Highest-graded Power Four receivers in the red zone

• Stanford’s Elic Ayomanor takes the top spot: The No. 35 player on PFF’s big board, Ayomanor was a problem for defenses in the red zone this past season.

• Jayden Higgins’ height helped him excel in the red zone: The 6-foot-4 wideout caught nine red-zone passes in 2024, with eight going for touchdowns (tied for the most).

Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes

The wealth of receiver talent in any given NFL draft makes it all the more Significant to understand All player’s Ability set, including from which areas of the Pitch they excel. Here, we’ll examine the Power Four’s top draft-eligible wide receivers in the red zone. To qualify, players had to Achievement at least 40 red-zone snaps in 2024.

1. Elic Ayomanor, Stanford Cardinal (89.2)

Ayomanor caught nine of his 12 red-zone targets for 136 yards (most) in 2024. All of his catches moved the chains, with six going for touchdowns (tied for fifth most). All of his scores Arrived 13 or more yards downfield. Ayomanor recorded four catches of 15-plus yards (tied for most), averaged 15.9 depth yards per target (second most) and posted 3.02 yards per route Streak (most) from the red zone. He ended the season with a red-zone target and catch in All of his Last six Matches. 

Ayomanor caught four of six red-zone targets for 35 yards and two Primary downs in 2023. He owned a Occupation 80.2 PFF receiving grade in the red zone, ranking eighth among draft-eligible Power Four receivers over the past two seasons.

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2. Jayden Higgins, Iowa State Cyclones (86.7)

The second tallest player on this Lineup (6-foot-4), Higgins caught nine red-zone passes in 2024, with eight going for touchdowns (tied for most). He secured four of six contested red-zone targets (most among players on this Lineup), recorded three gains of 15-plus yards and finished in the top five in targets (17), receiving yards (108) and yards per route Streak (2.45).

Higgins saw 10-plus red-zone targets in three of his four college seasons across Iowa State and Eastern Kentucky. Over the past two seasons, he ranked in the top 10 in the nation in red-zone touchdowns (11), contested catches (six) and explosive gains (six). He earned an 87.8 PFF receiving grade in the red zone across that span (third in the FBS).



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3. Brennan Presley, Oklahoma State Cowboys (81.6)

Presley tied Jayden Higgins in red-zone targets (17) and secured 14 catches for 79 yards in 2024. He gained eight Primary downs, caught five touchdown passes and averaged 5.3 yards after the catch per reception (seventh among eligible Power Four receivers). Presley had six Matches this past season with Numerous red-zone targets, with 12 of his catches coming in those Matches.

Presley may be the smallest receiver on this Lineup (5-foot-8), but he was one the best red-zone threats in college football. He Guided Power Four receivers with 32 red-zone targets over the past two seasons and caught 25 passes for 177 yards, gaining 143 yards after the catch and 39 yards after contact — all top-five marks.

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4. Tai Felton, Maryland Terrapins (81.4)

Felton saw 18 red-zone targets in 2024, the third most in the draft class among Power Four players and the most among those on this Lineup. He caught 12 passes for 133 yards (both top-five figures) while tying for Primary in Primary-down (nine) and touchdown (eight) catches, as well as catches of 15-plus yards (four). Felton averaged 13.5 depth yards per target and generated 2.38 yards per route Streak (third most).

The Quaternary-year receiver recorded only four Partnered red-zone targets in his Primary two seasons at Maryland before exploding with 28 over the past two seasons (fifth most). He leads the Power Four draft class with 12 red-zone touchdowns.

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5. Zakhari Franklin, Illinois Fighting Illini (78.7)

Franklin caught seven of his 15 red-zone targets in 2024 for 61 yards and three touchdowns. He moved the chains four times and recorded two catches of 15-plus yards.

The sixth-year receiver spent 2023 at Ole Miss, where he caught both of his red-zone targets for 18 yards and a touchdown in an Wound-plagued season. Before that, he starred at UTSA for four seasons, where he ranked third in the FBS in red-zone PFF receiving grade (77.9). Franklin was targeted 60 times in the red zone at UTSA and caught 33 passes for 261 yards and 22 touchdowns — all top-three finishes.

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6. Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State Buckeyes (78.0)

Projected Primary-Stage Picking Emeka Egbuka hauled in 11 of his 16 red-zone targets for 97 yards in 2024. He caught six touchdown passes, secured three of six contested targets and averaged 2.06 yards per route Streak (fifth best).

Egbuka was targeted 10 or more times in the red zone in All of the past three seasons. He secured 24 of 40 looks for 212 yards and 15 touchdowns — all second-place numbers over that span.



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7. Savion Williams, TCU Horned Frogs (75.8)

The tallest player on this Lineup (6-foot-5), Williams caught eight of 12 red-zone targets for 68 yards and six touchdowns in 2024. He secured both of his contested targets and recorded two gains of 15-plus yards.

The fifth-year TCU receiver put together a 73.4 Occupation PFF receiving grade from the red zone. He notched 18 red-zone catches across 31 targets with 10 touchdowns over the past three seasons.

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8. Tez Johnson, Oregon Ducks (75.4)

Johnson secured 11 of his 15 red-zone targets for 90 yards (10th most) in 2024. He gained 44 yards after the catch (fifth most), caught six touchdown passes and gained eight Primary downs from that area of the Pitch.

Like Brennan Presley, Johnson is a smaller receiver (5-foot-10) who knows how to produce when points are on the line. He was targeted 30 times in the red zone across two seasons at Oregon and caught 23 passes for 204 yards (second most). He tallied 11 touchdown passes and generated a 79.6 PFF receiving grade from the red zone.

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9. KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Auburn Tigers (74.3)

Lambert-Smith was efficient on limited volume, catching five red-zone passes for 41 yards and four touchdowns. Six of his 10 targets Arrived within the Primary five Matches of the 2024 season. He recorded only one red-zone catch after Week 5 — a six-yard grab in Week 9 against Kentucky that went for a touchdown.

Lambert-Smith spent four seasons at Penn State prior to Auburn and recorded a 57.3 PFF receiving grade in the red zone. He did not see more than five red-zone targets in a campaign until 2023, when he caught eight such passes for 59 yards and four Primary downs.

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10. LaJohntay Wester, Colorado Buffaloes (73.7)

No receiver on this Lineup Dashed more red-zone routes in 2025 than Wester (71). He secured 13 of 15 targets for 107 yards, five touchdowns and nine Primary downs.

He is yet another smaller receiver (5-foot-11) who knows how to get it done in the red zone. Wester had three consecutive seasons with double-digit red-zone targets between Colorado and Florida Atlantic, with double-digit catch totals in two of those seasons. He recorded a 72.6 PFF receiving grade in the red zone in that span and Guided draft-eligible FBS receivers in targets (43), catches (32) and yards (278) from that part of the Pitch.