- A Missouri duo cracks the top 10: Luther Burden III and Theo Wease Jr. each came up big for the Tigers in clutch moments this past season, earning 75.0-plus PFF receiving grades.
- Illinois’ Pat Bryant tops the list: PFF’s 158th-ranked prospect caught 10 of 16 clutch targets last season and led the draft class with 225 yards and three touchdowns on those plays.
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The wealth of receiver talent in any given NFL draft — see it in PFF’s 2025 NFL Draft Guide — makes it all the more important to understand each player’s skill set, including those who thrive in clutch situations. For these purposes, we are defining “clutch” catches as coming in the fourth quarter or overtime of tight games (score differential of seven points or fewer).
Here were the 2025 NFL Draft’s highest-graded wide receiver prospects in clutch moments this past season.
1. Pat Bryant, Illinois (84.7)
Bryant caught 10 of 16 clutch targets last season and led the draft class with 225 yards and three touchdowns on those plays. Each of his catches moved the chains, and he was the only Power Four receiver to record double-digit first downs in clutch moments. Bryant gained 69 yards after the catch and had eight catches of 15-plus yards in those situations.
The Illinois receiver recorded two catches of 25-plus yards against Kansas. He brought in a game-winning 4-yard touchdown in overtime against Nebraska and secured a 32-yard sideline catch against Purdue with 34 seconds remaining in regulation, before scoring a 25-yard touchdown in overtime. His final clutch touchdown of the season was a game-winning 40-yard score against double coverage in Week 13 against Rutgers.
2. Ja’Khi Douglas, Florida State (83.6)
Douglas caught each of his six clutch targets last season for 111 yards and a touchdown. He gained five first downs, notched four gains of 15-plus yards and averaged 5.84 yards per route run on his way to a perfect passer rating when targeted.
Douglas recorded a 20-yard catch on fourth-and-7 against Georgia Tech early in the fourth quarter, down by seven. He caught a 36-yard touchdown against California, also early in the fourth quarter, trailing by two. He had two catches of 15-plus yards against Duke, including a fourth-down conversion with less than 2 minutes remaining, down seven.
3. Luther Burden III, Missouri (81.7)
Burden ranked eighth in clutch yardage in 2024 (152), catching eight of 10 such targets for six first downs and two touchdowns. He secured three of four contested targets, forced two missed tackles and had four explosive gains. Burden finished with a perfect passer rating on clutch targets, with 50% of his targets coming from deep.
The Missouri receiver opened overtime against Vanderbilt with a 25-yard touchdown catch and caught two passes for 29 yards against Auburn to move his offense deep into Tigers territory with less than 2 minutes remaining. Burden set up a first-and-goal late in the game against Oklahoma with a 33-yard catch on third-and-16 and followed that up with two late catches against South Carolina, including a spectacular one-handed, 37-yard touchdown on fourth-and-5 to give the Tigers a one-point lead.
4. Jaylin Noel, Iowa State (81.3)
Noel finished third in clutch targets last season (18), catching 13 passes for 171 yards and nine first downs. He recorded four gains of 15-plus yards and averaged 2.59 yards per route run on clutch looks.
Noel recorded a 30-yard catch against Iowa with 29 seconds remaining to move into Hawkeyes territory while down by two. He had three catches for 53 yards against Central Florida, including gains of 29 and 16 yards late in the game while trailing by five. Noel also made three catches in the Pop-Tarts Bowl against Miami for 51 yards. Each reception came on the same drive with less than 4 minutes remaining, including another 29-yard gain on third-and-1 to move inside the red zone while down by six.
5. Jack Bech, TCU (80.3)
Bech secured seven of nine clutch targets for 139 yards, all for first downs, in 2024. He caught two touchdown passes, recorded four catches of 15-plus yards and finished with a perfect passer rating when targeted.
Bech separated along the back of the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown against Stanford to give TCU a late lead. He also recorded a 13-yard catch against double coverage earlier in the quarter. Bech had three clutch catches for 68 yards against Central Florida, all double-digit gains, including a 39-yarder on which he forced two missed tackles. He made a 30-yard grab against Utah and a 24-yard touchdown against Baylor in clutch moments, too.
6. Daniel Jackson, Minnesota (78.7)
- Team Record: 8-5
- Targeted Games: North Carolina (3), USC (2), UCLA (5), Illinois (2), Rutgers (2), Penn State (2)
Jackson was targeted 16 times in the clutch and caught 12 passes for 175 yards. He gained seven first downs, secured four contested catches and forced three missed tackles on those plays. Jackson also recorded five gains of 15-plus yards.
The Minnesota product secured a 20-yard contested catch against North Carolina midway through the fourth quarter. Most of his clutch targets (five) came against UCLA, against whom he caught three passes for 44 yards, including a 27-yarder with 2 minutes remaining to push deep into Bruins territory. Jackson secured a 37-yard contested catch over his shoulder against Illinois. He brought in yet another contested grab in highlight fashion against Penn State for a 23-yard gain.
7. Jacolby George, Miami (FL) (78.6)
George caught five clutch passes for 87 yards and three first downs this past season. He averaged 3.95 yards per route run and generated a 153.0 passer rating when targeted. Most of his yards came from a 49-yard touchdown against Duke, and only one of his grabs didn’t gain 10 or more yards.
8. Josh Kelly, Texas Tech (78.3)
Kelly was targeted 17 times in the clutch, with 33.3% of his targets coming from the slot. He caught 12 passes for 148 yards and gained 49 yards after the catch. He picked up six first downs, forced five missed tackles and notched four gains of 15-plus yards.
Three of Kelly’s explosive gains came in Week 1 against Abilene Christian, against whom he had two catches of 20-plus yards and forced three missed tackles. He forced another missed tackle against Cincinnati en route to a 28-yard gain, keeping the Red Raiders on the move while down by seven.
9. Theo Wease Jr., Missouri (77.7)
- Team Record: 10-3
- Targeted Games: Vanderbilt (5), Auburn (4), Oklahoma (3), Arkansas (2)
Wease and Luther Burden III are the lone pair of teammates on this list, and like Burden, Wease produced plenty of clutch moments. He caught nine of 14 targets for 187 yards and eight first downs in the fourth quarter or overtime of tight games. He led the draft class in clutch yards after the catch (110) and averaged 12.2 yards per reception. He forced four missed tackles, had four gains of 15-plus yards and generated a 131.5 passer rating when targeted.
Wease caught three passes for 40 yards against Vanderbilt, with most of his yards coming from a 27-yard gain midway through the fourth quarter. He recorded two catches for 29 yards against Auburn, both plays of 10-plus yards that picked up first downs. Wease had two pivotal catches against Oklahoma: a 28-yard grab to move into Sooners territory with 2 minutes remaining and a 10-yard catch along the sideline in the end zone, keeping a foot inbounds with a minute to go. Three weeks later, Wease slipped a tackle on a hitch route against Arkansas to pick up 70 yards on the play.
10. Beaux Collins, Notre Dame Fighting Irish (77.3)
Collins caught four of five clutch targets for 47 yards, with all of his targets coming in the first two weeks of the season. His longest gain was a 20-yard back-shoulder grab against Texas A&M with less than 5 minutes remaining and the score tied. Collins gained three first downs, secured two contested catches and averaged 2.47 yards per route run on clutch targets in 2024.
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