The Detroit Lions could pick a WR in the 2025 NFL Draft as early as their 28th overall pick.
Under general manager Brad Holmes, the Detroit Lions have drafted a wide receiver in three of four years. While the Lions return their top four receivers from last year, the team has not hidden their intentions of adding to the position group this offseason, and they’ll need to in order to simply sport a full roster come training camp.
So let’s look at the current status of the Lions’ wide receiver room, and then break down some of the early and late options in the 2025 NFL Draft .
Previous Lions draft previews:
2025 Detroit Lions draft preview: Wide receivers
Under contract: Amon-Ra St. Brown (signed through 2028), Jameson Williams (2026*), Tim Patrick (2025), Kalif Raymond (2025), Antoine Green (2026), Tom Kennedy (2025), Ronnie Bell (2025)
*Jameson Williams is currently under contract only through 2025, but the team has indicated they plan on exercising his fifth-year option through 2026
Short-term need: 3/10
Long-term need: 6.5/10
When talking about 2025, the Lions are likely pretty comfortable with their top four receivers. St. Brown, Williams, Patrick, and Raymond have all excelled in their current roles. But beyond that, the cupboard is relatively bare. And as coach Dan Campbell said at the owners meetings last week, they were a little fortunate with injuries last year—only Raymond missed significant time.
“Love that group, but we were fortunate that we got out last year, during the season, for the most part, unscathed, as far as injuries and things of that nature,” Campbell said. “That group, TP, Leaf, obviously Saint and Jamo, those guys that we’ve got have been big for us. We would love to bring in more competition, particularly some youth.”
Last year, the Lions brought in 12 receivers to training camp. Right now they have just seven under contract. So there is certainly a need not just for camp bodies, but players who can actually challenge for reserve roles and be adequate emergency options. Antoine Green, Tom Kennedy, and Ronnie Bell have very little production among them. So there is a small need to add four or five players, be it via a draft pick, an undrafted rookie, or the remaining options in free agency.
But if we’re talking long-term need, wide receiver is right up there among the biggest needs. Not only is the team still looking for its long-term X-receiver (Patrick is 31 years old), but with recent comment from general manager Brad Holmes suggesting it may be difficult to extend Jameson Williams, the WR-Z position is also very much on the table for this draft. Even a Kalif Raymond long-term replacement (Raymond will be 31) could be an option.
PFF top-100
- Travis Hunter, Colorado (#1)
- Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona (#3)
- Luther Burden III, Missouri (#14)
- Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State (#18)
- Matthew Golden, Texas (#21)
- Elic Ayomanor, Stanford (#36)
- Jayden Higgins, Iowa State (#39)
- Jack Bech, TCU (#43)
- Jalen Royals, Utah State (#59)
- Kyle Williams, Wash. State (#64)
- Tre Harris, Ole Miss (#71)
- Xavier Restrepo, Miami (#76)
- Jaylin Noel, Iowa State (#80)
- Savion Williams, TCU (#99)
Much like running back, PFF has a ton of top-100 options—although only five rank within the first round. Let’s split this group into the three kinds of receivers the Lions employ.
Note: not everyone neatly fits into one box:
WR-X (big, physical): McMillan, Higgins, Ayomanor, Harris, Bech, S. Williams
McMillan is a bit of a polarizing prospect, but the likelihood that he’s still there at 28 remains very small. Higgins and Aymanor are both ideal fits the Lions could target on Day 2, with my small preference toward Aymanor thanks to his willingness to block and his high character would make him a good culture fit. Bech is another high-character, scrappy blocker, but he lacks some of the athleticism of these other options. Savion Williams is really a Day 3 prospect—and a fascinating one. At 6-foot-3, 222 pounds, he has the build and speed (4.48) of a freaky-athletic WR-X, and he’s also oddly a threat as a running back/wildcat back. Last year at TCU, he caught 60 passes, and rushed 51 times. He’s just very raw as a route runner.
WR-Z (tall, fast): Hunter, Golden, Burden, Egbuka, Royals, K. Williams
There’s no shortage of speedy options to be a long-term replacement, be it Burden (4.41), Golden (4.29), or Royals (1.49 10-yard split). Golden’s size (5-foot-11, 191) may project him more in the slot, but he has plenty of outside experience. Egbuka may be the most “Dan Campbell Guy” of the group, and he’s got a pair of 1,000-yard, 10-touchdown seasons to go with it.
WR-Y (slot receivers): Restrepo, Noel
The Lions have familiarity with Noel through new tight ends coach Tyler Roehl, and he could be a tantalizing target due to him being a two-time captain and a kick returner option—he returned punts all four years, and dabbled on kickoffs, as well. PFF has Restrepo way higher than most (Dane Brugler gives him a 5th-6th round grade likely due to his lack of size (5-foot-9 and speed (4.85), but his toughness could certainly draw Detroit’s eye.
Notable Day 3 players
Pat Bryant (Illinois), Isaac TeSlaa (Arkansas), Jaylin Lane (Virginia Tech )
At 6-foot-2, 204 pounds, Bryant has WR-X potential and a pair of very reliable hands to go with him. He was also described by his offensive coordinator as a “warrior” and “everything that’s good about football.”
The Lions brought in TeSlaa for a top-30 visit, which should immediately draw some extra attention. He’s also a WR-X candidate given his size (6-foot-3, 214)—although he mostly played as the big slot in college. After three years at Hillsdale, he saw his production drop significantly with the Arkansas Razorbacks (351 yards, 546 yards in 2023, 2024). Still, his athletic traits are rare at his size (4.43 40-yard dash), he’s got a reputation as tough, and he could also contend for the returner job.
Lane could go the highest of this group (Brugler gives him a fourth-round grade). While his receiving production leaves you wanting more (466 yards, 2 TDs last year), his ridiculous speed (4.34) and returner skills (245 punt return yards, 10.2 avg., 1 TD) could give the Lions their long-term replacement for Raymond.