Oregon And Missouri Rank Ahead Of Ohio State In Wide Receiver Rankings

Despite having one of the best wide receiver rooms in the country, the Ohio State Buckeyes fell behind the Oregon Ducks and Missouri Tigers in a wide receiver room ranking list on X.

Dec 29, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Missouri Tigers wide receiver Luther Burden III (3) runs upfield during the fourth quarter of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic against the Ohio State Buckeyes at AT&T Stadium. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA

Under the direction of wide receivers coach and co-offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, the Ohio State Buckeyes have had a top-tier wide receiver room for quite a while. In recent times, players like Garrett Wilson, Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Marvin Harrison Jr. have been major assets to Ohio State's offense prior to becoming first-round picks in the NFL Draft. Headed into the 2024-25 season, many would consider the Buckeyes to be the best wide receiver room in the country, aside from one Phil Steele.

Yes, that Phil Steele. For years, college football super fans have been purchasing a copy of his preview magazine prior to the start of each season. The extensive research to piece together a deep-dive into every single team in the country is so impressive.

Where Steele has recently left me scratching my head is his evaluation of the Buckeyes' wide receiver group compared to the rest of the country. Despite the immense talent of Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate, Jeremiah Smith and Brandon Inniss, Steele still ranked this group behind both the Oregon Ducks and Missouri Tigers.

Top 10 College Football WR Units per @philsteele042⚡️https://t.co/UdCq5Zl6Oh pic.twitter.com/qybAzs0Ykm

— On3 (@On3sports) July 2, 2024

Although I agree with the top three teams, the order feels a bit off.

The Oregon Ducks do have one of the best wide receivers in the country with Tez Johnson. The 5'10" receiver finally had a 1,000 yard season in 2023 following back-to-back 700 plus yard seasons in 2021 and 2022. Not only was Johnson able to haul in 86 receptions and ten touchdowns last season, but he will look to make another statement prior to entering the 2025 NFL Draft. In addition to Johnson, the Ducks also added a talented transfer receiver in Evan Stewart from Texas A&M and still have veteran receiver Traeshon Holden who caught six touchdown passes last season.

As for the Missouri Tigers, Luther Burden III headlines their group following an 86 reception, 1,212 yard and nine touchdown season last year. Alongside him is Theo Wease Jr. and Mookie Cooper. Despite being a strong group of three talented receivers, Missouri has the least depth of the three teams.

Headed into this coming season, Luther Burden III and Emeka Egbuka are widely considered two of the top three wide receiver prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft class. Oregon's Evan Stewart and Tez Johnson also both fall into most top ten rankings at this point as well.

April 13, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) catches a pass for the scarlet team during the first half of the LifeSports Spring Game at Ohio Stadium on Saturday. / Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch /

Due to the experience of Oregon's top three receivers, it is fair to put the Ducks in the conversation for the top spot. As for why the Buckeyes fall behind the Missouri Tigers, perhaps that has to do with Egbuka's injury history last season and the lack of significant college football playing time for Tate, Smith and Inniss. For good reason, Luther Burden III should be considered the best college football wide receiver at the moment, but Missouri's group is most certainly not more talented than that of Ohio State's. The Buckeyes have significantly better depth as well with Jayden Ballard, Mylan Graham, Bryson Rodgers and Kojo Antwi.

Truthfully Ohio State and Oregon should be like 1a and 1b on this list with Missouri at number three. Steele got the top three correct but Ohio State fans have good reason to question the order.