2024 NFL Draft: Wide Receivers

Rank	Name	Position	School	Rating
1	Marvin Harrison Jr.	WR	Ohio State	97.41
3	Malik Nabers	WR	LSU	91.81
7	Rome Odunze	WR	Washington	88.58
20	Brian Thomas Jr.	WR	LSU	81.11
29	Keon Coleman	WR	Florida State	77.46
41	Xavier Worthy	WR	Texas	74.05
42	Adonai Mitchell	WR	Texas	73.86
44	Xavier Legette	WR	South Carolina	73.54
46	Troy Franklin	WR	Oregon	73.02
51	Ladd McConkey	WR	Georgia	71.94
56	Roman Wilson	WR	Michigan	70.70
66	Malachi Corley	WR	Western Kentucky	68.44
69	Ja’Lynn Polk	WR	Washington	68.30
78	Devontez Walker	WR	North Carolina	66.32
80	Ricky Pearsall	WR	Florida	66.08
83	Jalen McMillan	WR	Washington	65.51
102	Jermaine Burton	WR	Alabama	62.70
114	Brenden Rice	WR	USC	60.24
118	Javon Baker	WR	UCF	59.41

I am reasonably confident that this is the best wide receiver class of my lifetime. It contains my #1, #3, and #7 players in the class. There’s depth, with 16 getting a third-round grade or better. If you are looking for a wide receiver, you should be able to find one.

Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State: Prototype size and speed. Dominant in college, despite regularly being the focus of the defensive game plan. Regularly beat double coverage. Has the evasive skills to create separation against man coverage. Knows how to read a defense and find the soft spot in the zone. Excellent hands. Harrison was highly efficient despite high usage and significant defensive attention.

If we want to look for flaws, I can think of two. The first is physicality. Harrison Jr. is not the kind of player who tries to overpower defensive backs. He’s better at evading tackles than breaking them. The second is that he’s a bit conservative. He’ll focus on securing the ball, and will surrender potential YAC that a more aggressive wide receiver could have gained.

The fact is, football involves tradeoffs. I am fine with how Harrison Jr. plays. He looks like a future All Pro. He’s my #1 non-quarterback in the class and would be my first non-QB off the board.

Malik Nabers, LSU: In three years at LSU, Nabers averaged 63 receptions, 1,001 yards. That left him as the school leader in both categories. He earned Freshman All-SEC honors, and led the SEC in receptions for each of the past two seasons. The dude can play.

Nabers is thick (and fast), weighing nearly as much as Harrison Jr., despite being three inches shorter. He tortured defenders by changing speeds at will. His ability to stop was as impressive as his ability to blow-by cornerbacks. In a normal year, he’d by my WR1.

The one adjustment Nabers will have to make in the NFL is he’ll have to be slightly more conservative in terms of busting a move after the catch. Most of the drops I saw from him were from him trying to make a move before securing the ball. With tighter NFL coverage, he’ll have to accept less YAC until he earns his quarterback’s trust.

One note: While Harrison Jr. did most of his damage on the outside, Nabers worked primarily from the slot. Say it with me now:

“The slot is a cheat code. The slot is a limited resource.”

Even so, Nabers would be my second non-quarterback off the board. He’s a future NFL star #1WR.

Rome Odunze, Washington: Odunze played through broken ribs last season, leading the nation with 1,640 receiving yards. I don’t think I could fill out a tax form with broken ribs.

While fast and athletic, Odunze doesn’t quite have the speed of Harrison Jr. or Nabers. What he does have is a particular set of skills. Skills that embarrassed defensive backs in contested catch situations. Odunze was elite at getting to the spot, shielding the defender, and rising to pluck the ball out of the air.

A significant portion of Washington’s success came from quarterback Michael Penix Jr. chucking the ball towards Odunze’s vicinity. Odunze’s ability to win in space made that an effective strategy. In the NFL, it’s better to avoid contested catches in the first place.

