Mario Craver

Mario Craver is 5-9, 165 pounds, and a nightmare for safeties. He dropped 207 yards on Notre Dame in the Playoff and became the highest-paid receiver in Texas A&M history. Small, fast, and back for more.

WR · Texas A&M · Cl 2 · #1

CFB Zeitgeist 85

Craver's 2025 was a deep-ball highlight reel -- 59 catches for 917 yards, a 207-yard explosion against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff, and a yards-per-route mark (3.25) that ranked third in the entire Power Four. At 5-9, 165, he wins the way small receivers have to: with separation speed and after-the-catch wiggle (22 forced missed tackles). Texas A&M made him the highest-paid receiver in program history to keep him. The forward stakes are a featured role in a passing game expected to throw more in 2026 -- the runway for a burner like this to go from very good to the SEC's most dangerous deep threat. For Craver, the size was always the doubt and the speed was always the answer; 2026 is where he settles it.

PLAY STYLE

Craver is pure juice -- a vertical and after-the-catch weapon whose tape and our data agree. The play-by-play is loud: a 94th-percentile yards-per-catch, a 93rd-percentile explosive-catch rate, and a 95th-percentile EPA per target -- the chunk-play profile of a true field-stretcher, backed by a solid (76th-percentile) catch rate that says he's more than a track guy running fly routes. The 22 forced missed tackles are the YAC element: catch a five-yard slant, make the first man miss, and it's a 40-yard touchdown. At his size he's not a contested-catch or red-zone bully -- he's the speed that bends a defense's whole structure, the receiver a safety has to honor on every snap. Give him a step, and the game changes.

SOURCES

Career Arc

Recruit

★★★★

#309 national

CFB

College

Texas A&M

2025

NFL

NFL Draft

—

Not drafted (yet)

Coaching Lineage · 2025

1 coach

2025

Mike Elko

Texas A&M

Played his entire career under Mike Elko.

2025 snapshot

Season context · Team result + system

2025Texas A&M11-2HC: Mike Elko · Run-leaning

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort

85All-Conference

7 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: long catch (98th). Strength: rec yards (93rd).

Long catch#11 / 558 · 98th pct

86rece

Rec yards#39 / 558 · 93rd pct

911rece

Rush yards#29 / 287 · 90th pct

81rush

Receptions#73 / 558 · 87th pct

58rece

Rush TDs#19 / 287 · 85th pct

1rush

Yards / catch#101 / 558 · 82nd pct

15.7rece

Rec TDs#152 / 558 · 68th pct

4rece

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.

Career stats

Receiving

Traditional receiver line with season-by-season growth baked in.

Season	Team	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LNG
2025	Texas A&MFinal snapshot	58	911	15.7	4	--
Career	1 loaded seasonCareer row reflects the stat seasons currently loaded in this database.	58	911	15.7	4	--

Rushing & Returns

Extra-touch value for all-purpose profiles.

Season	Team	CAR	Rush YDS	KR YDS	PR YDS	RET TD
2025	Texas A&MFinal snapshot	11	81	--	--	--
Career	1 loaded seasonCareer row reflects the stat seasons currently loaded in this database.	11	81	--	--	--

Signature game

SIGNATURE GAME · Week 3 · 2025

W 41–40

at Notre Dame

7 rec · 207 yds · 1 TD

Edged out Notre Dame on the road in a shootout.

Game log

Game Log · Week-by-week

2025 season · 12 games

Box score · CFBD

Wk	Opp	REC	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	Note
Wk 1	W 42-24vs UTSA	8	122	15.3	2	24	2 TD catches
Wk 2	W 44-22vs Utah State	5	114	22.8	1	72
Wk 3	W 41-40@ Notre Dame	7	207	29.6	1	86	Season-high 207 yds
Wk 5	W 16-10vs Auburn	4	34	8.5	0	17
Wk 6	W 31-9vs Mississippi State	6	80	13.3	0	42
Wk 7	W 34-17vs Florida	2	77	38.5	0	67
Wk 8	W 45-42@ Arkansas	3	34	11.3	0	15
Wk 9	W 49-25@ LSU	4	42	10.5	0	20
Wk 11	W 38-17@ Missouri	6	59	9.8	0	23
Wk 12	W 31-30vs South Carolina	1	6	6.0	0	6
Wk 14	L 17-27@ Texas	5	44	8.8	0	14
Bowl	L 3-10vs Miami	7	92	13.1	0	59
Total		58	911	15.6	4	86

How he plays

Savant · Box-rate percentiles

Where this profile ranks vs the WR cohort

85All-Conference

7 metrics · season cumulative

Elite: long catch (98th). Strength: rec yards (93rd).

