The 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl in Dallas will get underway on Jan. 25 with the first set of practices at the University of North Texas in Denton.
There will be quite a few big names preparing for their shot at the 2025 NFL Draft and their future in the pros. Some of those big names happen to be wide receivers, which bodes well for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who enter the offseason with major needs at wide receiver.
Below are the top WRs to watch at the Shrine Bowl in Dallas next week.
WRS TO WATCH
RICKY WHITE — UNLV
Age: 22
Year: Redshirt Senior
Height/Weight: 6-1, 190
PFF Position Rank: WR22 (No. 177 overall)
When you think of UNLV, you don’t exactly think of football, especially one that produces wide receivers, but that’s what the Runnin’ Rebels did with Ricky White. After he transferred to UNLV from Michigan State after the 2021 season, White became a star in the Mountain West Conference for UNLV.
He put it all together in 2024, earning first-team All-Mountain West at WR, and was named the MWV Special Teams Player of the Year. In his career, White blocked four punts and was outstanding on special teams for the Runnin’ Rebels. He did that while putting up some impressive numbers as a receiver, hauling in 188 passes for 2,769 yards and 22 touchdowns.
White put up back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons in 2023 and 2024, and was a two-time captain for UNLV. He was also a 2024 Mountain West Scholar-Athlete and member of the 2022 and 2023 Academic All-Mountain West teams.
ANTWANE “JUICE” WELLS — OLE MISS
Age: 23
Year: Redshirt Senior
Height/Weight: 6-0, 205
PFF Position Rank: WR19 (No. 148 overall)
A transfer to Ole Miss for the 2024 season, Antwane “Juice” Wells didn’t have the big season he was expecting from a production standpoint, but he still was a key piece of an explosive offense that set program records across the board. Well finished with 28 receptions for 553 yards and six touchdowns for the Rebels.
Prior to his one season at Ole Miss, Wells spent two seasons at South Carolina, and two seasons at James Madison. In 2021 at James Madison, Wells was a second-team All-American and finished his time with the Dukes with 116 receptions, 1,853 yards and 21 touchdowns. Then, in two seasons at South Carolina, Wells hauled in 71 receptions, 965 yards and seven touchdowns, missing most of the 2023 season with a foot injury.
Wells profiles as a do-it-all WR that is physical, can line up all over and is a hard-nosed player, matching the mold of former South Carolina and current 49ers’ standout Deebo Samuel.
THEO WEASE JR. — MISSOURI
Age: 23
Year: Graduate Senior
Height/Weight: 6-2, 210
PFF Position Rank: WR25 (No. 206 overall)
One of the more underrated receivers in the draft class is Theo Wease Jr. out of Missouri. He played in the shadow of likely first-round pick Luther Burden III in Columbia, but now has a chance to show his stuff out of that shadow, starting at the Shrine Bowl.
During his time at Missouri, a transfer from Oklahoma ahead of the 2023 season, hauled in 109 passes for 1,566 yards and 10 touchdowns. He averaged 14.4 yards per reception in two years with the Tigers, consistently being a big-play threat. Prior to his time at Missouri, Wease hauled in 64 balls for 1,044 yards and 10 TDs with the Sooners, leading Oklahoma in receiving in 2022.
He’s a former 5-star prospect that had some good moments at Oklahoma before transferring, and then quietly was a difference maker for the Tigers.
NICK NASH — SAN JOSE STATE
Age: 23
Year: Redshirt Senior
Height/Weight: 6-3, 195
PFF Position Rank: WR14 (No. 106 overall)
A consensus All-American and a 2024 Biletnikoff Award finalist for the best receiver in the country, Nick Nash is a name to know in a deep WR class. Nash won the Triple Crown in college football, becoming just the fourth player in FBS history to lead the country in touchdowns (16), receptions (104), and yards (1,382) in a single season.
On top of that, Nash led the country in receptions per game at 8.7, and yards per game at 115.2. He was the biggest weapon for the Spartans, one teams would try and take away, and it just didn’t matter. Over and over again, Nash made plays. The fact that Nash switched from QB in 2021 to WR and went on to dominate is rather remarkable.
He finished his career with 163 receptions, 2,212 receiving yards, and 16 receiving touchdowns. He’s also the son of former Kansas City Chiefs’ WR Kenny Nash, so NFL bloodlines are there.
JACKSON MEEKS — SYRACUSE
Age: 22
Year: Senior
Height/Weight: 6-2, 210
PFF Position Rank: Unranked
A little-used, special teams ace at Georgia for the first three seasons of his collegiate career, Jackson Meeks made the decision to transfer to Syracuse for the 2024 season and was rewarded in a big way. Catching passes with fellow Shrine Bowl QB Kyle McCord, Meeks put up a monster season with the Orange, helping lead them to 10 wins and a bowl victory in the first year under head coach Fran Brown.
In his one year in Central New York, Meeks put up 78 receptions for 1,021 yards and seven touchdowns. Meeks had three straight 100-yard games to close the season, and had four 100-yard games in his final five games of the season. His biggest performance of the season came against Holy Cross when he hauled in 10 passes for 161 yards and a score.
A former 3-star recruit coming out of high school, Meeks is the nephew of Detroit Lions’ star pass rusher Za’Darius Smith.
KONATA MUMPFIELD — PITTSBURGH
Age: 22
Year: Senior
Height/Weight: 6-1, 185
PFF Position Rank: Unranked
After starting his collegiate career at Akron, Konata Mumpfield was a quiet transfer to the University of Pittsburgh for the 2022 season and quickly became a key playmaker for the Panthers due to his route running and ability to separate consistently. During his time at Pitt, Mumpfield played in 36 games and finished his career with 154 receptions for 1,940 yards and 11 touchdowns, averaging 12.6 yards per catch.
Mumpfield, a native of Georgia, was a former two-star recruit that had just four total offers before landing at Akron. He’s now worked his way into the discussion for the NFL Draft at the wide receiver position.
LAJOHNTAY WESTER — COLORADO
Age: 22
Year: Senior
Height/Weight: 5-11, 167
PFF Position Rank: WR35 (No. 240 overall)
Following a dominant three-year stretch at Florida Atlanta from 2021-23, LaJohntay Wester transferred to Colorado for the 2024 season and had a strong season in Boulder. After putting up 252 receptions, 2,703 receiving yards, and 21 touchdowns through the air, and two rushing and one punt return touchdown in his time at FAU, Wester proceeded to put up 74 receptions for 931 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 12.6 yards per catch for the Buffs in 2024.
Throughout his time in college, Wester has been a big-play threat. He had to share the field with Jimmy Horn Jr. and Will Sheppard in 2024 with the Buffs, but he acclimated very well to the media frenzy that was Boulder and produced in a big way, making clutch plays over and over again.
Other WRs participating in 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl:
- Ja’Corey Brooks, Louisville
- Sam Brown, Miami
- Jacolby George, Miami
- Traeshon Holden, Oregon
- Jimmy Horn, Colorado
- KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Auburn
- Dominic Lovett, Georgia
- Isaiah Neyor, Nebraska
- Kaden Prather, Maryland
- Will Sheppard, Colorado
- Dont’e Thornton Jr., Tennessee
