Donaven Mcculley

● Tall, stretched out frame, with broad shoulders and long arms ● Carries functional speed on deep routes ● Good foot quickness to widen versus press or evade defenders ● Flexible in his lower body for sharp route cuts ● Body length creates large target for his quarterback ● Climbs the ladder to make plays over the top of defenders ● Able to match physicality of corners ● Works back into position on underneath targets and uses his body as a shield ● Walls off defenders just long enough as a perimeter blocker

● Slight frame, with lean muscle and below-average body mass ● Would benefit from more strength training ● Underdeveloped pacing and tempo on vertical patterns ● Needs to tighten up movements at the top of routes ● Average snap in his change of direction ● Run-after-catch creativity can be curbed by defensive speed ● Allows the football to get on top of him, leading to drops ● Marginal special teams experience and upside 152 Back to table of contents -- 156 of 629 --

A one-year starter at Michigan (and two-year starter overall), McCulley was an outside wide receiver (91.5 percent of snaps in 2025) in former offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey’s scheme. The highest-ranked quarterback recruit in Indiana history, he switched to wide receiver but struggled to see the field under Curt Cignetti. He joined the Wolverines for the 2025 season and earned the No. 1 jersey. A good-sized athlete, McCulley has limited experience at wide receiver, which is evident in his inconsistent pacing and tendency to forecast route breaks. Because of his body length, he casts a wide net as a target to pull down throws from the clouds in jump-ball situations, although his unsteady ball skills result in both “wow” catches and discouraging drops. Overall, McCulley is a big-bodied receiver with long-striding speed and the tools to work every level of the field, but the underdeveloped areas of his game are frustrating. Though he has draftable talent, he will need to land with a coaching staff committed to getting the best football out of him.