive over the last two seasons, as he surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in each. Now, White is looking to take the next step as a pro and possesses traits that indicate he could be a vertical threat at the next level.