I should note that it’s not like Odunze lacked separation. His route tree stats were S-Tier. He’s a great prospect and would be my third wide receiver off the board. I see him as a solid top-ten value. Truth be told, most years Odunze would be my #1WR. This class is just loaded at WR.

(Editor’s note: While Odunze did sometimes line up in the slot, he worked primarily on the outside.)

Brian Thomas Jr., LSU: In an alternate universe, Thomas Jr. would look forward to being a first-round pick in the NBA Draft. He was an elite basketball player before choosing to focus on football. That decision paid off in 2023: 68 receptions, 1,177 yards, 17 touchdowns.

Thomas Jr. has obscene “football speed.” His ability to accelerate off the snap put immediate pressure on opposing defenses. His explosiveness after the catch routinely surprised defenders, forcing them into bad angles.

Thomas Jr. has only played football for a few years, so he’s still learning some of the finer points of the game. He clearly “heard footsteps” when forced to make a catch with a hit incoming shortly thereafter. He also was the beneficiary of Nabers Jr. taking the brunt of the defensive attention. I know he had to face SEC defenses. Even so, expect Thomas Jr. to face a large leap in difficulty when he jumps to the NFL.

Thomas Jr. is an intriguing prospect. He has enormous upside, but with only one year of elite production, it’s hard to know for sure what kind of impact he’ll make. I’d be fine gambling that his tools will eventually pay off. WR4 and a solid top-twenty value.

Keon Coleman, Florida State: Coleman combines impressive size, an enormous catch radius, and quality football speed. On film, he looks the part of an NFL wide receiver. He should be able to bully smaller cornerbacks and separate from safeties.

The film shows some weaknesses as well. His ability to make quick transitions wasn’t great. Until he improves his footwork coming in and out of breaks, his ability to create separation from NFL cornerbacks will be a question. The ability to make contested catches is a nice bonus, but it can’t be your whole personality.

There’s also the issue of his combine. It would have raised some eyebrows if he skipped the 40. Still, that might have been better than dropping a 4.61.

Coleman earned a first-round grade due to his production, but there are some questions he’ll need to answer at the next level. His skill-set is remarkably similar to Laquon Treadwell. I will admit, Coleman did better on the explosiveness testing at the combine. Coleman will need to refine his route-running technique to give his quarterback a proper window to hit. The film says he has NFL-level hands. I would be leery of taking him until day two.

Xavier Worthy, Texas: The 49ers and Dolphins have built elite offenses partially based on raw speed. Defenses simply cannot cover all of the territory that the these offenses can attack. In short, speed kills. That brings me to Xavier Worthy. The best pure (undersized) speed threat in the draft. No separation concerns here. Worthy is always a threat to break a big play with the ball in his hands. But that’s the rub.

Worthy had a very good freshman season and an excellent junior season. In between, he showed an unfortunate capacity for drops. Mooney is shorter and thinner than the NFL prototype. He’ll present a smaller catch radius, so he’ll need to both create separation, and retrieve the catchable balls sent his way.

I am generally leery of speedsters with questionable hands. The production rarely matches the upside. Having said that, I should note that Worthy has special teams experience. With the new NFL kickoff rules, Worthy can provide value in the return game while he develops as a receiver. As such, I see him as a solid early second-round value.

Adonai Mitchell, Texas: Mitchell didn’t impress at Georgia. Quality athleticism. Excellent season with Texas. Defenses were terrified of Worthy. Mitchell took advantage. He scored two touchdowns in the early-season upset of Alabama. His fourth quarter touchdown against Washington left a solid closing argument that he can play in the NFL.

For Mitchell, the problem is that he was pretty bad most of the time. His route-running when not the primary option, was lackadaisical at best. His blocking is limited by his size, but even so, the effort wasn’t really there. Mitchell saved his energy for the key plays where he expected to be targeted.

