Quarterbacks could be drafted 1-2-3-4 for the first time in history.
But the 2024 NFL Draft is rich at multiple positions with depth for days at wide receiver and offensive tackle.
Teams that covet a lockdown cornerback or stud safety might be out of luck, and the popular discussion around value at the interior offensive line and running back spots will play out in a big way starting in the second round.
If it’s Michigan men you want, this is your year. Starting with quarterback J.J. McCarthy, 10 former Wolverines graded out as top-125 prospects.
1. QB Caleb Williams, Southern California
Talent is enough to roll the dice that Williams consistently delivers the goods in the NFL if a franchise leaves space for him to be an individual without dropping traditional expectations for a QB1 and No. 1 pick.
2. QB Jayden Daniels, LSU
Daniels played like a much different man last season, entering the year with a fourth-round grade and ending it with a Heisman Trophy and squarely in the conversation for the No. 1 overall pick. He has elite speed, an elusive running style and exhibited incredible growth as a passer. No QB in the class performed better against pressure looks and blitzes. He has high-end accuracy and decision-making to overcome growing pains if he lands with a team with modest talent.
3. QB Drake Maye, North Carolina
Maye checks all necessary boxes to be a long-term starter. He has impressive touch and control as a passer regardless of the situation and enough quickness and presence to handle pressure and create throwing lanes under duress. His ceiling isn’t as high as some of the other quarterbacks on this list but has better mobility than expected and enough arm talent.
4. WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State
5. WR Malik Nabers, LSU
Such a smooth athlete he will be knocked for looking like he’s rolling on cruise control, the truth is Nabers is a graceful open-field mover with instant change-of-direction agility and the build-up speed to pull away from defenders. He may need time to adjust to the physicality of NFL press coverage, but his traits suggest he gets there.
6. WR Rome Odunze, Washington
Odunze slots closely to Nabers and Harrison depending on what you’re looking for at the position. He’s incredibly strong playing through contact along his routes, tracks the ball naturally and doesn’t lose when fighting for the ball in a crowd. He’s not the craftsman or overall athlete Nabers and Harrison are at this stage, but some evaluators wrote the same knocks on Larry Fitzgerald’s Pitt scouting report.
7. OT Joe Alt, Notre Dame
Big, long and steady in pass protection, Alt is an adequate athlete but his game really shines when shutting down power rushers or using his length to seal off pressure off the corner. He’s not a nasty blocker who will push people around and elite athletes will test his game, but he has the skill set to lock up almost anyone in the league.
8. TE Brock Bowers, Georgia
A unique height-weight-speed matchup who has the ball skills and speed to threaten any linebacker or safety, Bowers is more of a supersized receiver than a tight end. He won’t be a factor in the run game early in his career, but his ability to make plays after the catch and create separation against man coverage imply he can be a Pro Bowl impact player very soon.
9. EDGE Dallas Turner, Alabama
Teammate Will Anderson Jr. (No. 3 pick in 2023 to the Houston Texans) was more refined, but Turner was just as productive in his final year with the Crimson Tide, relying on his ability to consistently attack the corner and get around it. He’ll be a work in progress for his first season and perhaps more, but there’s an All-Pro ceiling to unveil should he maximize his full potential.
10. OT Olumuyiwa Fashanu, Penn State
Fashanu presents an overall body of work that separates him from a pack of offensive tackles in the first round. He’s not an elite athlete. But he plays with discipline and accurate hands, refined footwork and his well-rounded style of play blocks all paths to success for defensive linemen.
11. CB Quinyon Mitchell, Toledo
As one scout put it, no player in this class has a bigger appetite to be great. The self-titled “best player to come out of the MAC,” we need to see a bit more before taking his measurements against Randy Moss and Ben Roethlisberger. But Mitchell is the best Group of 5 player in this class by a considerable margin. He aced every pre-draft test to back up insane production on the ball and proved elite speed at the Scouting Combine. He’s a long, fluid corner with great speed and gets an A+ for competitive endurance.
12. OT Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State
A two-year starter at right tackle, Fuaga is a near carbon copy of Bears 2023 first-round pick Darnell Wright. He has adequate length and a steady approach to his pass sets that will allow him to stay outside as a pro. What teams covet in his game: beastly power in the run game and a reputation as a no-mercy finisher.
13. EDGE Jared Verse, Florida State
Verse looked spindly in 2022 while playing at 248 pounds, then added good weight in 2023 while maintaining his patented first step and subtle speed to power transition. His ability to set up blockers with his quickness and hand usage is hard to handle even for the most technical and athletic tackles. The extra year of development has paid off and should allow him to start as a rookie.
14. CB Terrion Arnold, Alabama
An easy moving corner with the size, speed and agility to match up against receivers with varied traits, Arnold deals with some lapses in judgment when playing the ball in the air or working from zone. His tools are there, and it might not be long before he is one of the best corners in the league by ironing out those flaws. He’s the top athlete – and one of the youngest — at the position in 2024, which will boost his final draft grade for most teams.
15. OT Troy Fautanu, Washington
Superb athlete with defensive line and offensive line chops, he could play any position on the line and moves like a tight end.
16. OT J.C. Latham, Alabama
Latham went from 325 pounds to 360 for his final season. The results were mixed on the field and he checked in at 343 at his March Pro Day. He is extraordinarily athletic for a man of his size. He wasn’t quite as fluid or nimble in pass protection or space in 2023, so he may need to drop weight as a pro to get back to looking like a future high-end starter.
