Welcome back to the 2025 Dynasty Rookie Rankings Battle. While last week we focused on some receivers who are hoping to hear their name called in the second and third rounds of the NFL draft, this week we’ll go over the sleepers. 

By this point in the draft, prospects are statistically unlikely to develop into a good fantasy asset, but we can gain a bit of an edge by identifying paths to dynasty relevance. Knowing who to filter out can be just as important as knowing who is worth a dart throw. 

This article will rate players using the categories in the Get Better at Dynasty Series, copied here for your convenience. Recall that the highlighting in the template reflects the relative importance of each trait, whereas in the actual prospect report it represents how strong they are in that skill.

Tory Horton, Colorado State

6’2.5” 196 lbs

Tory Horton projects pretty favorably as a vertical outside receiver at the NFL level, but his exceedingly simple route tree at Colorado State keeps my overall grade on the lower side. Regardless, of all the prospects we’ll talk about today, I think Horton has the best shot at sneaking into Day Two of the draft. 

Let’s start with the reasons Horton doesn’t go any higher in my rankings. First off, he ran a very simple vertical route tree that asked very little of him in terms of breaking routes, and I thought those times he did run in-breakers and out-breakers, he was too choppy and not deceptive. His production jumps out at you, but to be honest, a ton of the reception total comes from shallow crossers, which tend not to indicate NFL-caliber ability to get open. 

Secondly, he’s a fifth year senior from a smaller program, which is always a tough projection, and is coming off a season-ending knee injury. These are all indicators that tend to scream “Day Three”. 

However, Horton has a legit, NFL-caliber size/speed combo at over 6’2” with a 4.41 40-yard dash, which also indicates he’s recovered from his knee injury. Additionally, Horton shows signs of a well-rounded skill set that profiles well as a vertical outside receiver at the NFL level. Let’s dive into the positives.

Horton lined up on the line of scrimmage quite frequently and flashed a solid release package. He stacks defensive backs fairly quickly, and has enough speed that it’s tough to get back into phase with him. He’s also a big, fast target on posts and dig routes. 

While the vertical production is great, we need a floor from the short and intermediate parts of the field to consider Horton fantasy-relevant. Fortunately, he does show signs of having good instincts against zone coverage, and he hands-catches when he feels defensive pressure behind him. With his size and length, it's hard to play through him to break up passes. 

Additionally, Horton has solid run-after-catch ability, with some serious speed to threaten creases when he has green grass in front of him, but also a sometimes nasty juke move that makes the first man miss not-infrequently. 

Besides having reliable hands, Horton sometimes makes tough catches that require body control in the back of the endzone and along the sidelines, and he holds on to the ball well through contact.

Finally, Horton is a willing blocker with long levers and good physical strength. His technique isn’t great but he won’t need to come off the field. 

Overall, we’re talking about a receiver with NFL-caliber strength and size, great hands, and decent zone instincts and run after catch ability. The overly simple college route tree means that he doesn’t have a track record of beating corners on NFL route concepts, but there is enough here to think an NFL team will take him seriously as a potential future starter. 

Profile

Not necessarily a man coverage beater, but a reliable and solid vertical outside receiver who can make plays for his quarterback and be reliable underneath, with some run-after-catch juice. 

Best Case

Ideally Horton gets drafted to be an outside WR2 on a team with a man-beating WR1. Under these circumstances, he could be a viable WR3 type for fantasy.

Worst Case

Horton’s playing time never gets off the ground, as he struggles with in-breakers and out-breakers, and players who can only run go routes and posts are a dime a dozen. Or he becomes a clear-out route guy who never has fantasy impact. 

Isaac TeSlaa, Arkansas

6’4” 214 lbs

If you’re confused how a 6’4” wide receiver with phenomenal athletic ability and outstanding hands can be underutilized as a slot-only player on an anemic passing offense, welcome to the Isaac TeSlaa bandwagon. Buckle in as I take you through one of the most confusing, yet compelling, prospects in this cycle. 

The reasons to like TeSlaa jump out at you. His athletic ability absolutely shows up on tape, he catches everything, including away from his frame and through contact, and he blocks his ass off. Honestly, this guy is a quality football player, and it confuses me how Arkansas couldn’t get him on the field more. 

