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Here are the top 100 prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The time has finally come for the final big board to be posted. This NFL Draft 2024 class, while lacking in certain spots such as LB, there are a lot of fun prospects at crucial positions in NFL evaluation.
This feels like the year where people have begun to understand the major differences in the college game to the NFL game in terms of evaluation. For example, parsing through guys who played a lot in the tite front which helps defend the spread at the college level, in order to see how they play on the edge in the NFL could be a major sticking point for front offices. Offensively, there are a lot of linemen who could move inside to guard, players like Jordan Morgan or Graham Barton being the predominant two. How teams stack them at tackle vs. guard is going to be very interesting.
Well, without further ado, here are my top 100 players in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Marvin Harrison Jr. goes wire to wire as the top player in the class
Immediately after the 2023 NFL Draft, I released a big board with Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. at the top of it. Fast forward to the day before the first round…and Harrison Jr. is still at the top. We really don’t need to overthink this that much. Harrison is your prototypical X receiver, with the ball skills in the air, the savvy route running and speed (if he looks fast running past Big Ten and SEC DBs, I’m gonna guess that guy is pretty fast) to be an instant impact player. Top guys stay top guys, and Harrison Jr. is a top guy.
Drake Maye is QB 1(A)
QBs Drake Maye and Caleb Williams are SUPER close in my opinion. So close, that instead of truly making them QB1 and QB2, I see them more as QB1A and QB1B. However, Maye is the 1A, and for good reason. I think a lot of people have overthought Maye, who had to deal with subpar coaching and skill position talent around him in a disappointing 2023. However, his athletic tools combined with nuanced pocket movement and aggression downfield make him a high quality NFL QB. Yes, the footwork needs to be addressed a bit, but that shouldn’t sway teams away from him as a top guy in this class.
Now, even though Maye is QB1A, that doesn’t mean Williams is bad at all. In fact, if Williams is going to be the number one pick come Thursday night, I’ll give it an A+. Williams’ natural feel for the game and impressive play from the pocket (while inconsistent) make him a high level QB prospect. I can see both guys being at least above average NFL starters.
Buyer beware on QBs outside the top four
While Maye, Williams, LSU QB Jayden Daniels and Michigan QB JJ McCarthy make up my top four, I’d be a little wary of going for QBs outside that range. After McCarthy at 40, the next QB up is Washington signal caller Michael Penix Jr. at 55. I love his aggression downfield and ability to play from a clean pocket. Yet, I wonder about his ability under pressure. The Texas game in the semifinal was the best of Penix under pressure, and the Michigan game in the championship might have been the worst. He’ll have to answer questions about his ability to create under pressure, as well as his extensive injury history.
The next QB after that is South Carolina’s Spencer Rattler, who could be very good if he would stop getting in his own way. He’s grown a lot since his days at Oklahoma, and while with the Gamecocks showed a lot of toughness in his ability to pass under pressure. However, he invites this pressure onto himself despite being a smaller QB and not a phenomenal athlete, and the accuracy leaves a bit of meat on the bone offensively. He’s the QB I would want to throw a dart at to develop.
Then comes Bo Nix from Oregon. While I love the short-area accuracy and enough functional mobility to play outside the pocket, I worry about his responses under pressure and how little the Oregon offense actually tested teams vertically. He’s a fine QB if you want someone who can sit behind the wheel to the car on autopilot, but I’m not sure if you want him driving it.
My eighth QB is Michael Pratt from Tulane, someone who I think can be a serviceable NFL starter. He’s tough under pressure, accurate to the intermediate levels of the field and can move just enough to make things work. However, is being a “just good enough” NFL athlete good enough to be a long term starter?
Either way, buyer beware with these QBs outside the top 4.
Top defensive prospects are all fun, but also have big question marks
My top defensive prospect in this class is Illinois DT Johnny Newton. He’s disruptive from multiple alignments, has violent hands and can instantly produce as a pass rusher in the NFL. However, there are injury concerns, with a Jones fracture in his foot that kept him out of most athletic testing this draft process. Injury concerns is a common theme among the top defensive players, some more serious than others.
UCLA EDGE Laiatu Latu is the best pass rusher in the class, but a myriad of neck injuries forced him to medically retire when he was at Washington. If he gets a clean bill of health, then that’ll do wonders for him and his stock, which goes as high as 8 but all the way down to the end of the first round. Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry is one of the best in the class in press alignment, but a Jones fracture in his foot kept him out of everything this draft process. How teams evaluate these prospects without being fully healthy is going to be a major theme this cycle.
