Welcome to Part 5 of our 2025 draft preview series, which will be a position-by-position look at key prospects and where the Chargers roster stands ahead of the NFL Draft. This series will include a look at which prospects could be options for the Chargers later this month.

We chatted with ESPN draft analyst Jordan Reid to break down the wide receivers in this draft class. Reid can be found on X/Twitter @JordanReid for his analysis.

Chargers status at wide receiver

Ladd McConkey, Mike Williams, Quentin Johnston, Derius Davis, Jalen Reagor, Brendan Rice, Jaylen Johnson, Dez Fitzpatrick

It didn't take long for McConkey to emerge as the top guy in the position group — even as a rookie.

Despite missing some time in training camp, the rookie wide receiver hit the ground running and introduced himself to the NFL with a touchdown in his first regular-season game.

And it was all up from there as McConkey set the Chargers franchise rookie record for receptions (82) and receiving yards (1,149). McConkey's yardage total was also good enough to finish 10th overall in the NFL.

His emergence in the group made Justin Herbert's 2024 season easier.

"He's a guy we trust on third down. Anytime we go out there, he's a threat," Herbert said of McConkey during the season. "All I have to do is get him the ball and he makes my job so much easier."

Johnston also took a leap in Year 2 and gave the Bolts a much-needed boost aside from McConkey.

He led the team in receiving touchdowns with eight and made big plays for the Bolts at various points in the year, finishing with 711 receiving yards, second-most on the team.

Then there's Davis, who showed flashes of his receiving ability late in the year and became a weapon in the pass game

The trio of young receivers are now joined by a familiar face in Williams, who rejoins the Bolts after spending the first seven years of his career with the team.

Williams is 10th all-time on the Chargers franchise receiving yards list with 4,806 yards, is 13th in receptions (309) and touchdowns (31) and now gives the room a veteran presence.

The group is rounded out by a pair who saw some action in 2024 in Reagor and Rice, as well as Johnson and Fitzpatrick, who spent most of the season on the practice squad.

Is it a position of need?

Even after selecting McConkey last season, Reid believes the Bolts could add some more weapons.

"I think they need one more guy. Honestly maybe two more guys," Reid said.

Williams and Johnston in the room mean the Chargers do have other options outside of McConkey that have chemistry with Herbert.

But Reid believes there's no such thing as too many dynamic weapons at No. 10's disposal.

"I would draft one early if I was them, whether it's the first, second round or third round. Then come back and double dip somewhere in the late rounds, too," Reid said. "I would love to add two more guys to that room because you can never have too many targets for Justin Herbert."

Key Questions for 2025

1. Did you hit on McConkey in the draft a year ago?

"Oh yeah, I was a big Ladd guy. I think he was my fifth-ranked wide receiver, I had an early second-round grade on him so exactly where he went. He's just a natural separator, he's very quick twitch, he can get in and out of his breaks with ease. He plays much bigger than what his frame would indicate. For some reason people thought he was 5-foot-9, 5-10. He's a legit 6-foot guy, but he plays like he's a 6-3, 6-4 player. That's something that really stood out from him. He's really explosive down the field, but he can turn those short underneath routes into big gains as well. I think he can be a No. 1 just like he showed last year."

2. We know the guys projected near the top, but where's the overall depth of the class?

"There's some depth in the third or fourth rounds. It's not the receiver class that we've seen in year's past where we've seen multiple guys go inside the top 15 picks. I think we could get two guys inside the top 15 depending on how you feel about Travis Hunter. I'm counting him as one of those guys who could go in the top 15. After that, I think we're going to see a run right where the Chargers are scheduled to pick at No. 22. I think we're going to see a lot of guys come off the board there, whether it's Matthew Golden from Texas, Emeka Egbuka out of Ohio State or Luther Burden III out of Missouri. I think we're going to see a lot of guys draft from like 25 to 75, we're going to have a really strong run of receivers going in that area."

3. Who are some Day 2 guys that stand out to you at the position?

"Three guys really stand out to me. Jayden Higgins out of Iowa State, he's had a really good run during the pre-draft process. I thought he was phenomenal at the Senior Bowl. He went out and tested really well, especially for a bigger wide receiver. He can get open versus man coverage, he can climb and play above the rim as well, that's something he does a really good job of. Tre Harris out of Ole Miss is another name I would keep an eye on. He played in that wide open scheme with Lane Kiffin. Really diverse route runner, but he specializes in running down the field and running those vertical routes. That's going to have to be his calling card on the next level. Then Elic Ayomanor out of Stanford, who's really young player but he was their go-to option in the offense. Really good route runner, really strong hands as well. He's another guy who can go in that second, third-round range."

Expert rankings

NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah currently has four wide receivers (not including Travis Hunter) in his latest Top 50 list, while ESPN's Mel Kiper, Jr., has three in his Top 25.

The Athletic's Dane Brugler has 12 wide receivers in his most recent Top 100 list, with the highest coming in at No. 7 (Tetairoa McMillan).

Pro Football Focus has 12 wide receivers in the top 100 in their Big Board Rankings, with a high of No. 3 (McMillan).