To get a feel of the kind of size-speed mismatch he can be against slot corners in the NFL, look no further than this Senior Bowl rep.

There is no sugar-coating the production–it’s terrible. TeSlaa only caught 28 balls last season, albeit for a gaudy 19.5 yards per reception. Part of it is that his quarterback play was awful, and I see him open much more frequently than you would expect from his reception totals. The production is still a red flag, but I legitimately think he was a good player at Arkansas and will reward an NFL team that gives him more opportunity. 

As far as route-running, TeSlaa is extremely fluid for 6’4”, and has an explosive first step out of his break. However, his route running is really raw. He tap dances at the top of his stem, taking excessive false steps before he actually makes his move. I don’t think this is because he has trouble changing direction, rather I think it’s because he’s still raw and hasn’t learned efficient footwork yet. And I can’t stress enough, he still gets open despite all that, because he gets so much displacement in the first couple steps of his break. 

At the catch point, TeSlaa has reliable hands and a massive catch radius, and he does a great job bringing in the ball away from his frame. He has good zone awareness and his leverage is extremely hard to play through. He’s a hands-catcher who is comfortable snatching the ball out in front of him, and he reliably holds on to the ball through contact. 

On routes deeper down the field, TeSlaa could stand to throttle his routes better. He’s a little easy to carry down the field, and corners tend to stay in phase against his vertical routes. Additionally, he doesn’t really have a release package as a slot-only player. 

After the catch, TeSlaa has legit 4.4 speed and can break tackles with his size and grit. This grittiness shows in the run game, where he blocks really well too. 

Profile

TeSlaa can start out as a massive slot-only player, who can block any slot corner into the parking lot. He’s reliable over the middle of the field, and would make mincemeat out of any linebackers who tried to follow him on routes. I think he’s a reliable mismatch weapon right now, albeit not one who can earn a ton of volume quite yet. 

Best Case

Long term, I would hope TeSlaa can clean up his footwork and start getting reps outside in two receiver sets, which would see him become an impact fantasy asset. 

As a former high school quarterback with only two years of FBS experience, TeSlaa’s stock is only rising from here. If he ends up as a surprising Day Two pick, I’ll be targeting him as early as the late second round of dynasty drafts. 

Worst Case

The miniscule college production turns out to be an indicator of something that’s hard to perceive on tape, but that coaches believe is overly limiting. He continues to be an extremely part-time player, even at the NFL level, and is a roster clogger. 

Savion Williams, TCU

6’4” 222 lbs

Let’s get this out of the way. Savion Williams’ hands are the worst I’ve scouted this cycle, and it feels likely he’ll fail to earn his coach’s trust as a full time wide receiver, at least at first. He drops the ball frequently, and even when he doesn’t drop it, he’s clearly fighting the ball. Williams often double catches and makes catching a football look extremely difficult.

However, I think there is a path for Williams to eventually become fantasy relevant. Let’s break it down. First, although his hands are terrible, I was pleasantly surprised at Williams’ ability to play as a vertical receiver. 

He actually has a solid release package and can quickly stack corners on go routes, and he has  good deception when trying to get up the seam. Additionally, I think he has reasonable awareness against zone coverage. Although he frequently drops easy balls, he is actually quite good at making tough adjustments to balls thrown away from his frame, and he flashes the ability to high point the ball to win at the catch point. 

Secondly, even if he isn’t deployed as a full-service wide receiver at first, I think Williams can make the active roster on Sundays. He has special teams experience in college, and if he gets into a game because of special teams, his coaches will also likely have a package of plays involving him. 

This is because Williams’ ability as a wildcat quarterback is excellent, and he’s a good run-after-catch player and blocker. Whichever team drafts Williams will likely be the most excited about deploying him in specific packages.

However, none of this is enough to be fantasy relevant. The final ingredient, which absolutely needs to come together, is that after enough time has passed with Williams playing special teams and a smattering of gadget plays, he eventually earns a shot to play outside receiver, again since he actually does a decent job at vertical X receiver tasks. Hopefully by this point, he’s developed enough and gotten comfortable enough catching the ball that he sticks.