The more that I think about it, the more inclined I am to not worry too much about those issues. NFL coaches won’t tolerate that bullshit, so Mitchell will adjust. That might require better conditioning, which will come with time. I am convinced that Mitchell will be able to beat NFL coverage.

I see Mitchell as an early second-round value. Worthy was the more threatening Texas WR in college. Mitchell might be the better option as a pro. If he sneaks into the first-round, I’ll understand it. Beating top competition is the #1 requirement for an NFL wide receiver and Mitchell looks like he can.

Xavier Legette, South Carolina: I loved Legette’s film. Even when he was getting beat, I loved his film. Press coverage slowing him down? He has the strength and athleticism to beat it. He just needs more reps in practice. Catches the ball with his body instead of his hands? Set his status to “In a relationship… with a JUGS machine.”

I probably should explain what I mean. Legette showed all the traits and skills to succeed at the next level. His flaws and weaknesses all look correctable. Legette looks like an unpolished diamond to me. In short, I expect him to shine in the NFL.

Legette can win outside. He can win inside. He can win on special teams. His kick return skills should pay immediate dividends. Legette surprises defenses by having an additional gear when they expect him to have topped out.

The major knock is that he might require some scheme protection to get open. Okay. That’s what coaches get paid to do. Legette is still developing as a receiver. His raw talent suggests he’ll eventually be a player that can threaten defenses all over the field.

I adore Legette as a prospect. Solid early second-round value.

(Editor’s note: Legette turned 23 in January.)

Troy Franklin, Oregon: Hrm. When I adjust for size, that green ain’t green enough. Franklin won’t have the strength to overpower defensive backs. He’ll have to create separation. He’s fast, but so are NFL cornerbacks.

The upside is that he showed a good understanding of how to beat a variety of coverage schemes. He earned Bo Nix’s trust by giving him a large window to hit, despite having a small frame. Repeating that trick at the next level will be the key.

Like Xavier Worthy, Frankin is sub-180, with sub-9” hands. Unlike worthy, he doesn’t have eye-popping speed. The hope is that Franklin will develop into a solid #2WR. His route-running skills are nice. I’m less than impressed by his raw talent and tools. I wouldn’t want to touch him until the third round. I expect he’ll be long gone by then.

Ladd McConkey, Georgia: Man, I am so relieved. I don’t like McConkey as a prospect, but it’s not because of his athleticism. Sub-4.4 speed. I’m not racially profiling him. It’s just that he’s undersized, with very small hands.

Having said all of that, there’s a lot to like in McConkey’s film. He routinely embarrassed cornerbacks, using his route-running skills to get open at all three levels. McConkey is remarkably polished.

Unfortunately, that polish also limits his upside. It will be difficult for him to put on much more mass, so expect defensive backs to muscle him. He has good athleticism, but again, adjusting for size, it’s nothing special. And I just don’t trust speedsters with small hands.

McConkey will likely come off the board early in the second round. I would not take him that high. I appreciate that he has punt return experience. He did a decent job there. Nothing eye-popping though. Like Worthy, I wouldn’t want to touch McConkey until round three. I hope they both prove me wrong. We’ll see.

Roman Wilson, Michigan: Fast. Undersized. Great hands. Wilson didn’t see a ton of action at Michigan until 2023. He emerged as a premier deep threat, helping lead the Wolverines to a national championship.

He worked primarily from the slot in college. In this case in particular, I’m less concerned about that. He wasn’t a traditional slot receiver, working primarily short-to-midrange, in the middle of the field. The concern at the NFL-level is that he won’t have the evasive skills or the physicality to keep working from the slot. There’s a reason most NFL deep threats prefer to work from the outside. Wilson will want to stay away from traffic.

Initially, look for Wilson to be a pure speedster, stretching defenses and opening up space underneath. In time, Wilson might be able to develop into a well-rounded #2WR. I’m a little concerned that he’ll have to adjust to working outside more. Overall, I like Wilson as a prospect and would feel comfortable taking him outside of the top 50. If the Giants grabbed him at #47, I’d understand the move.