Potential Chargers options

Note: Heights and weights are from each player's profile on NFL.com (linked for each player's name).

Tetairoa McMillan

School: Arizona | Year: Junior | Ht: 6-foot-4 | Wt: 219 pounds

2024 stats: 12 games; 84 receptions for 1,319 yards (15.7 avg.) and eight touchdowns; 7.0 receptions per game; 109.9 yards per game

Quick fact: A Consensus First-Team All-American, McMillan finished first in program history with 3,423 career receiving yards, third with 26 career touchdown receptions and fourth with 213 receptions.

Reid's Take: "If you're just talking about strictly wide receiver, I think he has a chance to be the first receiver off the board. There's quite a few teams ahead of the Chargers that need a receiver, so he could be off the board but is Tet is there for them on the board, you turn in the card very quickly."

Matthew Golden

School: Texas | Year: Junior | Ht: 5-foot-11 | Wt: 191 pounds

2024 stats: 12 games; 84 receptions for 987 yards (17.0 avg.) and nine touchdowns; 3.6 receptions per game; 61.7 yards per game

Quick fact: Golden came up big for the Longhorns in the College Football Playoff as he hauled in seven receptions for 149 receiving yards versus Arizona State, the third most by a Texas player in a bowl game this century.

Reid's take: "Fantastic catch radius, that's something that really stands out about him. There isn't a ball that is inaccurate for him because he can climb above the rim and play outside of his frame, you just have to put it in the vicinity. I wouldn't have guessed he ran 4.29, that was really surprising that he ran that at the Combine, he doesn't quite play that fast on tape but he can get open with ease. He can play in the slot, he can play outside. There's so many different ways we can use him."

Luther Burden III

School: Missouri | Year: Junior | Ht: 6-foot-0 | Wt: 206 pounds

2024 stats: 13 games; 61 receptions for 676 yards (11.1 avg.) and six touchdowns; 5.1 receptions per game; 56.3 yards per game; rushed nine times for 115 yards and two touchdowns

Quick fact: Burden closed out his college football career with a second-straight First-Team All-SEC selection after being tied for third with 61 receptions in 2024.

Emeka Egbuka

School: Ohio State | Year: Senior | Ht: 6-foot-1 | Wt: 202 pounds

2024 stats: 16 games; 81 receptions for 1,011 yards (12.5 avg.) and six touchdowns; 5.1 receptions per game; 56.3 yards per game

Quick fact: Egbuka left the Buckeyes on a high note, helping them win the National Championship after leading the team in receptions and becoming the second Ohio State player in school history to have two 1,000-yard seasons.

Tre Harris

School: Ole Miss | Year: Senior | Ht: 6-foot-2 | Wt: 205 pounds

2024 stats: Eight games; 60 receptions for 1,030 yards (17.7 avg.) and seven touchdowns; 5.7 receptions per game; 100.8 yards per game

Quick fact: An Associated Press Second-Team All-American, Harris finished his collegiate career as one of two in SEC history to average 100 yards per game across a career.

Reid's take: "Vertical speed. You were able to see him run a bunch of different routes in that Ole Miss offense. They're running vertical, they're running comebacks, running curls quite often too. I think there's more tools in his tool box that he does have than what he was able to show in that Lane Kiffin offense. Really good hands, strong receiver, doesn't have an overly big frame as far as a bulky standpoint, but he really plays stronger than what his frame does indicate. He's able open as well, that's what I love, especially as a bigger receiver."

Jayden Higgins

School: Iowa State | Year: Senior | Ht: 6-foot-2 | Wt: 205 pounds

2024 stats: 13 games; 87 receptions for 1,183 yards (13.6 avg.) and nine touchdowns; 6.7 receptions per game; 91.0 yards per game

Quick fact: Higgins finished among Iowa State's single-season leaders with 87 receptions (second all-time) for 1,183 yards (third-most) and nine touchdowns (tied for second-most).

Reid's take: "Very similar frame to Mike Williams. I think he's a little bit more twitchy than Mike, he's a little more straight-line fast than Mike as well. As far as going up to get the ball, they're very similar in that facet. Just put the ball up in the air and he's going to go get it."

Jaylin Noel

School: Iowa State | Year: Senior | Ht: 5-foot-10 | Wt: 194 pounds

2024 stats: 14 games; 80 receptions for 1,194 yards (14.9 avg.) and eight touchdowns; 5.7 receptions per game; 85.3 yards per game

Quick fact: Noel was the Cyclones Co-Captain the last two seasons and contributed on offense and Special Teams, earning Big 12 Co-Special Teams Player of the Year after averaging 15.3 yards per punt return.

Jalen Royals

School: Utah State | Year: Senior | Ht: 6-foot-0 | Wt: 205 pounds

2024 stats: Seven games; 55 receptions for 834 yards (15.2 avg.) and six touchdowns; 7.9 receptions per game; 119.1 yards per game

Quick fact: Royals earned Second-Team All-Mountain West honors after stellar play in just seven games and finished tied for third on the Aggies' receiving touchdown list with 21.