17. DT Byron Murphy II, Texas
Overshadowed when the 2023 season began by high-profile teammates Alfred Collins and T’Vondre Sweat, Murphy’s incredible first step and lightning fast hands turn him into the best pro of the group. The boxy-framed defender lacks the length desired for the position but has great feel for attacking and creating ways to get off blocks.
18. WR Brian Thomas Jr., LSU
A height-weight-speed prospect whose emergence coincides with the rise of Heisman-winning quarterback Jayden Daniels. Not as developed as the receivers higher on this list, Thomas has immense potential while his game evolves. He has solid ball skills, can win reliably down the field when targeted against man coverage and could be in the unguardable category with route refinement.
19. EDGE Laiatu Latu, UCLA
Latu is a crisp athlete with the hands to always have the answers to the blocking test. He can rush the passer just easily standing up or with his hand down, and his feel for finding angles and capitalizing on the mistakes of blockers. His medical will be a major question mark for teams, but a clean bill of health should land him in the top 20.
20. QB J.J. McCarthy, Michigan
All-in character helped lift McCarthy into the early first-round conversation but he’s a clear No. 4 on the QB board as the least rehearsed in terms of direct NFL skillsets. But the tools clearly are all here, including the arm talent not flexed as frequently in Michigan’s pro-style, power-based, run-first offense.
21. OL Graham Barton, Duke
Draft him and plug him in at any of the three interior OL spots or trial Barton at left tackle in a quick-set passing attack and he’s ready to anchor the line for a decade.
22. CB Nate Wiggins, Clemson
Size (6-foot-2), speed (4.28 40 time) and traits for days. Wiggins would be one of the first players picked in a best-athlete-available draft. NFL teams aren’t all convinced he’ll bite if he can get the job done by showing his teeth, especially supporting against the run.
23. CB Cooper DeJean, Iowa
There are more sudden cover cornerbacks in the class but playmaking is DeJean’s game, and his straight-line speed should equate to top-level range if he’s moved to safety.
24. OT Amarius Mims, Georgia
Sample size is the only time “tiny” could be applied to the 6-8, 345-pound Mims. Raw with only eight career starts, Mims is a mountainous right tackle with the upside to make it at left tackle. But he’ll require patience and technique work to cover still-developing football instincts to maximize his natural ability and reach his significant ceiling.
25. EDGE Chop Robinson, Penn State
Much like recent late first-round pick Nolan Smith (Eagles), Robinson’s size isn’t ideal for setting the edge or holding up in the run game. There’s no dismissing his burst and bend to threaten almost any offensive tackle around the corner. He’s unseasoned but the bet from NFL teams will be he can be a 10-sack contributor during his first contract.
26. DT Jer’Zhan Newton, Illinois
A maxed-out frame and limited length worries some teams with Newton when it comes to defending the run. On the flip side, he’s a pro-ready pass rusher with great agility, hand speed and a knack for creating with counter moves.
27. DT/DE Darius Robinson, Missouri
Experience and winning tape across the defensive line, Robinson sheds blockers without a fight. Because of his measurables and raw tools, teams are enticed by his ceiling and versatility to fit virtually any defense.
28. CB Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
The preliminary favorite to be the top cornerback in this class, McKinstry was overshadowed at times by teammate Terrion Arnold this year but still figures to be a longtime starter with return game skills to boot. While he is better in man than zone he has ball skills and athleticism that transfer easily to the NFL.
29. C Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon
Brick wall of a center at 328 pounds, Powers-Johnson could find his way to guard and wins on brute strength to hold off even the biggest nose tackles in the NFL.
30. OT Tyler Guyton, Oklahoma
Tools galore, Guyton needs polish but brings ideal size, length and quickness to be a franchise left tackle. His hand usage and footwork are essential pieces to develop, making him a long-term project. With the right coaching he could end up being one of the best linemen in the class.
31. WR Adonai Mitchell, Texas
Buzz continues to grow around Mitchell on a boost from his elite athleticism and testing at 6-2, 205. He ran a 4.34 40-yard dash and showed off his 39.5-inch vertical in Indianapolis, sending teams back to study his 18 touchdowns in three seasons split between Georgia (2021, 2022) and Texas.
32. WR Ladd McConkey, Georgia
Speaking of scorers, McConkey had 19 career touchdowns with the Bulldogs and his skill set and body type bear some resemblance to Cooper Kupp, the kind of relative comparisons pushing his draft stock into the first round since an injury-plagued junior season ended.
Best of the rest:
33. WR Xavier Worthy, Texas
34. OG Jordan Morgan, Arizona
35. QB Bo Nix, Oregon
36. OT Kingsley Suamataia, BYU
37. LB Edgerrin Cooper, Texas A&M
38. WR Troy Franklin, Oregon
39. DT Kris Jenkins, Michigan
40. WR Roman Wilson, Michigan
41. C Zach Frazier, West Virginia
42. LB Junior Colson, Michigan
43. CB Mike Sainristil, Michigan
44. EDGE Marshawn Kneeland, Western Michigan
45. WR Ricky Pearsall, Florida
46. WR Malachi Corley, Western Kentucky
47. CB Max Melton, Rutgers
48. DT Maason Smith, LSU
49. S Tyler Nubin, Minnesota
50. EDGE Chris Braswell, Alabama