If you think too much needs to break right just for Williams to have a shot at being a fantasy asset, I don’t blame you. Williams is a pure dart throw, and it’s entirely possible he just moves from practice squad to practice squad. However, anybody with a spare fourth rounder and an open spot on their taxi squad may want to consider him. The athletic ability and versatility is rare.

Profile

A pure dart throw who starts off as a gadget player but hopefully develops into a vertical outside receiver who also has a fantasy floor thanks to designed touches.

Best Case

Williams threads the needle I described and becomes a receiver with relatively low volume, but a floor of designed touches and touchdown upside that makes it worth your while to plug him into lineups. More of a flex play than anything.

Worst Case

Williams has a 10-year career bouncing around practice squads or as a 6th receiver, a la Treadwell. 

Tez Johnson, Oregon

5’10” 154 lbs

Starting from this point, we’re getting to players that I won’t be targeting for fantasy football. I’ll keep the writeups slightly more concise. 

While Tez Johnson is a bit of an analytics darling thanks to sterling yards per route run numbers, players at his weight simply do not become dynasty assets. And Johnson is smaller than those guys. While you can sometimes call your shot and bet on an outlier, Johnson does not bring standout traits to the table that make me want to bet on him.

I know we want to make the Tank Dell comparison, but Dell played much bigger, was an outside receiver at Houston, and got open on NFL-caliber breaking routes. And he still hasn’t been able to protect himself at the professional level. There is just a math problem when he collides with other NFL athletes. 

Let’s start with the positives, namely that Johnson is extremely agile, and he kinda has to be since he is carrying so much less weight than essentially any other player in the NFL. He can stop efficiently and change direction quickly to get a few steps of separation if he’s on an island with a player who doesn’t have hands on him.

To his credit, he’s also a feisty blocker who clearly cares about the team and does not want to be a liability due to his size, and he is willing to fight through contact to get into his route. That being said, the lack of strength shows in both these areas, and willpower alone can only get him so far. 

Unfortunately, Johnson was a pure slot player at Oregon and was not asked to run many breaking routes. Those times I saw him attempt an in-breaker or out-breaker, his footwork was inefficient. The first few steps out of his breaks are also not explosive and don’t gain much displacement from the defender. 

Johnson's straight line speed is just ok, and overall he’s a slot-only player with a tiny catch radius and mediocre athletic ability, aside from his natural agility advantage. Even if he sticks in the league, it won’t be as a quality dynasty asset. There is just no upside for me to target here, even if I’m rooting for him to catch on as a starting slot receiver. 

Ricky White, UNLV

6’1” 184 lbs

Ricky White was absurdly productive at UNLV, but he does not have the juice to get open at the NFL level. He completely lacks a second gear, and does not have any juice when needing to explode out of a break. 

A ton of White's production came from catching underneath targets against soft off coverage, and I don’t see the athletic ability to get open against tight coverage at the NFL level. I expect scouts will see this too, and that he won’t get interesting draft capital.

That being said, I’m not closing the door all the way on White. He moves smoothly, is efficient and sudden in his releases, has absolutely no wasted motion in his footwork on his breaks, and catches the ball reliably, even through contact.

If White’s efficiency turns out to be an underlying indicator of skill that translates to the NFL, he could make his way into your flex spot. It would just require him to play great against zone and off coverage, and maybe punish press coverage by getting inside leverage and holding on through contact. 

There is sometimes a very fine line between “not an NFL athlete” and “tests badly but moves well in pads”. Unfortunately, I think White moves more like a non-NFL athlete than a guy with bad testing but good football speed. 

Isaiah Bond, Texas

5’11” 180 lbs

Even if Isaiah Bond overcomes the very serious allegations he’s currently facing, I won’t be targeting him for fantasy. 

Bond is a legit deep threat with excellent speed, but I have no interest in deep threats for fantasy. This is a type of player who is important for NFL teams by opening up space and occasionally creating an explosive play, but who is not reliable for fantasy and does more harm than good with your start-sit decisions. 

