PRO 2025 Rookie Spotlight: Pat Bryant, WR Illinois
Rookie Spotlight: Pat Bryant, Illinois
Height: 6-3 (unofficial)
Weight: 200 (unofficial)
Hands:
Arm:
2025 Age: 23 – (12/10/02)
NFL Play-Style Comparison: Josh Reynolds, Cedrick Wilson
Other RW Staff Comps: Brenden Rice, Nick Toon, Jauan Jennings
Draft Grade: 3rd Round
Projected 40: 4.52
Breakout Age: 21 (Junior)
Offensive Market Share Metrics (Final Season)
Receptions: 25%
Receiving Yards: 36%
Receiving TDs: 45%
High School: Atlantic Coast HS (Jacksonville, Florida)
As a high school prospect: Class of 2021; 3-star (5.5)
Honors: Team Captain; AP All-Big Ten First Team, Phil Steele All-America Second Team
College Attended: Illinois
Outside of Football:
- Father, Patrick Bryant Sr. is the Athletic Director at Police Athletic League of Jacksonville
- Brother, Brandon Harris, played linebacker at USF
- Majoring in recreation, sport, and tourism
Pros
– Intentional route runner with great tempo
– Asked to participate in the run game a lot, lacks aggression but not ability
– Yards after Catch on majority of opportunities (6.9 per reception, 30th in Power-5)
– Quarterback play was not elite, found himself adjusting a lot or being over thrown at times
– Creates off the line of scrimmage on deep routes, stacking defenders despite lack in elite speed
– Illinois Single-Season Receiving Touchdown Record (10)
– Long extremities that make him different – length, speed, contortion-ability
Cons
– Significant utilization on one side of field (right), while also playing in the slot
– Struggles to separate on middle quadrent routes, but accels when targeted
– Allows the ball into his body more than I’d like to see, however his drops came around in 2024, only 1 vs. 9 in previous two seasons
– Lacks the quick twitch that some top-end receivers covet, Bryant takes advantage of his lack in high-end speed with patience and suddenness
– Had his least productive games against the best competition (Oregon – 3/26/0, Michigan – 4/32/0, Penn State – 3/37/0)
– Scored 40% of his receiving TDs against Eastern Illinois and Central Michigan
Highlight/Film
Scouting Notes:
In a rather underwhleming Wide Receiver class in comparison to the previous few seasons, Pat Bryant is a bright spot. Growing up in Jacksonville, Florida, Bryant wasn’t recruited hard by in-state power 5s and his recruitment came down to Illinois and Georgia Tech. He played with late round/undrafted picks in 2023, Isaiah Williams (Cincinnati) and Casey Washington (Atlanta), when he broke out with 7 touchdown receptions. A lot of Bryant’s game comes on from the right side of the formation, with a good chunk of slot work (21%) in 2024, watching Bryant you’ll notice a ton of in-breaking routes (slants, drags, deep crossers). He struggled to utilize his 6-3 frame to it’s full extent quite often, something that is coachable and can take his output to the next level. While playing opposite of Zakhari Franklin at Illinois, Bryant saw a lot of man coverage with rare double teams, allowing him to win more often than not. His quarterback Luke Altmyer, a 2026 draft prospect that struggled at times to put Bryant in winning situations, threw behind or over his head on a handful of head-scratching opportunities against Michigan and Rutgers. Bryant profiles as an ideal No. 2 type in most offenses with ability work as a bigger slot. His knowledge and ability to stick his nose into the run game was something Illinois took advantage of a lot, even motioning him into an h-back alignment to work on the edge and up to the linebacker. He is just scratching the surface on abilities, some NFL GM will be ecstatic drafting him in the 4th round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
