2024 Top 5 Prospects by Position: Wide Receivers

1. Marvin Harrison Jr., OSU

Harrison is the top prospect in the 2024 draft class. He is an elite athlete with great hands and incredible athleticism. He can match any catch, as he especially has the talent to make acrobatic and spectacular catches. He has an excellent route tree and footwork off the line, as well as the ability to break press off the line. He’s quick and explosive off the line for his size. He can break tackles and uses his good size to come down with contested catches. His long arms allow him to be able to run under the ball and have great deep-threat ability. His cuts in and out of routes could be improved, as you would expect more out of his athleticism. He should be the first player selected in this list come April in the draft.

2. Malik Nabers, LSU

Nabers is my favorite prospect in this draft class. He is the most explosive player in the class. His main weakness is his tendency to catch with his body, but with such few drops in his college career, I refuse to see this as much of an issue. He has a developed route tree and knows how to get open consistently. He explodes off the line and has excellent footwork inside of his routes, and when the ball is in the air he can adjust and contort his body to make the catch. He is dynamic with the ball in his hands after the catch and can make plays happen. He is slightly undersized at 6 foot even, but what he lacks in size he makes up for is his ability to fight for extra yards when being tackled. When he picks up to his top speed it seems he is almost impossible to stop. He could easily be a top 5 pick in the NFL Draft, but will he be selected before Marvin Harrison Jr.?

3. Rome Odunze, WASH

There is a lot to love about Rome Odunze. His best feature is his ability to make acrobatic catches and adjust to poorly thrown balls and reel them in. He can be flexible and contort his body to make big catches downfield. He is also very efficient in traffic and high-points the football with deep throws down the field. His ball-tracking ability is up there with the best in this class. His release package is slightly underwhelming and press corners may cause him trouble in the NFL. His timing is sometimes thrown off by bigger, physical corners, and causing his routes to be delayed. He catches more often with his chest than his hands and is utilized in getting screens and jet sweeps. He is very efficient in the open field, and good at working yards after the catch. Rome has become a top 10 prospect in the NFL Draft.

4. Brian Thomas Jr., LSU

Brian Thomas Jr. is larger in size and weight than his LSU counterpart, Malik Nabers but Thomas flashes some similarities. He has fluid motions in and out of his routes, and his hands are among the top of his class. Thomas has a great catch radius, and his strong, but soft hands can deliver when targeted in traffic. He has good overall body control and can make special catches downfield. He does, however, lack the speed and overall athleticism that Nabers provides. Against NFL cornerbacks, he is going to need to rely on his technique as opposed to leaning back on athleticism. A team could be willing to trade up to land him.  

5. Ladd McConkey, UGA

Ladd can run precise routes and has nice smooth cuts in and out of his routes. He has good initial quickness off the line but seems to lack straight-line speed at times. He can be a legitimate deep threat as he can track balls well but lacks the size to be a constant threat for contested catches. He brings value in the run game, as he was a proficient blocker at Georgia. He has a twitch in his routes and works smoothly across the field. He won’t be able to create constant separation on deeper routes on the outside.