Malachi Corley, Western Michigan: On the plus side, Corley produced 2,377 yards-from-scrimmage over the past two seasons (22 touchdowns). He had three games of 150+ receiving yards over that span. He was capable of dominating defenses, against lower-level competition. That’s not to say he was useless when stepping up. Eight receptions for 88 yards against Ohio State is nothing to sneeze at.

The first issue for Corley is that he’s not a special athlete by NFL standards. In theory, he should be able to bully smaller defensive backs, but that wasn’t really the case in college. The second issue is that his route-running skills will need significant work. The third is that he was a slot specialist, building up most of his yardage after the (short) catch.

Corley is considered a WR/RB hybrid. I’m skeptical. His vision behind the line-of-scrimmage wasn’t great. He worked well in space, trusting a combination of evasiveness and strength. He got a lot of extra yardage by forcing defenders into tough angles to get leverage.

My main concern is that Corley isn’t going to be able to create as much separation in the pros. He’ll need to improve his skills at shielding the defenders away from the ball. I’ve seen some comparisons to Deebo Samuel. That strikes me as highly optimistic. Deebo was the more explosive athlete, and somewhat more agile as well. I have Corley as a round-three value. He’s a player who can help fill out your WR corps.

Ja’Lynn Polk, Washington: Polk put up 1,191 yards-from-scrimmage last season (10 touchdowns). Not bad for the #2WR. Decent athlete. Polk was very good at tracking and snatching deep balls. He was also kind of sneaky, throwing in an extra move late to catch the defensive back off guard.

The main issue for Polk is that he doesn’t appear to have the skills to create good separation in the NFL. His speed won’t scare defensive backs. His size will be helpful against press coverage, and the bumps that we see downfield.

I don’t know what to make of the fact that Polk had 100+ yard receiving in six of Washington’s first eight games, but only one such performance in the their final seven games. In fact, he put up a goose egg against both Oregon State and Washington State. The film wasn’t pretty. Bad times in poor conditions. Collectively, he was targeted 10 times for 0 receptions, and one interception. Now, he also had five receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown against Texas.

Overall Polk feels like a round-three value. Like Corley, he should provide quality WR depth at a reasonable cost.

Devontez Walker, North Carolina: 41 receptions, 699 yards, seven touchdowns in eight games. Not bad Mr. Walker. There was a lot of discussion of what to expect from Walker at the combine. Lousy 3-cone performance aside, Walker lived up to expectations.

Walker’s length helped him turn some off-target throws into big gains. His natural athleticism and talent made him very tough to cover on midrange-to-deep balls. The rub is that he’s still pretty raw. He’ll need a lot of coaching and practice to live up to his true potential. His current skill-set is limited, so it might take him some time to reach his full potential.

The upside on Walker is high. His ability to break big plays will put a lot of pressure on defenses. I expect he’ll be available in the third-round. I see him as a solid threat outside of the top-fifty. If a team reaches for him, the upside is there to eventually justify it.

Ricky Pearsall, Florida: Turns 24 in September. We can talk about Pearsall’s athleticism (good athlete, albeit undersized). We can talk about his production (1,027 yards-from-scrimmage, six touchdowns). We can talk about his skills as a zone-buster. The dude knew how to find the holes in the coverage. But we absolutely must preface it all with the fact he turns 24 in September.

Pearsall needed to shine at the combine. His tape didn’t make it clear just how fast he was. Perhaps that suggests he still needs to figure out how to turn track speed into football speed. He also needs to get better at separating from press coverage. The lack of physicality was notable.

I’m going to cut Pearsall some slack in one respect. Florida’s offense wasn’t great. Poor coaching/quarterback play prevented Pearsall from putting up better numbers. But I’m not buying the mocks that have him slipping into the first round. I see a third-round value. A mid third-round value.

