Mel Kiper Jr's Updated 2024 NFL Big Board Draft Rankings

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2024 NFL draft rankings: Mel Kiper's Big Board, best prospects​

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Mel Kiper Jr


I'm back with a mini-update of my prospect rankings for the 2024 NFL draft after two weeks of the college football season. Why update now? Because I need to reset based on how great Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders has looked, carrying over his momentum from his time at Jackson State.

As I mentioned during the preseason, I spent a looooong time this summer going back through the 2022 tape, watching lots of cut-ups and dozens of entire games. I had a watchlist of rising seniors and juniors after last season ended, but I kept adding prospects to the list based on my calls with scouts and front office execs in the NFL. I also love it when a player I don't have many notes on just keeps standing out, forcing me to make more calls and get the lowdown on their game.

Let's get into my top 25 prospects overall for the class of 2024, with the top six prospects at every position below that list (and a full top 10 for the signal-callers). If you read Matt Miller's preseason mock draft, I don't think you'll be too surprised by my No. 1-ranked prospect. I do have a few different names, though. It's very early, obviously, a lot will change between now and when I get on set in Detroit for the draft, which begins April 25.

Two notes on these rankings before you dig in:

• There is a lot of projection involved here. Many of these prospects have started only a handful of games, so I'm not yet writing up detailed scouting reports. I expect many of them to be stronger, faster and better as we get closer to the draft, so I'll adjust my rankings as the season moves on.
• Heights and weights are based on what we have from schools; we don't get official numbers until the 2024 combine in March.

 

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25. Chop Robinson, OLB, Penn State​

6-3, 250 pounds | Previously: 9

When I went back through Robinson's tape over the summer, I was really impressed. I love the way he plays. He makes his presence felt against both the run and the pass. He's an awesome and natural pass-rusher -- he always has a plan against offensive tackles. He uses inside and outside moves to get to quarterbacks. He's explosive to the ball. Robinson had 5.5 sacks last season, and he hasn't gotten to the quarterback just yet this season. If you look at how often he was close to getting a sack, you can see why he has breakout potential, though.

 

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24. Bo Nix, QB, Oregon​

6-2, 217 pounds | Previously: 21

Nix started 34 games for Auburn from 2019-2021, completing 59.4% of his passes while throwing 39 touchdown passes with 16 picks. That's fine, of course, but I never saw him as more than a Day 3 developmental pick. After a stellar season at Oregon, though, I moved Nix way up the board. He was magnificent in 2022, completing 71.9% of his passes while throwing 29 touchdown passes with seven picks and adding 14 rushing scores. That's a Joe Burrow-esque rise after transferring. Nix has a strong arm, can drop dimes on the run, and his experience is a huge plus.

Can he keep it up this season? The Oregon offense puts Nix in a position to succeed, and he doesn't always have to drive the ball down the field. I'd like to see more of those throws this season. He ranked 116th in the FBS in air yards per attempt (6.6) a year ago. That's not his fault -- he did an excellent job taking what the defense gave him. But he has the arm strength to make drive throws, and that's how he can keep moving up the board.

 

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23. Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State​

6-1, 205 pounds | Previously: 18

Yes, another Ohio State wide receiver. The Buckeyes have had three wideouts picked in Round 1 in the past two drafts, and they could have two more in 2024. Egbuka did most of his damage out of the slot last season, catching 47 passes for 692 yards with eight touchdowns when lined up there. He added two more scores when lined up wide. His biggest strength is his consistency -- he picked up 50 first downs on his 74 total catches in 2022. Egbuka knows how to get open and has excellent pace and timing on his routes. He has eight catches for 110 yards and a TD this season.

 

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22. Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas​

6-1, 172 pounds | Previously: NR

Worthy is an electrifying player with the ball in his hands. His quickness and movement in space reminds me a little bit of Marquise "Hollywood" Brown, who starred at Oklahoma and was a first-round pick in 2019. Worthy is tall but very thin. He can fly by cornerbacks on vertical routes. He had 60 catches for 760 yards and nine scores last season and has 12 catches for 165 yards and a TD this season.

His biggest problem? Catching the ball. He already has three drops this season after dropping 10 a year ago. He has to be more consistent. Now, he dealt with a hand injury in 2022, but I still see some concentration issues at times. If he keeps playing well, he could rise even more.

 

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21. Jordan Morgan, OT, Arizona​

6-5, 325 pounds | Previously: NR

I wrote about Morgan before the season, picking him as a prospect who could rise if he shows he's healthy. Well, he looks great. After tearing the ACL in his right knee last November, he rehabbed in the spring to get ready and was able to return for Week 1. Morgan is extremely consistent from snap to snap. His footwork is terrific in pass protection, and I love his ease of movement and ability to bend. Morgan stays active with his hands, and he can get to the next level on combo blocks. He handles twists really well and can deal with inside and outside moves with ease. If he keeps this up, he could move even higher in Round 1.

