Top News2024 NFL Draft Consensus Big Board: Could Brock Bowers, Malik Nabers Go...

2024 NFL Draft Consensus Big Board: Could Brock Bowers, Malik Nabers Go Top 5?

As the 2024 NFL Draft class continues to evolve, it's time to take stock of which prospects are going to dominate the early-round conversation for the next four months.

AthleticTheir consensus Big Board aggregates the rankings of a wide range of draft experts to determine how top prospects are viewed relative to the rest of their class. In theory, by the time we reach draft weekend, these rankings should help us know how the picks could (or, at least, should) play out.

Let's see how things have changed since our December consensus panel…

2024 NFL Draft Consensus Board

Id pos School Past Change

1

Marvin Harrison Jr

WR

1

0

2

Caleb Williams

KP

2

0

3

Drake Maye

KP

3

0

4

Joe Alt

OT

5

1

5

Bragg Bowers

The

4

-1

6

This is Fashanu

OT

6

0

7

Malik Nabars

WR

12

5

8

Rome Oduns

WR

13

5

9

Dallas Turner

Edge

7

-2

10

Jayden Daniels

KP

16

6

11

JC Latham

OT

10

-1

12

Layado Latu

Edge

9

-3

13

Jared verse

Edge

11

-2

14

Nate Wiggins

CP

19

5

15

Cooper Dejean

CP

22

7

16

George Newton

TD

14

-2

17

Amarius Mims

OT

21

4

18

Kool-Aid McKinstry

CP

8

-10

19

Derian Arnold

CP

31

12

20

laughter

OT/G

20

0

21

Keon Coleman

WR

18

-3

22

Brian Thomas Jr

WR

NR

NR

23

Bralan Trice

Edge

25

2

24

Michael Benix Jr

KP

27

3

25

Chop the Robinson

Edge

17

-8

26

Troy Fatanu

OT/G

43

17

27

Go Knicks

KP

28

1

28

Quinyon Mitchell

CP

48

20

29

Jordan Morgan

OT

50

21

30

Kamari Lassiter

CP

40

10

31

JJ McCarthy

KP

35

4

32

Adonai Mitchell

WR

38

6

33

Troy Franklin

WR

42

9

34

Kingsley Sumadia

OT

33

-1

35

Graham Barton

OT/G

36

1

36

Kamran Kinjans

S

30

-6

37

Tyler Guyton

OT

NR

NR

38

Byron Murphy II

D.L

NR

NR

39

Ennis Rockstraw Jr.

CP

NR

NR

40

Tyler Nubin

S

32

-8

41

Callen King

CP

29

-12

42

Chris Braswell

Edge

NR

NR

43

Lot McConkey

WR

NR

NR

44

Leonard Taylor III

D.L

46

2

45

D'Vondre sweats

D.L

NR

NR

46

Xavier Leggett

WR

44

-2

47

Jackson Powers-Johnson

C

NR

NR

48

Xavier Eligibility

WR

26

-22

49

Patrick Paul

OT

NR

NR

50

Chris Jenkins

TD

NR

NR

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(Players shaded in red fell 10 points or more; players shaded in orange rose 10 points or more, or were not ranked in the previous consensus group.)

Some thoughts on the updated board:

1. Does the WR/TE run outperform the QB run?

With the Chicago Bears, Washington Commanders and New England Patriots currently in the top three, the Williams-May duo will fall out of the group with the No. 3 pick — last. Ohio State superstar WR Marvin Harrison Jr. should be the other part of that equation.

then what?

Well, in Dan Bruegler's mock draft last week, LSU WR Malik Nabbers was picked no. 4 (Arizona Cardinals), followed by Georgia's two-everything TE Brock Bowers at no. 5 at (Los Angeles Chargers) and Washington WR Rome Oduns at no. 6 (New York Giants). The next QB, LSU's Jayden Daniels, was the No. 1 in the after party. Joined (Atlanta Falcons) at 8.

No matter which way you slice it, this draft is the top Very much Offense-serious. Our consensus board followed Bruegler's lead, with Nabers and Odunze (up five spots each) ahead of Daniels (up six). This looks to be a good year for top-10 teams to add a dynamic playmaker.

Go deeper

Why did the Patriots pick Marvin Harrison Jr. (and not a QB) at no. It might be wise to build on 3

2. Dallas Turner is on a defensive island

On the flip side, we have Alabama edge Dallas Turner — the lone defender in the top 11 of the latest Big Board. Last time out, Turner had the company of his Crimson Tide teammate Kool-Aid McKinstry, who fell 10 spots to 18th, and UCLA edge Latu fell three spots to 12th.

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A quick scan of the revamped board suggests that those teams that select teenagers could put together a run of defensive players. Iowa cornerback Cooper Dejean moved up seven spots to No. 15 and Alabama corner Derian Arnold moved up from 12th to 19th to round out that mid-round 1 range.

3. When do teams land on a second group of QBs?

Brugler started the second quarterback rush in the Big 19, sending Michigan's JJ McCarthy to the Los Angeles Rams as Matthew Stafford's draft and developmental successor. Oregon's Bo Nix, New England's No. 34, and Washington's Michael Benix Jr. to the Las Vegas Raiders, no. 44, had to wait till Round 2.

But the order is flipped on our consensus board: Bennix is ​​the highest-ranked of those three quarterbacks at No. is at 24, followed by Knicks (28) and McCarthy (31). Pursuing QB placement at the end of Round 1 is usually very difficult because most teams that pick there make the playoffs and have a long-term answer under center.

Would the Rams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers or Pittsburgh Steelers, for example, consider jumping on a quarterback so soon? Would the Washington, Giants or Minnesota Vikings consider trading up from Round 2 to Round 1? Assuming Williams, Maye and Daniels are gone early, it will be interesting to see what happens once QB4 comes off the board.

Go deeper

The 15 Most Intriguing Early Entry Prospects in the 2024 NFL Draft

4. The starting O-line depth looks strong

Not only do Notre Dame OT Joe Alt (No. 4) and Penn State OT Olu Fashanu (No. 6) appear in the Big Board's top 10, but there are five offensive linemen in the top 20 and a dozen in the top 50. Player board.

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Finding plug-and-play offensive linemen is always a challenge — even when teams make early Round 1 picks for those positions. However, the latest panel suggests there should be opportunities to make an impact on the second day of the draft (and beyond).

Biggest “Riser” after our Dec. 18 Consensus Group: LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr.

Again, some are playing catch-up — Bruegler has Thomas no. Held 25, was re-released on 1 November. But even with that love Athletic, Thomas has not cracked the consensus top 50 until this edition. He jumped to 22nd in his debut, one spot behind Florida State's Keon Coleman.

Where Thomas lands in Brugler's latest mock: No. to Jacksonville. 17.

(Top photo by Brock Bowers: Todd Kirkland/Getty Images)

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