- Dont'e Thornton Jr. is the 2025 draft class' most efficient playmaking wide receiver: Although Thornton saw only 34 targets in 2024, eight turned into big-time catches.
- Kyle Williams' rising draft stock is justified: The Washington State product ranked fourth in big-time catch rate this past season, and 11 of his big-time receptions came against single coverage.
- 2025 NFL Draft season is here: Try PFF's best-in-class Mock Draft Simulator and learn about 2025's top prospects while trading and drafting for your favorite NFL team.
Estimated Reading Time: 5 minutes
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 with a playmaking mentality.
We're highlighting 2025 NFL Draft receivers with the best “big-time” catch rate in 2024. Big-time catches are those that pick up significant yardage or those where the receiver makes multiple defenders miss. Some other situations that apply include:
- Deep catches caught in stride where the receiver gains a step on his defender
- An impactful move that causes a defender to miss a tackle attempt and allows the receiver to pick up additional yards
- Sideline catches beyond the first-down marker where the receiver has to extend in some way to secure the catch
- Catches in tight coverage where the receiver’s route takes him into a defender’s coverage and he secures the catch while being vulnerable to a hit
- Exceptional catches with a high level of skill and difficulty
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Draft Position Rankings
1. Dont'e Thornton Jr., Tennessee Volunteers: 23.5%
- Targets: 34
- “Big-Time” Catches: 8
- 2024 PFF Receiving Grade: 80.6
- PFF Big Board Rank: 177
Thornton caught 26 of 34 targets last season for a career-high 662 yards. Each of his eight big-time catches gained 40 or more yards, accounting for 470 yards of his receiving total. He also logged four touchdowns on big-time grabs.
2. Elijhah Badger, Florida Gators: 21.3%
- Targets: 61
- “Big-Time” Catches: 13
- 2024 PFF Receiving Grade: 81.5
- PFF Big Board Rank: 195
Badger caught 39 passes for 806 yards and gained 32 first downs in his lone season at Florida. He recorded 13 big-time catches with six missed tackles forced and three plays of 50-plus yards. He secured one touchdown on those plays, which came on a 23-yard contested grab in Week 12 against LSU.
3. KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Auburn Tigers: 19.0%
- Targets: 79
- “Big-Time” Catches: 15
- 2024 PFF Receiving Grade: 80.4
- PFF Big Board Rank: 189
Lambert-Smith caught 50 passes for 981 yards in 2024, with 805 of his yards coming from 15 big-time catches. He secured four contested catches and forced five missed tackles on those plays, three of which came on a 60-yard gain against Texas A&M where he managed 35 yards after the catch.
4. Kyle Williams, Washington State: 18.8%
- Targets: 101
- “Big-Time” Catches: 19
- 2024 PFF Receiving Grade: 82.1
- PFF Big Board Rank: 65
Williams was the definition of explosive in 2024. He tallied 70 catches for 1,196 yards and 14 touchdowns in a career year, and 10 of his scores came from big-time plays, of which he had 19 total. Eleven of his big-time catches came against single coverage, and he recorded 13 gains of 30-plus yards. Williams forced 11 missed tackles, secured seven contested catches and had five games with multiple big-time plays.
5. Chimere Dike, Florida Gators: 16.9%
- Targets: 65
- “Big-Time” Catches: 11
- 2024 PFF Receiving Grade: 71.3
- PFF Big Board Rank: 225
Dike caught 42 passes in 2024 for a career-high 783 yards. He recorded 11 big-time catches, all resulting in plays of 20-plus yards. One of his biggest receptions came late in Week 7 against Tennessee — a 27-yard grab across the middle on third-and-19 that resulted in a touchdown and helped to force overtime.
6. Traeshon Holden, Oregon Ducks: 16.7%
- Targets: 54
- “Big-Time” Catches: 9
- 2024 PFF Receiving Grade: 65.4
- PFF Big Board Rank: 246
Holden caught 45 of his 54 targets in 2024 for 718 yards, five touchdowns and 26 first downs. Six of his nine big-time catches came against zone looks. He also recorded six catches of 30-plus yards.
7. Isaac TeSlaa, Arkansas Razorbacks: 16.7%
- Targets: 36
- “Big-Time” Catches: 6
- 2024 PFF Receiving Grade: 70.5
- PFF Big Board Rank: 112
TeSlaa caught 28 passes for 532 yards, 20 first downs and three touchdowns in 2024. He recorded six big-time catches with two plays of 50-plus yards on which he gained more than 30 yards after the catch. Three of his catches came against doubled looks, including an 11-yard touchdown over an outstretched defender against Louisiana Tech in Week 13.
8. Jackson Meeks, Syracuse Orange: 15.7%
- Targets: 115
- “Big-Time” Catches: 18
- 2024 PFF Receiving Grade: 81.0
- PFF Big Board Rank: 290
Meeks was a chain-mover for Syracuse, recording 55 first downs on 77 catches with 27 explosive gains. He ranked second in the draft class last season with 18 big-time catches. Twelve of those grabs gained 20-plus yards, and 11 came against contested coverage.
9. Ja'Corey Brooks, Louisville Cardinals: 15.1%
- Targets: 93
- “Big-Time” Catches: 14
- 2024 PFF Receiving Grade: 80.6
- PFF Big Board Rank: 318
Brooks caught 61 passes for 1,013 yards in 2024, gaining 44 first downs with nine touchdowns. Four of his scores came from big-time plays, while eight of those catches were against contested coverage. Brooks recorded eight big-time plays against single coverage and six against zone looks.
10. Roc Taylor, Memphis Tigers: 14.0%
- Targets: 107
- “Big-Time” Catches: 15
- 2024 PFF Receiving Grade: 74.1
- PFF Big Board Rank: 289
Taylor saw 107 targets last season and caught 67 for 954 yards and 41 first downs. He recorded 15 big-time plays, all gains of 20-plus yards. The Memphis product brought in two touchdowns, with both plays resulting from big-time catches. He secured a 37-yard score between two defenders against Navy and caught a 24-yard sideline catch in the end zone against Charlotte.
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