Jalen McMillan, Washington: McMillan put up great numbers (79 receptions, 1098 yards, nine touchdowns) in an injury-free 2022 season. 2023 was a bit trickier, as a knee-injury pretty much stole the middle of the season from him.

Pre-injury, he put up 20 receptions for 311 yards and three touchdowns in his first three games. In Washington’s final three games, McMillan had 20 receptions for 222 yards and two touchdowns.

Decent combine. Note the 10-inch hands. That’s something you can’t teach. One issue McMillan will face is that Washington’s offense was deep. Rome Odunze and Ja’Lynn Polk took a lot of pressure off of McMillan. Tight end Jack Westover opened up space underneath.

Right now McMillan looks like a possession receiver who’ll work out of the slot. That limits his value. He’ll need to prove he can get open against tougher coverage, or at least consistently make contested catches to move the sticks.

Some final notes, good and bad. The good news is that McMillan did a fine job run-blocking. The effort and the physicality were there. Decent technique too. The bad news is that his slow starting speed from his 40-time showed up on film. Also, once he reached cruising speed, he didn’t seem to have a nitro burst to get that extra half-step to track down the ball.

My sense is that if McMillan can stay healthy, his 2022 performance will prove predictive of NFL success. I see him as a solid third-round value.

Jermaine Burton, Alabama: Please trust me when I tell you that Burton’s numbers over the past two seasons at Alabama are not reflective of his true talent (79 receptions, 1,475 yards, 15 touchdowns over 26 games). He could have easily averaged four or five receptions per game with better quarterback play. The dude got open.

Pretty good combine. Solid hands. Burton played fast on film. Comfortable working outside. Was able to make sharp cuts without losing speed. I have compete confidence Burton can get the job done at the next level.

There are some areas where he’ll need to improve. His proximity sense of the sideline and footwork near the boundary were poor. His run-blocking is going to have to get better, lest he piss off his coaches.

I’ll also note that right now, his skills are more suited for the deep passing game. Being able to run a full route tree isn’t the same thing as being able to run all the routes well. On shorter routes, it was clear he was thinking as opposed to simply knowing when to make his cut. Hopefully he can fix that with more practice and experience.

The question for Burton is will he be able to become a complete receiver, or is his ceiling limited to being a deep threat #2WR? My sense is that he’s capable of doing more than he showed at Georgia and Alabama. My eyes are telling me Burton is a late second-round value. I don’t expect him to go that high, which means that the team that gets him might have found a steal.

Brenden Rice, USC: A guy with athletic numbers like these is going to have to win with savvy and technique. Rice impressed me with his effort. He didn’t give up on routes, aggressively working back to his quarterback on scrambles. His cuts showed off years of practice and proper technique. It’s not an accident that Rice scored 11 touchdowns last year for USC.

The issue for Rice is separation. He simply does not have quick feet on film. I’m a little concerned that NFL cornerbacks will stick to Rice like… rice. He looks the part, but it’s not clear that he has the quickness or speed to play the part.

As much as I liked what Rice did at USC, I’m skeptical he’ll be able to start in the NFL. He’s an early day three prospect for me.

(Editor’s note: Brenden Rice is Jerry Rice’s son.)

Javon Baker, UCF: 52 receptions, 1,139 yards, seven touchdowns. That’s an impressive season, even by Big 12 standards. That’s important, because his combine showed his limitations.

Baker was very good at changing speeds to create separation. While he was clearly a deep threat, he was also able to do damage in the short-to-midrange. His route-running skills are solid (by Big 12 standards) and should be able to move to the next level in the NFL.

Baker’s lack of top-end speed limits his upside. NFL deep threats usually don’t run a 4.54. He’ll have to rely on his physicality, length, hands, and route-running savvy to earn playing time. I’m going to trust the film. I see a dude who can play. Late round three value.