 

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20. Jer'Zhan Newton, DT, Illinois​

6-2, 295 pounds | Previously: 16

Scheme versatility. You know NFL teams want that from defensive linemen. And that's what I see on Newton's tape from the past three seasons. He has played every position along the line, including more than 150 snaps as a true nose tackle. And he's disruptive, with nine sacks and 18 total tackles for loss from 2021-22. He's excellent against both the run and pass. I really like the way he locates the ball and shakes off blockers. Of all the defensive tackles on my Big Board, Newton was the most consistent of the bunch last season. He had two sacks against Kansas in Week 2.

 

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19. Riley Leonard, QB, Duke​

6-4, 212 pounds | Previously: 20

Leonard's dual-threat ability is intriguing. Check out his breakaway speed on this 74-yard score against North Carolina from last season. He's a tough runner who can make defenders miss. As a passer, he has projectionable traits in an NFL frame. He completed 63.9% of his passes last season, throwing 20 touchdown passes with six interceptions. He ranked 28th in the FBS in QBR (72.9). He shows nice touch on deep throws, though he needs to be more precise on timing routes.

My rankings are all about projecting ahead, and it's easy to see Leonard taking the next step in his development. There's a lot to like about him as a prospect.

 

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18. Laiatu Latu, OLB, UCLA​

6-5, 265 pounds | Previously: 22

NFL teams crave edge rushers, and there's a case to be made that Latu was college football's best edge rusher in 2022. He ranked first in the FBS in total pressures (55) and pressure percentage (19.1%), and his 10.5 sacks ranked ninth. He already has four sacks in two games this season.

Latu is a polished pass-rusher who knows how to use his hands and has a knack for slipping by offensive tackles. What I like, too, is that he understands that a sack is great but a stripsack is even better; he had three of those in 2022. Latu plays on his feet off the edge of UCLA's defense, and he could be an ideal 3-4 outside linebacker at the next level.

 

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17. Jalen McMillan, WR, Washington​

6-1, 192 pounds | Previously: NR

Yes, the Huskies' top wideouts are this good. And with Ja'Lynn Polk as their No. 3, they might have the best group of receivers in the entire country. McMillan actually had more touchdown catches than Odunze last season (9), and he has more this season (3). He's a polished player who is silky smooth as a route runner. McMillan is really good at deceiving cornerbacks on routes. He just has a great understanding of how to get open -- he makes things look easy. For his career, he has 135 catches for 1,799 yards and 15 touchdowns.

 

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16. Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa​

6-1, 207 pounds | Previously: 19

Iowa's defense produced two first-round picks (Lukas Van Ness and Jack Campbell) and a third-rounder (Riley Moss) in the 2023 draft, and yet it was DeJean who kept catching my eye when I went back through the 2022 film. He had five interceptions, including three that he returned for touchdowns. But it wasn't just the big plays -- I was impressed with his technique on a snap-to-snap basis. DeJean played in the slot and out wide, showing off tremendous speed to stick to receivers. He's just silky as a cover man. He has the physical tools to be the top corner in this class.

 

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15. Dallas Turner, OLB, Alabama​

6-4, 242 pounds | Previously: 12

I struggled a bit with Turner's 2022 tape because of who was on the opposite side of him. He's not the caliber of pass-rusher as former teammate Will Anderson Jr., who went No. 3 overall April. Turner had 60 quarterback pressures over the past two seasons, while Anderson had ... 130. So, when Anderson is always getting to the passer first, it's tough to judge the other guy.

Still, when projecting what Turner could be, there's a lot to like. He shows flashes of stellar pass-rush moves, and he's good shedding blocks in the run game. He always has the physical traits to chase down running backs. The spotlight is on him to have a special season, and he could get double-digit sacks if he can put it all together and wreak havoc. So far, he has five pressures but no sacks in two games.

 

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14. Rome Odunze, WR, Washington​

6-3, 215 pounds | Previously: NR

Odunze already has two 100-yard receiving games for the Huskies this season, and I love his combination of size and speed. He's big, and he knows how to use his body to shield defenders. Watch him adjust on this touchdown catch against Boise State. Since 2020, Odunze has 136 catches for 1,871 yards and 13 scores. He's used both inside and out -- seven of his receiving touchdowns have come when he was lined up wide. He can make defensive backs miss after the catch. He is going to test extremely well at the combine. If Odunze had entered the 2023 draft, he likely would have been a Day 2 pick, but if he keeps playing like this, he's going go in the top 20.

