The future is now for former Utah State standout Jalen Royals.
If most of the 2025 NFL draft projections were correct, Royals will hear his name called during Friday night’s second or third rounds (NFL draft coverage starts at 5 p.m. MDT on ABC, ESPN and the NFL Network).
The latest from ESPN’s Matt Miller suggests that Royals is trending toward being a second-round selection by the Buffalo Bills.
Buffalo is one of the more favorable spots that Royals could land, with an established star at quarterback in Josh Allen and a top-five pass offense in the NFL last season.
But that does beg the question: What teams are the best fits for Royals?
Here are some teams that would be pretty ideal landing spots for the former Aggies star.
Buffalo Bills
Let’s start with the Bills, the team ESPN currently projects will select Royals, with the No. 56 pick in the second round.
There is a lot to like about Royals and Buffalo. Allen is one of the best QBs in the league and the Bills’ passing attack rates as well as any in the league. Royals could step right in as another weapon for Allen, and with Royals’ speed he could become a real weapon on the outside, something the Bills are lacking.
Royals may never develop into a No. 1 receiver in the NFL, but he is largely projected to become a plus-starter. With Buffalo that could happen sooner rather than later.
Given the other playmakers Buffalo has in the passing game — receivers Khalil Shakir and Keon Coleman and tight end Dalton Kincaid — Royals will have more freedom and less attention paid to him than what he experienced at Utah State.
“Wide receiver isn’t a huge need for the Bills on paper, but Royals has been connected to Buffalo since the East-West Shrine Bowl,” ESPN’s Miller wrote. “He’s a thickly built receiver who runs off press coverage and won’t be thrown off his route. The Bills have wisely addressed needs and can take a flier on keeping quarterback Josh Allen surrounded by playmakers with his pick.”
New Orleans Saints
Compared to Buffalo, this fit may feel like a stretch. At least from the perspective of Royals.
The Saints have a real question at the quarterback position. Is Derek Carr coming back or will New Orleans pick up a rookie QB in the draft, perhaps Shedeur Sanders? Moreover, the offense will be completely different under new head coach Kellen Moore, who successfully emphasized the run game while with the Philadelphia Eagles.
With so many questions surrounding the Saints, it doesn’t initially feel like an ideal landing spot. Except, Royals fits the mold of what kind of receiver New Orleans needs and Moore will likely want.
Ross Jackson of LouisianaSports.net believes Royals is the near-perfect wideout to add, his ability to play both on the outside and — as he has been widely projected — in the slot is ideal for the Saints.
“With Royals’ ability to play both inside and out, he would allow the team more flexibility with their group of receivers,” Jackson writes. “He’s a physical player that can make tough catches in the short and intermediate areas of the field, giving the Saints a complement to Cooks, Chris Olave and Rashid Shaheed, who all have field-stretching capabilities.
“At Utah State, he reeled in 64.1% of his contested catch opportunities and holds a career drop percentage of just 6.7%. He’s a sure-handed wideout that has every tool necessary to play a large role for a passing offense immediately.”
Who will play QB for the Saints is unknown, but Royals proved in his collegiate career that that doesn’t really matter for him. He put up record-breaking numbers while playing with Spencer Petras, Bryson Barnes, Cooper Legas, McCae Hillstead and Levi Williams as his quarterbacks. And Royals’ productivity didn’t really wane with any of them.
Carolina Panthers
This fit is largely based on need. The Panthers need more playmaking on offense, particularly in the passing game, and Royals would get every opportunity to make a major impact.
Last season, Carolina was in the bottom third in the NFL in passing offense. Quarterback Bryce Young had his moments, but on the whole the Panthers had an underwhelming group of skill position players. Young had very little help.
Adam Thielen was Carolina’s best wide receiver, but he is nearing the end of his career. Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker, meanwhile, are both unproven players. Talented sure, but neither has really blossomed thus far in their NFL careers.
There were others who were semi-productive — Diontae Johnson and David Moore — but Carolina clearly is in need of more capable and productive receivers.
Enter Royals, who is big enough (6-feet, 205 pounds) and quick enough (4.42 second 40-yard dash and 1.49 second 10-yard split) to play either on the outside as a deep threat or in the slot where he can rack up yards after the catch.
Real opportunity awaits whatever skill position players wind up in Carolina — the Panthers already took Arizona receiver Tetairoa McMillan in the first round as a clear successor to Thielen — and Royals’ versatility would put him in line for considerable playing time.
Detroit Lions
No team caught Royals’ eye more during the NFL Scouting Combine than the Lions.
Royals told the Deseret News that his interview with Lions’ head coach Dan Campbell was the highlight of the combine for him.
It is easy to see why Royals was drawn to Detroit. One of the best teams in the league last year, the Lions were nonetheless a middle-of-the pack offensive team, particularly in the passing game.
Quarterback Jared Goff was excellent, but he relied heavily on two wide receivers — Amon-Ra St. Brown and Jameson Williams. Neither of those two disappointed as they combined for over 2,000 receiving yards and nearly 20 touchdown receptions, but the Lions were fairly top heavy when it comes to skill position talent.
Enter Royals.
A spot on the Lions would enable Royals to come along slowly without undue pressure or expectation. And the presence of St. Brown and Williams would enable Royals to operate freely. Defenses would not key in on the rookie with proven vets around him.
Goff’s throwing ability and the versatility of St. Brown, Williams and Royals would make for an impressive passing attack in Detroit.
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens’ passing attack left something to be desired last season, coming in as the seventh-worst in the NFL. In an attempt to fix that, Baltimore signed veteran wideout DeAndre Hopkins. But Hopkins isn’t who he once was and the Ravens still could use a talent influx at wide receiver with Zay Flowers the only 1,000-yard receiver on the team last season.
Quarterback Lamar Jackson is great, but he can’t do everything on his own.
Royals would provide a real talent boost at receiver for Baltimore, his ability to play in the slot and on the outside allowing him to fit rather seamlessly alongside Hopkins, Flowers and Rashod Bateman.
Royals is accustomed to playing with quarterbacks who improvise — aside from Petras, the Aggies’ QBs were quick to scramble and run — and he was arguably at his best with a mobile QB under center at Utah State.
With Jackson, the Ravens will always be among the better teams in the NFL, and Royals would be able to play with one of the best QBs in the league while not being asked to be an immediate starter or major contributor.
