The 2023 Texas Longhorns roster saw three wide receivers taken in the NFL Draft this past spring, with Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell, and Jordan Whittington hitting the NFL ranks. This was one of the best wide receiver groups in the nation last season, yet even with all three of these prospects leaving, Texas looks to have a significantly better WR corps in 2024. This depth chart includes three highly sought-after transfers in Isaiah Bond (Alabama), Matthew Golden (Houston), and Silas Bolden (Oregon State). They also have former 4-star recruit Johntay Cook II returning for his sophomore season, as well as incoming freshmen and 4-star recruits Ryan Wingo, Parker Livingstone, and Freddie Dubose.
All of these stars could be suiting up on Sundays at some point. There isn’t a big enough pie to adequately feed all these prospects from a C2C standpoint, but from a Devy standpoint, we should be extremely excited about a number of these future NFL talents. In this article, I’ll provide my Devy rankings of this Texas WR depth chart from seven to one. Let’s jump right in and see who slots in at our seventh spot.
7. Silas Bolden
Bolden broke out as a junior last season for Oregon State, compiling 86 targets, 54 receptions, 741 yards, and five touchdowns. He was also used heavily in the return game for the Beavers, demonstrating his versatility for NFL teams. Silas is primarily an outside receiver but stands at just 5’8″ and 157 pounds. While the NFL has proven in recent years that they are willing to give the “short kings” a shot, this is incredibly small. Barring injury, I don’t foresee Bolden seeing the field often on three-receiver sets, and because of this, I don’t believe transferring to Texas is doing him any favors in terms of NFL odds. I expect Bolden to be a UDFA and sign with an NFL team after the 2025 NFL Draft but won’t ever become someone worth picking up for Dynasty.
6. Freddie Dubose
Freddie Dubose is an incoming freshman and 4-star recruit out of Spring Branch, Texas. He has a slim build, at 6’1″ and 170 pounds, similar to former Longhorn and current Kansas City Chief Xavier Worthy. Dubose was a track star in high school, running a 22.28 200-meter dash and qualifying for state in 6A in the triple jump. He’s a quick-twitch athlete and a natural playmaker, and I could definitely see him taking on that Xavier Worthy role in a couple of seasons. He did miss his entire junior year with an ACL tear which will be something to keep an eye on moving forward.
5. Parker Livingstone
Parker Livingstone is part of this 2024 freshman class, coming in at 6’3″ and 185 pounds. He also played baseball and track & field in high school and has some burners on him. Livingstone ran a 21.29-second 200-meter dash, excelling in the 100-meter, relay, and triple jump as well. The Missouri native received offers from Alabama, Michigan, and Georgia, ultimately landing in Austin, Texas. He’s a natural athlete with a lanky build and has the ability to become a standout receiver in a few short years. He won’t be hitting our Dynasty rosters until 2027 at the earliest, but I’m excited to see what kind of player he turns into by then.
4. Matthew Golden
Golden was a freshman standout for the Houston Cougars in 2022, posting 38 receptions, 584 yards, and seven touchdowns. Expectations were sky-high heading into Year 2, but Golden, unfortunately, failed to build off those freshman numbers. Turf toe kept him on the sideline for some of the 2023 season, only appearing in nine contests. He finished his sophomore season with 38 receptions for 404 yards and six touchdowns. Golden looks to build his NFL draft stock back up with a big season for the Longhorns; this is truly a “make it or break it” year. He’ll likely be lined up in three-receiver sets alongside Isaiah Bond and Johntay Cook, so he should have ample opportunity to show NFL scouts his skillset.
3. Ryan Wingo
Ryan Wingo was the highest-rated receiver in the 2024 Longhorns recruiting class. He was listed as one of the top 10 receivers in the country for this 2024 class by ESPN and 247Sports, and he was ranked as one of the top 3 players in Missouri by all four major recruiting platforms. At 6’2″ and 210 pounds, Wingo already has your prototypical x-receiver build for the NFL. As is the common theme with this freshman WR class, Wingo ran track in high school and posted an incredible 10.55 100-meter dash. Wingo had quite an illustrious high school career, totaling over 2,100 receiving yards and 31 touchdowns. He was named second-team all-state for Missouri 6A and was actually first-team all-conference as a punter. Wingo is a supreme athlete and will likely be regarded as a top college prospect in a couple of years.
2. Johntay Cook II
Johntay Cook was stuck behind three NFL receivers as a true freshman in 2023, so he didn’t get many looks, but when he did see the field, he was pretty efficient. Cook saw 12 targets on just 41 routes run, good for a 29.3% target rate. He finished with eight receptions for 136 yards, posting a robust 3.32 yards per route run (YPRR). This ranked third in the nation for this freshman class (minimum 10 targets). We know Cook is incredibly gifted, and I think we’ll see him running most of the routes in 2024. Expect a breakout sophomore year for Cook as he looks to potentially declare for the 2026 NFL Draft. He should be off the board early in any Devy startup format.
1. Isaiah Bond
It was a close call between Cook and Bond, but I’ll give Bond the nod here just based on the fact he should be hitting our Dynasty rosters sooner than Cook. Bond is a transfer from Alabama, where he posted a solid sophomore season of 48 receptions, 668 yards, and four touchdowns. I have Bond as my WR5 in this 2025 NFL Draft class. I listed him as my 2.03 in my recent 2025 Superflex rookie draft article, and I believe with a big 2024 season, he could creep into that “late first round” conversation. Undoubtedly, Isaiah Bond is the most well-rounded and NFL-ready receiver on this list. I’m sad to say I recently traded away my only Isaiah Bond share in a DFF Devy league; he was part of a larger package to obtain Tank Dell and Eugene Wilson III out of Florida. But I believe in the talent and foresee him having a long and successful career in the NFL.
Thank you for taking the time to read this article, and I hope you got some valuable information you can use for your fantasy team! If you’d like additional insight into Dynasty Football news and analysis, please follow me on Twitter at @jim_DFF. Until next time, keep grinding out there, DFF family! #DFFArmy #AlwaysBeBuilding
