Pat Bryant NFL draft 2025: Projecting top 3 landing spots for Illinois WR ft. Cincinnati

Illinois wide receiver Pat Bryant spent all four years of his college career with the Fighting Illini. After redshirting his first year, he became a dynamic piece of the offense and has grown into a bigger role each season. This past campaign, Bryant had 54 receptions for 984 yards and 10 touchdowns, nearly doubling his yardage from the previous season.

Bryant looks primed to be drafted in April. According to Pro Football Focus, he is the No. 143-ranked player in the draft and No. 16-ranked WR.

Most projections have Bryant getting selected in the mid to late rounds. He'll likely be picked by a team looking to address more serious needs in the early rounds of the draft.

Top three landing spots for Illinois WR Pat Bryant

#1 Cincinnati Bengals

The Cincinnati Bengals have many needs to address in the draft. Most notably, their defense was a disaster this past season. It consistently allowed opponents to put up huge numbers and was a big reason why the Bengals missed the playoffs.

Cincinnati has a dynamic offense led by Joe Burrow and WRs Jamar Chase and Tee Higgins. However, Higgins' contract status is in doubt as free agency approaches. If he does not re-sign, the Bengals could look for cheap replacements after addressing their defense in the early rounds of the draft. Pat Bryant would make sense as a Bengals draft selection.

#2 Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos had a strong season, qualifying for the playoffs in Bo Nix's rookie season. Despite the success, the Broncos need help on offense and get Nix more help so that he is not a one-man army.

However, the biggest position of need for the Broncos is tight end. They could draft Tyler Warren if he is still available with the 20th pick or pick up Colston Loveland. They could then turn their eyes to WRs and pick up Bryant in the mid-rounds.

#3 Houston Texans

Houston needs to get CJ Stroud more help. Unfortunately for the Texans, they have the 25th pick and are unlikely to have one of the top receivers fall to them. They might opt to address their offensive or defensive tackle weaknesses with their early pick before selecting a cost-effective WR like Bryant in the mid-rounds.