- UConn's Skyler Bell was the top after-the-catch producer: The No. 80 player on the PFF Predictive Big Board, Bell averaged 8.2 yards after the catch per reception in 2025 to beat out his peers on the big board.
- Zachariah Branch made the most of his short average target depth: Branch saw frequent screen targets — the most in the class — and subsequently averaged nearly eight yards after the catch per reception in 2025.
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1. Skyler Bell, UConn: 8.2 yards after the catch per reception
- 2025 PFF Receiving Grade: 85.1
- 2025 Receptions and Yards: 102 catches, 1,282 yards
- 2025 Average Depth of Target: 8.3 yards
- PFF Predictive Big Board Rank: 80
- Size/Class: 6 feet, 185 pounds, RS Senior
Bell ranked in the top two in yards after the catch (835) and yards after contact (325) in 2025. He went from averaging 6.5 yards after the catch in 2024 to 8.2 in 2025, in addition to forcing 15 missed tackles.
Across two seasons at UConn (2024, 2025), Bell ranks fifth in the class in yards after the catch per reception (7.7). He saw 40-plus targets at every level of the field, including 40 on screen plays in 2025.
Whether he’s stacked up, slipping arm tackles or side-stepping defenders in open space, Bell is not quick to go down.
2. Noah Thomas, Georgia: 8.1 yards after the catch per reception
- 2025 PFF Receiving Grade: 58.9
- 2025 Receptions and Yards: 16 catches, 254 yards
- 2025 Average Depth of Target: 13.1 yards
- PFF Predictive Big Board Rank: 217
- Size/Class: 6-foot-5, 205 pounds, Senior
Thomas ranked fourth among Georgia’s receivers in targets this season (26) and caught passes in only six games. His best stretch came from Weeks 10-13, when he caught 12 of 15 targets for 200 yards and four touchdowns. He showcased his post-catch ability in Week 11 against Mississippi State, turning a 10-yard target into a 64-yard touchdown, and again in Week 13 against Charlotte, evading multiple defenders on a screen play for 38 yards.
Thomas spent three seasons at Texas A&M, with most of his production coming during the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He caught 68 passes for 933 yards in that span, tying for seventh in touchdowns (13) but ranking in the bottom third of the class in yards after the catch per reception (4.3).
Thomas does not have the same volume as other players on this list, but he is still more than capable of generating big plays.
3. Caullin Lacy, Louisville: 8.0 yards after the catch per reception
- 2025 PFF Receiving Grade: 67.8
- 2025 Receptions and Yards: 60 catches, 635 yards
- 2025 Average Depth of Target: 4.7 yards
- PFF Predictive Big Board Rank: 330
- Size/Class: 5-foot-10, 190 pounds, Senior
Lacy returned to Louisville for his senior season after a collarbone injury limited him to five games in 2024. The Cardinals used him as a short-area weapon, targeting him 64 times either behind the line of scrimmage (91.0 PFF overall grade) or within nine yards of it (77.4).
Lacy, who lines up primarily from the slot (2,021 career snaps), finished in the top eight in the class in yards after contact (219), forced missed tackles (19) and yards after the catch (482) in 2025. He was a threat from a variety of looks, routinely knifing his way through defenders for extra yards. Lacy was also productive on deep targets, bringing in six of 11 such passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns and earning a 96.9 PFF receiving grade on those plays.
A transfer from South Alabama (2020-2023), Lacy enters the draft with a third-best career slot PFF receiving grade (96.5) in the class. His best run came between 2022 and 2023, when he caught 91 passes for 1,305 yards.
4. Eric McAlister, TCU: 7.9 yards after the catch per reception
- 2025 PFF Receiving Grade: 77.5
- 2025 Receptions and Yards: 71 catches, 1,173 yards
- 2025 Average Depth of Target: 12.0 yards
- PFF Predictive Big Board Rank: 147
- Size/Class: 6-foot-3, 205 pounds, Senior
McAlister is one of the most productive receivers in this draft class, having racked up more than 300 receiving yards at every level of the field beyond the line of scrimmage in 2025 while recording 90.0-plus PFF receiving grades at each depth.
He led the class in yards after contact (375) and tied for first in missed tackles forced (27). In all, McAlister was targeted 119 times in 2025 and gained 560 yards after the catch.
McAlister’s Week 4 tape against SMU is a snapshot of his post-catch ability. In that game, he ran over defenders, shed multiple tackles, exploited space in coverages for big gains and absorbed contact for extra yardage.
The 6-foot-3 receiver is elusive, often running through tackles or spinning out of them. A transfer from Boise State (2022-2023), McAlister averaged 6.2 yards after the catch or more per reception in three consecutive seasons and recorded 69 explosive gains of 15-plus yards (second most). He also put together three straight seasons with 80.0-plus PFF receiving grades (2022-2024) and is an elite downfield threat, ranking second in targets of 10-plus yards (157) and PFF receiving grade from that depth (94.8) since 2023.
5. Zachariah Branch, Georgia: 7.8 yards after the catch per reception
- 2025 PFF Receiving Grade: 82.6
- 2025 Receptions and Yards: 81 catches, 811 yards
- 2025 Average Depth of Target: 3.6
- PFF Predictive Big Board Rank: 76
- Size/Class: 5-foot-10, 180 pounds, Junior
Branch transferred to Georgia in 2025 after two seasons at USC (2023-2024) and enjoyed his best year yet. He averaged only 3.6 depth yards per target, as a chunk of his targets came from screens (46, first in the class). However, he was explosive on those plays, earning a 97.2 PFF receiving grade. Branch finished the season with 634 yards after the catch, second best in the draft class. He also ranked in the top five in missed tackles forced (20) and yards after contact (261).