Long catch#11 / 558 · 98th pct

86rece

Rec yards#39 / 558 · 93rd pct

911rece

Rush yards#29 / 287 · 90th pct

81rush

Receptions#73 / 558 · 87th pct

58rece

Rush TDs#19 / 287 · 85th pct

1rush

Yards / catch#101 / 558 · 82nd pct

15.7rece

Rec TDs#152 / 558 · 68th pct

4rece

Percentiles versus same-position peers with enough snaps this season, based on box-score rates.

PLAY STYLE

2026 Outlook

Returning to Texas A&M for 2026

2026 Depth chart

Projected starter

Wide receiver · Texas A&M

Returning around him

75% of 2024 offensive production back (Strong continuity)
10 Texas A&M players drafted to NFL
Transfer portal: -2 net (19 in / 21 out)

2026 Award watch

No preseason watch lists yet (most drop June 15 – July 15)

Texas A&M · Last season: 11-2 (AP #7) · Talent rank #8 · 2026 recruiting class #9

Perception vs tape

Craver's 2025 was a deep-ball highlight reel — 59 catches for 917 yards, a 207-yard explosion against Notre Dame in the College Football Playoff, and a yards-per-route mark (3.25) that ranked third in the entire Power Four. At 5-9, 165, he wins the way small receivers have to: with separation speed and after-the-catch wiggle (22 forced missed tackles). Texas A&M made him the highest-paid receiver in program history to keep him. The forward stakes are a featured role in a passing game expected to throw more in 2026 — the runway for a burner like this to go from very good to the SEC's most dangerous deep threat. For Craver, the size was always the doubt and the speed was always the answer; 2026 is where he settles it.

How he plays

Craver is pure juice — a vertical and after-the-catch weapon whose tape and our data agree. The play-by-play is loud: a 94th-percentile yards-per-catch, a 93rd-percentile explosive-catch rate, and a 95th-percentile EPA per target — the chunk-play profile of a true field-stretcher, backed by a solid (76th-percentile) catch rate that says he's more than a track guy running fly routes. The 22 forced missed tackles are the YAC element: catch a five-yard slant, make the first man miss, and it's a 40-yard touchdown. At his size he's not a contested-catch or red-zone bully — he's the speed that bends a defense's whole structure, the receiver a safety has to honor on every snap. Give him a step, and the game changes.

2026 outlook · as of 2026-06-13

src

DNA match

Player DNA

The Slot Technician

Runs precise routes in tight quarters. Volume player who keeps chains moving.

His 2025 production profile sits closest to Calvin Austin III’s 2021 season.

Calvin Austin III

82%match

Memphis · 2021

NFL Rd 4

Calvin Austin III

Memphis · 2020

NFL Rd 4

68%

Tez Johnson

Troy · 2022

All-Sun BeltNFL Rd 7

74%

Mario Williams

Tulane · 2024

All-AAC

72%

Dominic Lovett

Missouri · 2022

NFL Rd 7

71%

Matches Calvin on

Total EPA (college ability)

Weight

TD rate

Differs from Calvin on

Reception volume (lower)

Class year (higher)

Through 2 college seasons, his career arc tracks closest to Joshua Derry’s path through Monmouth.

Joshua Derry

90%match

Monmouth · 2025

Cary Angeline

NC State · 2020

89%

Dillon Stoner

Oklahoma State · 2020

89%

Josh Palmer

Tennessee · 2020

87%

Blayne Taylor

Abilene Christian · 2024

87%

Matches Joshua on

Yards per reception

As a sophomore, his production profile tracks closest to Kalil Pimpleton's sophomore season at Central Michigan (2021).

Kalil Pimpleton

78%match

Central Michigan · 2021

All-MAC

Aaron Anderson

LSU · 2024

All-SEC

70%

Danny Scudero

San José State · 2025

All-Mountain West

68%

Jamaal Pritchett

South Alabama · 2023

All-Sun Belt

66%

Dominic Lovett

Missouri · 2022

NFL Rd 7

66%

Matches Kalil on

Reception volume

EPA / play (adj)

Weight

Differs from Kalil on

Class year (lower)

Peer comparator

Peer Comparator · Fingerprint match

Three closest profiles by box-rate percentile

3 peers · 7 metrics

Mario CraverTexas A&MParker KingstonBYU· 90% simAnthony SmithEast Carolina· 88% simCooper BarkateDuke· 88% sim

Long catch

98
Craver

91
Kingston

86
Smith

93
Barkate

Rec yards

93
Craver

94
Kingston

98
Smith

98
Barkate

Rush yards

90
Craver

96
Kingston

79
Smith

Receptions

87
Craver

94
Kingston

93
Smith

97
Barkate

Rush TDs

85
Craver

99
Kingston

85
Smith

Yards / catch

82
Craver

63
Kingston

87
Smith

79
Barkate

Rec TDs

68
Craver

78
Kingston

92
Smith

92
Barkate

Closest peers by overall box-score percentile profile at the same position.