Teams have their lists of players that they’ll bang the table for on draft day. Last year, this big board tried to rank players regardless of positional value. To adjust for what makes more sense from a team-building perspective, this year the 2024 NFL Draft big board will account for positional value and truly capture the order in which these players should be drafted.
Mike Kashuba’s 2024 NFL Draft Big Board
Blue Chip Players (1 Through 9)
Caleb Williams, QB, South California
Jayden Daniels, QB, Louisiana State
Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
Malik Nabers, WR, Louisiana State
Joe Alt, WR, Notre Dame
Jer’Zhan Newton, IDL, Illinois
Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
Each of these quarterbacks is a first round talent with a bullet. Last year, Bryce Young had some pretty serious red flags that pushed him down the board. This year, there’s a clear path that these players can win and in the right system they can grow into franchise players. Each of the top three wide receivers has a case to be one of the best prospects of the last ten drafts, which is absurd to say. There’s not an edge rusher that deserves to be here, but Joe Alt is a plug and play tackle with top tier traits and technique that are awesome to see in such a young player. Finally, Jer’Zhan Newton is as disruptive as they come, and in a league that is hurting for interior presence, Newton has it all.
Early to Mid First Round Grades (10 to 21)
Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo
Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State
Cooper DeJean, CB/S, Iowa
Jared Verse, EDGE, Florida State
Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA
Byron Murphy, IDL, Texas
Taliese Fuaga, OT, Oregon State
Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama
Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
Brian Thomas Jr., WR, Louisiana State
Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
This class is flush with corners and receivers, and there’s an argument to be had for more receivers to be in this list. Fuaga and Fashanu are on opposite ends of the spectrum, between Fashanu being a crystal clear pass blocker and Fuaga being a mauler in the run game. Bowers will make a team decide how much they value a chess piece of a weapon, but in a creative system he will be a problem for defenses.
Watch: Landing Spots Impact on Fantasy Football 2024
Willing to Take in the First Round (22 to 33)
Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia
Troy Fautanu, OT, Washington
Jackson Powers-Johnson, IOL, Oregon
Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama
Braden Fiske, IDL, Florida State
Graham Barton, OT/OG, Duke
Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
Ladd McConkey, WR, Georgia
Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU
J.C. Latham, OT, Alabama
Jordan Morgan, OT, Arizona
Troy Franklin, WR, Oregon
Tons of offensive linemen in this tier. It’s either they have the physical tools to develop into a stud (Mims) or they are already a close to finished product but play a less premium position (Powers-Johnson). I wish I had Fiske higher on this 2024 NFL Draft big board, his motor is a blast to watch, but he can get pushed around a bit by more physical guards. Mitchell is the most likely to make scouts look stupid this year, either because he completely flames out or becomes a perennial All-Pro. It feels like there won’t be a middle ground with him, as opposed to Ladd McConkey who is the classic middle ground receiver who is reliable, open, and makes the easy things look easy.
Starting Caliber Players (34 to 45)
Zach Frazier, C, West Virginia
Kamari Lassiter, CB, Georgia
Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson
Tyler Guyton, OT, Oklahoma
T.J. Tampa, CB, Iowa State
Payton Wilson, LB, North Carolina State
Trey Benson, RB, Florida State
Chop Robinson, EDGE, Penn State
Javon Baker, WR, UCF
Jermaine Burton, WR, Alabama
Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State
Jonathon Brooks, RB, Texas
Maybe running backs do matter. Probably not, but Benson and Brooks can be backfield owning type running backs, and will be value added to a good offense. Wiggins fell out of the first due to his aversion to tackling. Chop has all the athleticism in the world, but it didn’t turn into anything at the college level, which is a bit of a head scratcher.
Second Round Grades (46 to
Tyler Nubin, S, Minnesota
Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
Ja’Lynn Polk, WR, Washington
Adisa Isaac, EDGE, Penn State
Ben Sinnott, TE, Kansas State
Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington
T’Vondre Sweat, IDL, Texas
Jonah Ellis, EDGE, Utah
Kris Jenkins, IDL, Michigan
Darius Robinson, EDGE, Missouri
Jaden Hicks, S, Washington State
Kiran Amegadjie, OT, Yale
Max Melton, CB, Rutgers
Mike Sainristil, CB, Michigan
Ja’Tavion Sanders, TE, Texas
Johnny Wilson, WR, Florida State
Ennis Rakestraw Jr., Missouri
Roman Wilson, WR, Michigan
Christian Haynes, OG, Connecticut
Brandon Dorlus, IDL, Oregon
Between backup QBs who can be a bridge starter if required to day one impact IDL, this list is a weird one. Sweat went tumbling down some folks boards, but he’s still a massive human who moves like a much smaller guy, so if he can get on the straight and narrow it will be a sight to see. The corners all have their nice aspects, but Tyler Nubin at safety is a player that I just wish the NFL valued safeties more. Johnny Wilson is a fun watch, if he figures it all out he’s going to be a problem.
Main Photo Credit: Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports
