On January 15, the best college players completed their registration for the 2024 NFL Draft.
This is a great opportunity to take an overview of the forces present, focusing on a top 10, initially offensive, by position.
For certain positions, the preferential role is provided in parentheses. The top 10 defensive players will be published on Friday.
QUARTERBACKS
1. Drake Maye (North Carolina)
2. Caleb Williams (USC)
3. Jayden Daniels (LSU)
4. Michael Penix Jr. (Washington)
5. JJ McCarthy (Michigan)
6. Bo Nix (Ore.)
7. Michael Pratt (Tulane)
8. Sam Hartman (Notre Dame)
9. Spencer Rattler (South Carolina)
10. Joe Milton III (Tennessee)
Other players mentioned: none.
Pretty unanimous top 10, in a class marked by the return of many prospects to university next year. Quinn Ewers (Texas) is one of them, which announces, at the start of the draft process, a battle for the 3rd quarterback spot between the mobile Jayden Daniels, best university player of the season, and the very vertical Michael Penix Jr., unfortunate loser in the last university final.
Protagonist of the Netflix series “QB1: Beyond the Lights” retracing the journey of high school stars of the time, Spencer Rattler intends to join the NFL, but will surely be polarizing, given the inconsistency too often observed, first at Oklahoma then to South Carolina.
RUNNING BACKS
1. Blake Corum (Michigan)
2. Trey Benson (Florida State)
3. Audric Estimé (Notre Dame)
4. Jonathon Brooks (Texas)
5. Will Shipley (Clemson)
6. Bucky Irving (Oregon)
7. Braelon Allen (Wisconsin)
8. Ray Davis (Kentucky)
9. Dillon Johnson (Washington)
10. Carson Steele (UCLA)
Other players cited: MarShawn Lloyd (USC), Jawhar Jordan (Louisville), Isaiah Davis (South Dakota State).
MVP of the last university final won by Michigan, Blake Corum perfectly punctuated an almost faultless run at the university. Lively and intense, he has all the qualities required to quickly become a starting rider among the pros. Here again, it is more on the 3rd spot that the discussion is more open, with a thunderous Jonathon Brooks at Texas before a torn cruciate ligament which could redistribute the cards during the offseason. In this game, the liveliness of Will Shipley and the imposing size of Audric Estimé are strong arguments for climbing the hierarchy.
RECEIVERS
1. Marvin Harrison Jr. (Ohio State)
2. Malik Nabers (LSU)
3. Rome Odunze (Washington)
4. Keon Coleman (Florida State)
5. Troy Franklin (Ore.)
6. Brian Thomas Jr. (LSU)
7. Devont Walker (North Carolina)
8. Ladd McConkey (Georgia)
9. Adonai Mitchell (Texas)
10. Ja’Lynn Polk (Washington)
Other players cited: Xavier Legette (South Carolina), Johnny Wilson (Florida State).
Few upheavals in the overall hierarchy, with a fairly well established top 5, while waiting to see the Combine in particular.
Behind, some good deals are potentially to be made, with a reliable Ladd McConkey at Georgia but too often absent in 2023, and a Tez Walker capable of putting on a show but whose year was rotten by strict NCAA rules prohibiting him from playing with North Carolina throughout the start of the season.
Jackson Powers-Johnson, the center… of attention!
TIGHT ENDS
1. Brock Bowers (Georgia)
2. JT Sanders (Texas)
3. Jaheim Bell (Florida State)
4. Cade Stover (Ohio State)
5. Dallin Holker (Colorado State)
6. Ben Sinnott (Kansas State)
7. AJ Barner (Michigan)
8. Theo Johnson (Penn State)
9. Brevyn Spann-Ford (Minnesota)
10. Bryson Nesbit (North Carolina)
Other players cited: Trey Knox (Arkansas), Jared Wiley (TCU), Tip Reiman (Illinois), Erick All (Iowa).
2024 will surely be placed under the sign of tight ends blockers, with a crop of good technicians, solid on the ground game, but who for some remain quite capable of improvement in the aerial field.
Among the curiosities: Dallin Holker, from Colorado State, who has contributed to the best form of his program in recent months, or the very versatile Bryson Nesbit, whose profile is quite similar to that of Tommy Tremble (Carolina Panthers).
TACKLES
1. Olu Fashanu (Penn State)
2. Joe Alt (Notre Dame)
3. Taliese Fuaga (Oregon State)
4. Amarius Mims (Georgia)
5. JC Latham (Alabama)
6. Tyler Guyton (Oklahoma)
7. Jordan Morgan (Ariz.)
8. Patrick Paul (Houston)
9. Kingsley Suamataia (BYU)
10. Blake Fisher (Notre Dame)
Other player cited: Javon Foster (Missouri).
Tackles are often seen as the safe pick by undecided teams in the first round, and given this class, this could offer a day one raid on outside linemen, with 8-9 candidates as it stands.
The continued emergence of Taliese Fuaga at Oregon State allows him to be more visible at the end of the season than a technically raw Amarius Mims and a far too stagnant JC Latham, like a complicated university semi-final. against Michigan.
GUARDS / CENTERS
1. Graham Barton (L, Duke)
2. Cooper Beebe (G, Kansas State)
3. Sedrick Van Pran (C, Georgia)
4. Troy Fautanu (G, Washington)
5. Jackson Powers-Johnson (C, Oregon)
6. Zak Zinter (G, Michigan)
7. Christian Haynes (G, Connecticut)
8. Zach Frazier (C, West Virginia)
9. Dominick Puni (G, Kansas)
10. Christian Mahogany (G, Boston College)
Other players cited: Javion Cohen (G, Miami FL), Beaux Limmer (C, Arkansas), Layden Robinson (G, Texas A&M), LaDarius Henderson (G, Michigan).
Both left tackles in college, Graham Barton and Troy Fautanu are highly sought-after profiles in the modern NFL, due to their ability to stall effectively and crack down on the ground game, and should therefore refocus on a playing role. guard in the elite.
Excellent in recent months at Michigan, Zak Zinter is further behind due to an injury against Ohio State, which could strongly impact his value in the eyes of scouts. For the role of best center, the battle rages, because the experience of major events of Sedrick Van Pran is opposed by the solidity of Jackson Powers-Johnson, almost untouchable in pass protection in 2023.