Branch used his speed and elusiveness to his advantage, consistently shedding and evading tacklers. He is also more than a screen threat, with 28 career receptions from 10-plus yards downfield for 564 yards and two touchdowns. Branch secured a career 74.9 PFF receiving grade on those plays.
6. Devonte Ross, Penn State: 7.5 yards after the catch per reception
- 2025 PFF Receiving Grade: 71.2
- 2025 Receptions and Yards: 36 catches, 501 yards
- 2025 Average Depth of Target: 12.7 yards
- PFF Predictive Big Board Rank: 365
- Size/Class: 5-foot-10, 170 pounds, Senior
Ross transferred to Penn State after three seasons at Troy (2022-2024). He did not force many missed tackles (seven), but he did rack up 269 yards after the catch, primarily from his eight explosive gains.
Ross was targeted 31 times either behind the line of scrimmage or within nine yards of it in 2025, a depth at which he tied for the fifth-best PFF receiving grade (94.9).
He also led Penn State with 15 targets beyond 20 yards, bringing down five for 200 yards and three touchdowns. Ross had a breakout season in 2024, catching 75 passes for 1,042 yards and 11 touchdowns. He averaged 6.4 yards after the catch, gained 135 yards after contact and racked up 21 catches of 15-plus yards (fourth most).
7. De'Zhaun Stribling, Ole Miss: 7.3 yards after the catch per reception
- 2025 PFF Receiving Grade: 78.8
- 2025 Receptions and Yards: 55 catches, 811 yards
- 2025 Average Depth of Target: 9.3 yards
- PFF Predictive Big Board Rank: 113
- Size/Class: 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Senior
Stribling was a threat at every level of the field in 2025, earning 90.0-plus PFF receiving grades at every depth beyond the line of scrimmage, including a near-perfect 99.7 PFF receiving on intermediate targets (17). He recorded 18 explosive gains and logged an 81.5 PFF receiving grade on 11 targets from behind the line of scrimmage.
Stribling was able to shed defenders to the tune of 12 missed tackles forced while ranking in the top 11 in yards after the catch (400) and yards after contact (189).
Ole Miss was Stribling’s third stop. He previously played at Oklahoma State (2023-2024) and Washington State (2021-2022). He finished his career with more than 50 catches and 800 receiving yards in two consecutive seasons while averaging at least 6.0 yards after the catch in each of his final four seasons.
8. KC Concepcion, Texas A&M: 7.2 yards after the catch per reception
- 2025 PFF Receiving Grade: 79.9
- 2025 Receptions and Yards: 61 catches, 919 yards
- 2025 Average Depth of Target: 12.3 yards
- PFF Predictive Big Board Rank: 28
- Size/Class: 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, Junior
Concepcion transferred to Texas A&M following two seasons at North Carolina State (2023, 2024).
He is one of the most elusive players on this list, having gained 440 yards after the catch (eighth most) while picking up 224 yards after contact (sixth most) and recording 26 gains of 15-plus yards (fifth most).
He was targeted 20-plus times at every level beyond the line of scrimmage, with most of his targets coming within nine yards (41). Concepcion earned a 94.3 PFF receiving grade on those plays, gaining 23 first downs off 28 catches. He also caught seven touchdown passes on targets 10-plus yards downfield.
Since 2023, Concepcion ranks sixth in receiving yards (2,224) and second in touchdown catches (25). He is one of the best all-around post-catch threats in the draft, ranking in the top five in yards after contact (575) and missed tackles forced (41). He places ninth in explosive gains (51) and yards after the catch per reception (6.6).
9. Omar Cooper Jr., Indiana: 7.2 yards after the catch per reception
- 2025 PFF Receiving Grade: 86.0
- 2025 Receptions and Yards: 69 catches, 937 yards
- 2025 Average Depth of Target: 9.7
- PFF Predictive Big Board Rank: 41
- Size/Class: 6 feet, 204 pounds, RS Junior
Cooper spent his entire three-year career at Indiana, where he averaged 7.4 yards after the catch per reception (third best). He flashed an ability to slip and side-step through tackles, forcing 27 missed tackles in 2025 (tied with Eric McAlister for first). It was difficult to take him down at first contact, as he ranked fifth with 232 yards gained after initial contact.
Cooper was targeted more than 15 times at every level of the field, ranking 10th in the class in PFF receiving grade from 10-plus yards out (89.5). He caught 20 downfield targets for 535 yards and nine touchdowns (tied for first with Carnell Tate). He racked up 38 career plays of 15-plus yards (12th most).
10. Aaron Anderson, LSU: 6.8 yards after the catch per reception
- 2025 PFF Receiving Grade: 72.8
- 2025 Receptions and Yards: 33 catches, 398 yards
- 2025 Average Depth of Target: 7.0 yards
- PFF Predictive Big Board Rank: 165
- Size/Class: 5-foot-8, 188 pounds, RS Junior
Anderson battled injuries all season, finishing with 33 catches for 398 yards in 2025. He still earned a 79.5 PFF slot receiving grade. He recorded 225 yards after the catch, nine explosive gains and six missed tackles forced.
The 5-foot-8 receiver spent his last three seasons at LSU after beginning his career at Alabama (2022), where he also battled injuries. His best statistical season came in 2024, with 61 catches for 874 yards and five touchdowns. Anderson was one of the best post-catch players that season, ranking in the top five in the class in yards after contact (206) and missed tackles forced (20). He also averaged 7.5 yards after the catch per reception (fifth best).
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