Which NFL WRs Are Primed to Break Out in Year 2?

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Which NFL WRs Are Primed to Break Out in Year 2?

Luke Easterling · Athlon Sports

Thu, Jun 12, 2025 ·

4 min read

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Which NFL WRs Are Primed to Break Out in Year 2? originally appeared on Athlon Sports .

Heading into the 2024 NFL Draft, the wide receiver class was already the stuff of legend.

There was a three-headed monster at the top of the group, but also a loaded second tier that featured a long list of potential high-end starters at the next level. Seven were selected in the first round, and nine more head their names called on Day 2.

While there was a trio that made a massive impact right away in their respective rookie campaigns ( Malik Nabers , Ladd McConkey , Brian Thomas Jr. ), many others experienced a soft open to their pro careers.

On the latest episode of "Best Podcast Available," I sat down with Matt Harmon of Yahoo! Sports to talk about what's ahead for that star-studded receiver class, and he highlighted two members who are set up for a big jump in Year 2.

Rome Odunze should benefit from big improvements to the Bears' coaching staff and scheme.Mark J. Rebilas/Imagn Images

The first name was easy: Rome Odunze , the No. 10 overall pick to the Chicago Bears in 2024.

"He was really good in isolation (as a rookie), and we know that Ben Johnson is there now, and he's so good at catering wide receiver roles," Harmon said. "Even if he's not gonna be in that Amon-Ra St. Brown role for this offense, I think they're gonna get the right deployment for him, which just didn't happen for anybody in that Bears offense last year."

Even though he's an obvious choice, Harmon encouraged any doubters not to get hung up on the negatives they might find buried in the box score with Odunze from a 2024 campaign in which the entire Bears offense was held back by the coaching staff and scheme.

"I think Odunze's gonna make a big leap, but he's a guy who went in the top 10, and most people know about him," Harmon said. "As long as you're not micro-focusing on per-route stats, which . . . nobody looks good from the Bears offense last year in the advanced metrics, because it wasn't a good offensive environment . . . I think we know he's gonna have that breakthrough second season."

The less obvious choice for Harmon was San Francisco 49ers first-rounder Ricky Pearsall , who had a harrowing offseason before his NFL career even started.

Pearsall finished his rookie season strong after recovering from a gunshot wound.Robert Kupbens-Imagn Images

Just days before the 2024 regular season was set to begin, Pearsall suffered gunshot wounds to his chest during an attempted robbery following an autograph signing. After making a full recovery, Pearsall was back on the field for the 49ers in October.

"We've got to say that anytime we talk about this guy," Harmon said. "Lucky to be alive, let alone lucky to play football in Week 7 of last year. This guy is so impressive, just for getting out there."

Harmon says despite early speculation that Pearsall would be a replacement for one of the 49ers' veteran receivers, his skill set and subsequent usage were swift indications that he brought different capabilities to the table, ones of which his new coaching staff were going to take full advantage.

"I really liked him as a prospect," Harmon recalls. "I liked the route-running, I liked the hands a lot. When the 49ers took him in the first round, I think it was a signal about where their offense is going. Immediately, people started speculating about them trading Deebo Samuel or Brandon Aiyuk , but he plays a completely different role from either of those guys. And you saw that before he really even started producing last season. He's running these whip routes, these return routes from the slot, and that's just not something we've seen from a wide receiver and the 49ers in this offense under Kyle Shanahan. It's much more like what the Rams have done with a guy like Cooper Kupp."

Once he started to hit his stride late in his rookie season, Pearsall was making opposing defenses pay for putting him in 1-on-1 situations.

"By the end of the season, he was just smoking man coverage," Harmon said. "I think the coaching staff started to see that, too, because he had his big, breakout game against that Lions team that's so man coverage heavy in Week 17. But you really started seeing it during the two weeks prior."

Though he's currently nursing a hamstring injury, everything about how Pearsall finished his first NFL season indicates he's primed for big things in 2025.

"As long as he's healthy, he's primed for a breakout performance in Year 2," Harmon said.

To check out the entire conversation, including a deep dive on the entire 2024 receiver class as they head into the 2025 season, watch the full episode of BPA:

This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 12, 2025, where it first appeared.

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