 

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13. Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas​

6-2, 195 pounds | Previously: NR

I wrote a bunch about Ewers after he led the Longhorns to a win over Alabama in Tuscaloosa. In short, he has shown in his career that he can be maddeningly inconsistent in one game and look like a No. 1 overall pick in another. Against Rice to begin the season, he missed a few easy throws and was 0-for-6 on passes of 20-plus air yards. He didn't turn the ball over, but he also didn't make the Owls pay until he found a rhythm in the second half.

Against Alabama, we saw Ewers' potential as he flipped the script and was unphased by the road atmosphere. He showed outstanding touch and accuracy on his deep throws and was precise to all points of the field. He was decisive in his reads and was fantastic maneuvering the pocket, keeping his eyes down the field to find targets. That's what he can be if he plays to his talent level.

As I have mentioned, though, this is the same guy who had a 19-for-49 game against Oklahoma State last season. He has to bottle that Bama performance and carry it through the rest of the season. If that happens, he likely will be a top-15 pick. If not? He'll drop -- and Texas will fall out of the College Football Playoff race.

 

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12. Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State​

6-4, 215 pounds | Previously: 14

Coleman is off to a tremendous start this season, catching three touchdown passes in the Seminoles' season-opening win over LSU. He dominated. Last season, he had 58 catches for 798 yards and seven touchdowns at Michigan State last season. He left for Florida State in the spring. Coleman's body control impressed me when I went back this summer to watch his 2022 tape. He excels in contested-catch situations.

With a big frame, he can bully smaller defenders. He didn't play much out of the slot last season, but he already has caught two scores out of that alignment this season. As I wrote before the season, the Noles are a legit College Football Playoff contender.

 

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11. Kalen King, CB, Penn State​

5-11, 191 pounds | Previously: 11

King is not the biggest guy, but he's feisty and polished. He's extremely instinctive as a cover man and has impressive ball skills. He picked off three passes last season. He understands the route tree and shows good anticipation when he's sticking to receivers. He'll throw his body around, and he's not afraid to stick his nose in on a tackle. King also had three tackles for loss in 2022. He has the potential to be the top cornerback off the board in this class, though not every team will love that he's under 6 feet.

 

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10. JC Latham, OT, Alabama​

6-6, 360 pounds | Previously: 10

Latham is a mountain of an offensive tackle who is light on his feet. I really like the way he explodes out of his stance. He's tough at the point of attack. He blows defenders off the line of scrimmage in the run game, driving and sustaining his blocks in space. Where Latham needs to improve is in his technique -- he can be sloppy. To get a top-five grade, he's going to have to be more consistent. Latham has started 15 games at right tackle -- two this season -- but he also has played guard. He'll likely be a right tackle at the next level.

 

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9. Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama​

6-1, 195 pounds | Previously: 8

McKinstry is the top-ranked corner in this class, but he's a shade below the elite grades I've given over the past decade, which include Sauce Gardner, who finished No. 3 on my 2022 Big Board. He has great length and impressive recovery speed, but I want to see him improve his on-ball production. He has just two picks in 21 career starts, though he did break up 14 passes last season. I see good anticipation in coverage when I watch his tape, and we know Nick Saban knows how to coach up defensive backs. McKinstry is going to get more matchups with stellar receivers in the SEC, so we won't be able to say he's untested. He also has value as a punt returner -- he returned 23 of them last season.

 

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8. Jared Verse, DE, Florida State​

6-4, 253 pounds | Previously: 6

Verse is another prospect who could have gone in Round 1 this past April. He decided to return to school, however, and another impressive season could cement him in the top 10. He had nine sacks in his first season at FSU after transferring in from Albany, where he had 10.5 sacks in 2021. He was a little inconsistent for the Seminoles -- a knee injury likely contributed -- but his combination of power and speed off the edge is impressive. Verse is super quick off the line of scrimmage and is tenacious as a pass-rusher. He is a perfect fit as an end in a 4-3 defense.

If he can stay fully healthy this season, he should dominate. I just want to see him do that every game, not pick and choose his spots.

 

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7. Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame​

6-8, 315 pounds | Previously: 7

Alt has started 25 games at left tackle since the 2021 season, and I've been most impressed by his technique on a snap-to-snap basis. He rarely gets caught out. He mirrors well in pass protection, adjusting easily to secondary moves from edge rushers. He does a great job keeping his huge frame between the defender and his quarterback. From 2021-22, he allowed just 13 total pressures in nearly 700 pass-block snaps for the Fighting Irish.

Alt's father, John, was a first-round offensive tackle, too, going No. 21 overall to the Chiefs in 1984. He was 6-7, 275 pounds when he entered the NFL, which shows you how the game has changed since then.