The 2025 NFL Draft is in the books, and the biggest wave of free agency is over. That makes it a perfect time to take stock of NFL rosters as we head toward the 2025 season. Over the next few weeks, I’ll look at the quarterbacks, running backs, and pass catchers for all 32 NFL Teams. I’ll be ranking each unit 1-16 in their conference. When taking stock of the whole unit, it’s not just about star power but depth. Today, it’s the second set of pass-catching groups in the AFC. Teams appear in ascending order.
#8: Los Angeles Chargers
WRs on the Roster: Ladd McConkey, Mike Williams, Tre Harris, Quinton Johnston, Derius Davis, KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Jalen Reagor, and Brendan Rice
TEs on the Roster: Will Dissly, Tyler Conklin, Oronde Gadsen, Jr., and Tucker Fisk
About: The Chargers are an interesting group. Last year, their lone bright spot was McConkey, who caught 82 passes for 1,149 yards as a rookie. He’s a solid WR1 option, but he needed help. The team tried to get him some.
They brought back veteran receiver Mike Williams, who split last year with the Jets and Steelers, and signed tight end Conklin. With the Jets, Conklin caught 51 passes last year. The team didn’t stop there, adding interesting receiver Harris in the draft. In the past two seasons at Ole Miss, Harris caught 114 passes for 2,015 yards and 15 touchdowns. I like the addition, and I like McConkey as the anchor. I think this group has potential.
#7: Cleveland Browns
WRs on the Roster: Jerry Jeudy, Cedric Tillman, Jamari Thrash, Diontae Johnson, Michael Woods, DeAndre Carter, and David Bell
TEs on the Roster: David Njoku, Harold Fannin, Jr., Blake Whiteheart, and Tre McKitty
About: The Browns make a leap for me because we saw some things in 2024. Despite difficulties in general on offense, the Browns’ receivers stepped up. Jeudy had a career year, catching 90 passes for 1,229 yards. That’s a good start. The Browns also saw some good things from Tillman and have a great tight end in Njoku. What makes them more interesting to me is Johnson. He had a disastrous 2024, but before that, he caught 391 passes for 4,363 yards in five years with the Steelers. If he can rebound, this is an intimidating group.
#6: Miami Dolphins
WRs on the Roster: Tyreek Hill, Jaylen Waddle, Malik Washington, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine, Tahj Washington, and Erik Ezukanma
TEs on the Roster: Jonnu Smith, Pharoah Brown, and Julian Hill
About: Too low for the Dolphins, you say? Perhaps. But first off, this team has no depth. Beyond its top two receivers and top tight end, there are a lot of questions. And, yes, I’m aware Westbrook-Ikhine has contributed to the Titans in years past. It’s a new team, and he’s not a starter.
Hill has tremendous upside, but he has off-field distractions, he’s getting older, and his interest in being a Dolphin seemed to ebb-and-flow the past few months. Waddle, meanwhile, has seen his targets and receptions decline in each of his four professional seasons. I still like Waddle, but he, too, has struggled with injuries.
Smith is a bonus. He had a career high—and Dolphin record—88 receptions in 2024. It’s 38 more receptions than his previous career high, making it an outlier. He also wants a new contract and is on the trade block. Yes, there is upside here. There’s also cause for concern. They are sixth for me.
#5: Baltimore Ravens
WRs on the Roster: Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, DeAndre Hopkins, LaJohntay Webster, Tylan Wallace, and Devontez Walker
TEs on the Roster: Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely, and Charlie Kolar
About: The Ravens are an interesting group. They have a solid top receiver in Flowers, and a pair of good tight ends in Andrews and Likely. The most interesting pieces are their other receivers. The team added Hopkins this offseason. He was with the Titans and Chiefs in 2024, adding 56 receptions for 610 yards. He’s not the threat he once was, but he’s still a good addition and role player.
The other is Bateman, who got another contract extension this offseason. He finished 2024 with 756 yards and nine touchdowns. He’s not flashy, but he’s been a solid weapon. The Ravens have an underrated pass-catching group.
#4: Kansas City Chiefs
WRs on the Roster: Marquise Brown, Rashee Rice, Xavier Worthy, Jalen Royals, Skyy Moore, and Juju Smith-Schuster
TEs on the Roster: Travis Kelce, Noah Gray, Jared Wiley, and Robert Tonyan
About: The Chiefs are another team with an underrated pass-catching group. Brown, who missed a lot of time last year, is back. Worthy had a strong rookie year and could step up again in year two. But this is about Rice and Kelce. Rice caught 24 passes before being lost for the year in Week 4. He was off to a hot start and should be able to pick up where he left off this year.
Kelce, meanwhile, is one of the game’s best at tight end. It could be his final year, but he’s still playing at an elite level. He had 97 receptions in 2024 and remains a top target. This is a good group surrounding Patrick Mahomes.
#3: Indianapolis Colts
WRs on the Roster: Michael Pittman, Jr., Josh Downs, Alec Pierce, Adonai Mitchell, Ashton Dulin, and Anthony Gould
TEs on the Roster: Tyler Warren, Mo Alie-Cox, Jelani Woods, Alec Ogletree, and Will Mallory
About: The Colts had one of the deepest receiving groups in 2024. They got even deeper in 2025, adding top tight end Warren. He caught 104 passes for more than 1,200 yards in 2024 at Penn State. He’s a massive passing game weapon. Beyond that, the Colts have a solid group of receivers. Despite inconsistent quarterback play and injuries, Pittman had 69 receptions in 2024, and Downs emerged with 72 receptions. The Colts have a great group of receivers for whoever wins the QB competition.
#2: Houston Texans
WRs on the Roster: Nico Collins, Christian Kirk, Jayden Higgins, Jaylin Noel, Tank Dell, Xavier Hutchison, and John Metchie III
TEs on the Roster: Dalton Schultz, Brevin Jordan, and Cade Stover
About: The Texans saw Stefon Diggs head to the Patriots and have an injured Dell, who likely won’t play in 2025. But the team managed to reload, remaining one of the deepest in the NFL. It starts with Collins, the team’s No. 1 option. He caught 68 passes for 1,006 yards in just 12 games last year. The team also traded for the veteran Kirk, who missed much of 2024 with injury. Prior to that, he was a top option for the Jaguars.
Then, in the draft, the Texans snagged Higgins. He finished with 87 receptions for 1,183 yards in 2024 with Iowa State. The team also snagged rookie Noel later in the draft, and has a solid tight end in Schultz. This is a good group for the Texans.
#1: Cincinnati Bengals
WRs on the Roster: Ja’Marr Chase, Tee Higgins, Andrei Iosivas, Jermaine Burton, Charlie Jones, and Kendric Pryor
TEs on the Roster: Mike Gesicki, Drew Sample, Erick All, and Tanner Hudson
About: And we come to the best. It wasn’t hard to settle on the Bengals, who managed to lock up Chase and Higgins to long-term deals this offseason and brought back Gesicki at tight end. Chase is arguably the best receiver in the league, catching 127 passes for 1,708 yards and 17 touchdowns. Higgins had 911 yards and 10 touchdowns in just 12 games. When they’re on the field, this team is tough to beat.
The Bengals also have a great WR3 option in Iosivas, a good tight end in Gesicki, and a developmental player in Burton. They’re great and deep. They’re first by a wide margin.
Matthew Fox is a die-hard NFL fan and Broncos’ homer. He’s a member of the FSWA. You can find more from him on Twitter @knighthawk7734 or as co-host of the Fantasy Football Roundtable Podcast, a part of the Campus2Canton Network.
