JACKSONVILLE – This is a different year for receivers.

That doesn't mean a team can't find a wide receiver in the 2025 NFL Draft. It does mean the position perhaps isn't as star-studded at the top or as deep through the later rounds as usual.

Good receivers are available. They just might be harder to find.

"It's not the wide receiver position it has been," ESPN NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. said.

While multiple receivers are projected as first-round players, and while there is talent throughout the draft, ESPN NFL Draft analyst Jordan Reid said the Top 10 selections could pass without a wide receiver being selected.

"There really isn't that marquee guy," Reid said.

That's a contrast to recent seasons, with three receivers selected in the Top 10 and seven in Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft. The Arizona Cardinals selected Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. No. 4 overall in '24 and at least one wide receiver has been selected in the Top 10 of three of the past four drafts.

Tetairoa McMillan of Arizona is widely projected as the '25 draft's top receiver and has been mocked as early as No. 4 overall. Matthew Golden of Texas, Emeka Egbuka of Ohio State and Luther Burden generally have been projected as mid-to-late-first-round selections.

"It's not the same as past seasons," NFL and Jaguars Media draft analyst Bucky Brooks said. "It's not like the superstars at the top but there are really good players. There are some plug-and-starters that will have success.

"I don't know if you have the impact from the position that you've seen in other classes but it's still pretty good."

Brooks said while McMillan lacks explosive speed, "He's a great ball-catcher in terms of hand-eye coordination."

"He's not a refined route-runner," Brooks said. "He's a better athlete and playmaker. In spite of that, he has No. 1 potential written all over him."

Brooks said Golden also could push to be the first receiver selected after a strong performance at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis earlier this offseason.

"He ran fast and test better than some imagined," Brooks said, "So now he's in that conversation as Wide Receiver One. He had a really good combine. Ran routes well. Caught it well. You watch the tape. All that stands out. He's on a rocket ship climbing up the charts."

The '25 receiver class does continue a recent trend of the position featuring multiple players beyond Round 1 being able to contribute – which increasingly has been the case in recent seasons as high schools and colleges continue to run increasingly pass-oriented offenses.

"The depth is good in the second and third round – a drop off after that," Reid said.

Wide receivers such as Tre Harris of Mississippi, Isaiah Bond of Texas, Jack Bech of Texas Christian, Elic Ayomanor of Stanford, Jalen Royals of Utah State, Jayden Higgins of Iowa State, Tez Johnson of Oregon, Pat Bryant of Illinois and Tai Felton of Maryland have been projected as second- and third-round selections.

"It still comes down to a pedigree," Brooks said. "Talent always wins out. Sometimes what happens is a talented player isn't taken where he normally would be, which leaves the talented player in a lower round. There are players who can handle various roles. I think we'll continue to see them enhance their value and make those guys hot commodities when it comes to draft day."

HANDICAPPING THE JAGUARS

• The Jaguars likely will focus here somewhere on draft weekend. While they have a Pro Bowl player in Brian Thomas Jr. at one receiver, there absolutely is room in the receiver rotation for a front-line player to move in as a rookie and contribute at a high level. Thomas set Jaguars rookie records for receptions (87), yards (1,282) and touchdowns (10) in 2024, but the Jaguars traded veteran Christian Kirk to the Houston Texans at the start of the 2025 League Year and signed veteran Dyami Brown as an unrestricted free agent from the Washington Commanders. Third-year veteran Parker Washington also figures into the rotation here. The Jaguars have solid personnel here without adding in the draft, but it wouldn't be surprising at all if they address on Day 1 or 2 with the idea of acquiring a player who can impact the offense quickly.

CHANCE JAGUARS TAKE A WIDE RECEIVER IN ROUND ONE

• Quite possible.

WRs ON THE JAGUARS ROSTER

• Brian Thomas Jr.
• Dyami Brown
• Gabe Davis
• Parker Washington
• Joshua Cephus
• Louis Rees-Zammit
• Austin Trammel
• David White Jr.

BUCKY BROOKS' TOP 5 2025 WIDE RECEIVERS

1. Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
2. Matthew Golden, Texas
3. Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
4. Luther Burden III, Missouri
5. Isaiah Bond, Texas

POSSIBLE FIRST-ROUND WIDE RECEIVERS

• Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
• Matthew Golden, Texas
• Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State
• Luter Burden III, Missouri