When he isn’t going deep, Bond is a poor route runner who takes a comical number of steps to throttle down and get into his break. And I’m not betting on him developing, as he supposedly has severe character red flags (in context, I think beyond the current allegations) that are described as Jermaine Burton-esque.

Dont’e Thornton, Tennessee

6’5” 205 lbs

While Thornton’s size and 4.3 speed is extremely intriguing, historically this kind of player has clogged dynasty rosters for absolutely no benefit. Thornton was in an extremely college-y offense at Tennessee that is notorious for not translating into NFL production. 

In that vein, Thornton ran the most pared-down route tree imaginable, similar to Tre Harris but somehow even more min-maxed. Thornton almost exclusively ran curls and go routes, and was missing a ton of awareness when running anything over the middle of the field. 

On slant routes, he doesn’t explode off of his plant leg, and instead rounds his route enough that a defensive back can jump it. He also has a Roomba-like tendency to collide with every player on the field when he’s trying to get into his routes through traffic. Finally, he gets slowed down by contact enough that slower corners can stay in phase with him.

On the bright side, Thornton is a willing blocker, and he’s not just a linear athlete. He moves genuinely well for a wide receiver his size, and can stop on a dime. If you were to roll the dice on him, he’d probably be exclusively a field stretcher early on in his career, but you could be rewarded with a D.K. Metcalf-like player if he were to develop. 

Jaylin Lane, Virginia Tech

5’10 191 lbs

Apparently Virginia Tech exclusively sends thicc kings who compare athletically to Olypmpic decathletes to the NFL draft. Jaylin Lane, along with Bhayshul Tuten, destroyed the combine.

However, Lane was not very productive at Virginia Tech, almost exclusively catching easier underneath routes and not getting a chance to show NFL-caliber ability to get open. He mostly earned targets when the defensive back was leveraged inside and Lane happened to be running a route to the outside. 

Lane is not very good at the catch point, and while he’s a great athlete with the ball in his hands, he didn't look as dynamic as I would have liked during his routes. He loses a lot of speed getting in and out of his breaks, and is a short strider who doesn’t gain much displacement out of his breaks. 

Overall, we’re talking about a player who is mostly an athletic projection, and we need that projection to go great just to have a slot-only player when it’s all over. That isn’t a priority for me in dynasty. 

Tai Felton, Maryland

6’1” 183 lbs

Now we’re getting into my last tier of players, whom I expect to have absolutely no shares of. I would rather roll the dice on essentially any running back than the players in this tier. 

Felton is a formidable linear athlete but he is extremely upright and tight-hipped in his routes. He looks very uncomfortable throttling down or changing directions, and I don’t see a player this stiff becoming an impact NFL player.

Felton also fights the ball when catching it, and left some plays on the field by basket-catching away from his frame. He also doesn’t disengage well from physicality during his routes. 

Pat Bryant, Illinois

6’2” 204 lbs

Pat Bryant has ok buildup speed but no second gear. He takes a lot of steps to throttle down, and overall is not dynamic changing direction. He also got extremely bogged down against press coverage and didn’t disengage from physicality during his routes.

To his credit, he does string together a few explosive steps when getting out of his release, but from that point it’s too easy to get back into phase with him. He did run an excellent blaze out at one point, so maybe there is something there that an NFL coach can leverage more consistently.  

Chimere Dike, Florida

6’1” 196 lbs

Dike had a great combine and is a willing and active blocker, but he almost exclusively ran vertical routes out of the slot at Florida. He didn’t really get a chance to put anything on tape other than running like hell through a wide open runway. 

Those few times he needed to run an actual route, he needed a lot of false steps to throttle down and change direction. I don’t think there is an NFL-caliber route runner here. The one hope is that a team leverages his athleticism and blocking ability as a big slot player. 

Overall

Congratulations, we now have final wide receiver tiers done. Along with my past series on running backs, quarterbacks, and tight ends, we officially are ready with our scouting reports for the 2025 cycle. All that’s missing is draft capital and landing spots, so stay tuned for my final tiers after the NFL draft, and with that we’ll have finalized 2025 dynasty rookie rankings.