Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Here’s who and what stand out on the first big board of the draft season so far
With the NFL Combine right around the corner, now is the perfect time to drop a big board.
This year’s class is really interesting in a lot of spots, namely for teams needing wide receiver, offensive line and cornerback depth. On my top 50 board, 10 wide receivers make up the list, including the No. 1 overall player, Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. In addition to Jr, two other receivers are in the top ten with Washington’s Rome Odunze and LSU’s Malik Nabers. I believe all three can become bonafide stars and top receivers for whichever team drafts them, but Harrison is a special, special prospect. Odunze and Nabers aren’t too far off however. Eleven offensive linemen fill out the top 50, with this upcoming class being really fun. Of course, the top two are Penn State’s Olu Fashanu and Notre Dame’s Joe Alt, but I think there are some interesting players here who might end up sliding inside to guard at the next level. Washington’s Troy Fautanu and Oregon State’s Taliese Fuaga are the first two that come to mind. This is also a very good center class, with Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson leading the pack.
On the flip side, there are only four quarterbacks in this top 50, and the gap between them is rather large. At the top are UNC’s Drake Maye and USC’s Caleb Williams, but then after that the next QB is LSU’s Jayden Daniels at 15. Then there’s another big drop until you get to Michigan’s JJ McCarthy at 35. This class is going to be an odd one to scout with most teams in the market for a QB, but seemingly only four that can possibly end up being first rounders. Everywhere else you’re taking major swings on QBs that might not be ready yet (you can even say that about McCarthy too).
Before we get to the big board, there’s a player who has shot up my boards since scouting him: Kansas EDGE Austin Booker. Despite having only around 600 snaps played in his career, Booker is a long and lean pass rusher who has really good hands despite being so inexperienced at the position. Booker is an active run defender despite his size, and never takes plays off as well. He’s going to need to add mass to his frame, but if he gets in the right system you’re looking at a potential double-digit sack guy in the NFL.
Without further ado, here is the first iteration of my 2024 NFL Draft Big Board. Fire away!
