Former Maryland wide receiver Tai Felton will officially suit up one more time before he heads to the NFL after accepting his invite to the Reese's Senior Bowl.
The senior Maryland receiver became the first Terp to accept his invite to the Senior Bowl, set for Feb. 1, 2025 in Mobile, Alabama with kickoff at 2:30 PM on NFL Network.
Felton was one of six Terps to be selected to the Senior Bowl Watch List back in August alongside running back Roman Hemby, wide receiver Kaden Prather, linebacker Ruben Hyppolite, safety Dante Trader Jr. and safety Glen Miller.
Felton’s senior season was one of the few bright spots during a four-win 2024 season, finishing with 96 catches for 1,124 yards and nine touchdowns, good for 11.7 yards per catch. His 96 catches set the single-season program record while his 1,124 receiving yards are good for the second-most in program history behind Marcus Badgett (1,240). Felton is one of four players in program history to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards in one season (Badgett, Torrey Smith, DJ Moore). He finished third nationally in receptions and ninth nationally in yards, while leading the Big Ten in both categories throughout his senior season. Felton also record five 100-yard games in 2024, including a four-game streak to become the second player in program history to do so. Felton also became the first power conference player with 40+ receptions and 600+ receiving yards in their team’s first four games of a season since 2016.
Felton ended his four-year Maryland career with 172 catches, 2,207 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns. His 172 catches are the third most in program history behind Jermaine Lewis and Geroy Simon, while his 2,207 receiving yards are fourth-most in program history behind Jermaine Lewis, Stefon Diggs and Torrey Smith. Felton is also one of just nine players to record over 2,000 career receiving yards.
Felton also finished tied for second-most receptions in a game in program history after finishing with 14 catches for 157 yards and one touchdown vs. Villanova. The performance came two weeks after Felton posted 11 catches for 152 yards and one touchdown vs. Michigan State.
And now, the Virginia native is in line to become the first wide receiver drafted under Mike Locksley since becoming Maryland’s head coach.
Felton was named one of eleven semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award last month, though Colorado WR Travis Hunter, Arizona WR Tetairoa McMillan and San Jose State WR Nick Nash were ultimately named finalists.
Felton isn’t the only one who could hear his name called in April with Kaden Prather exhausting his eligibility as he eyes a potential day two selection, while Maryland looks to extend its streak with at least one player drafted to eight years.
A former three-star out of Stone Bridge (VA) in the 2021 cycle, Felton saw time as an underclassman after starting in six games and appearing in 21 total, but he saw his role increase in 2023 as he shined alongside Prather and Jeshaun Jones. Felton led the team in receiving touchdowns (6) and was fifth in the Big Ten averaging 15.1 yards per catch, rounding out a complementary receiver room.
Felton was named one of five wide receivers who could sneak into the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft last month.
The first month of the season brought a huge breakout for Tai Felton. The lanky 6-foot-2, 190-pound vertical threat was unstoppable, catching five touchdowns and breaking 100 yards in all four games. He's seen his raw totals drop considerably as the competition picked up, but a lot of that has to go toward outside factors and not Felton's limitations.
Tall, skinny receivers have been embraced more in the NFL but will never be the hot trend. What matters most for Felton is that he's played a career-high 30 percent of his snaps inside, which is different for his build. It's not an accident that Maryland and Felton have benefitted from his ability to run past safeties and stretch defenses.
Felton feels like the least likely of these five receivers to break into the first round, but he's not too dissimilar to Adonai Mitchell, who landed in the second round last year. Felton could win the combine and rise even higher.
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