Pair of Big 12 Conference stars vying for WR1 spot in 2025 NFL Draft

We are in the greatest era for wide receivers in NFL history — one that seems to just be coming into bloom with salaries continuing to skyrocket and the public’s imagination captured with the documentary series “Receiver” on Netflix.

One of the great litmus tests for exactly how valuable the position has become is the NFL Draft, where seven receivers were taken in the first round in 2024.

In 2025, it’s not hard to imagine that number being matched or eclipsed. The Athletic has two of the Big 12 Conference’s biggest stars ranked in its top three NFL prospects at the position — Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan at No. 1 and Colorado’s Travis Hunter at No. 3.

Hunter, who plays both ways for Colorado, is being projected as a primarily offensive player in the NFL because of the premium being put on receivers. McMillan, 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, had 90 receptions for 1,402 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2023.