2024 NFL Draft consensus Big Board:

As the 2024 NFL Draft class continues to take shape, it’s time again to take stock of which prospects are dominating the early-round conversation.

The Athletic’s consensus Big Board combines rankings from a wide range of draft experts to identify how the top prospects are viewed relative to the rest of their class. In theory, by the time we reach the draft weekend, these rankings should help give us a handle on how the picks could (or, at least, should) play out.

Let’s see how things have shifted since our January board …

2024 NFL Draft Consensus Board

PlayerPositionSchoolLastChange

Caleb Williams

Marvin Harrison Jr.

-1

Drake Maye

Brock Bowers

Joe Alt

-1

Rome Odunze

Olu Fashanu

-1

Malik Nabers

-1

Dallas Turner

EDGE

Jayden Daniels

Jared Verse

EDGE

JC Latham

-1

Laiatu Latu

EDGE

-1

Taliese Fuaga

OT/G

Terrion Arnold

Quinyon Mitchell

Nate Wiggins

-3

Amarius Mims

-1

Byron Murphy II

Cooper DeJean

-5

Brian Thomas Jr.

Kool-Aid McKinstry

-4

Jer’Zhan Newton

-7

Tyler Guyton

Troy Fautanu

J.J. McCarthy

Keon Coleman

-6

Chop Robinson

EDGE

-3

Jackson Powers-Johnson

Bo Nix

-3

Ennis Rakestraw Jr.

Graham Barton

OT/G

Adonai Mitchell

-1

Troy Franklin

-1

Jordan Morgan

-6

Ladd McConkey

Kamari Lassiter

-7

Michael Penix Jr.

-14

Xavier Worthy

Edgerrin Cooper

Ja’Tavion Sanders

Chris Braswell

EDGE

Darius Robinson

Edge

Kingsley Suamataia

-10

Zach Frazier

T’Vondre Sweat

-1

Tyler Nubin

-7

Bralen Trice

EDGE

-25

Devontez Walker

Kris Jenkins

Payton Wilson

Javon Bullard

Ja’Lynn Polk

Kamren Kinchens

-18

T.J. Tampa

Patrick Paul

-7

Calen Bullock

Adisa Isaac

EDGE

Xavier Legette

-13

Jonathon Brooks

Roman Wilson

Malachi Corley

Junior Colson

Jaden Hicks

Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

Cooper Beebe

Jonah Elliss

EDGE

Mike Sainristil

Jermaine Burton

Kalen King

-29

Marshawn Kneeland

EDGE

Kiran Amegadjie

Michael Hall Jr.

Brandon Dorlus

Blake Corum

Ruke Orhorhoro

Christian Haynes

Ricky Pearsall

Leonard Taylor III

-35

Braelon Allen

Jalen McMillan

Kris Abrams-Draine

Sedrick Van Pran

Trey Benson

Blake Fisher

Braden Fiske

Dominick Puni

Maason Smith

Brenden Rice

Cedric Gray

McKinnley Jackson

Javion Cohen

Christian Mahogany

Cam Hart

Bucky Irving

Cole Bishop

Johnny Wilson

Khyree Jackson

Zak Zinter

100

Josh Newton

(Players shaded in red dropped 10 spots or more from the previous consensus board; players shaded in orange rose 10 spots or more, or joined the top 50 after being unranked.)

A few thoughts on the updated board from draft analyst Diante Lee:

1. It’s a great draft to need a true X receiver

Three times in the past decade (the 2015, ’20 and ’22 drafts), six receivers have been selected in Round 1. It might happen again — nine WRs currently rank in the top 40 of our consensus board.

The NFL has seen an influx of guys who can play in the slot or outside, but it’s rare to have so many highly touted players who project primarily as outside matchup problems. Marvin Harrison Jr. (No. 2 on the board) is an obvious one, but Brian Thomas Jr. (No. 21), Keon Coleman (No. 27) and Adonai Mitchell (No. 33) all are X-receiver types who can make their way into the first round.

Thomas is a small forward on turf who could run a 40 time in the 4.4s. Coleman’s production makes him a bit of an enigma, but he’s another impressive athlete with a wide catch radius and smooth movement skills for his height.

For Mitchell, we’ve waited his entire career — and are still waiting — to see him dominate the way his athletic profile suggests he can. But he high points the ball well, runs good routes and understands the nuances of creating separation at the catch point. He’s not as imposing as Tee Higgins, but he can pick on a mismatch over the top, especially on third downs and in the red zone.

Big bodies like Johnny Wilson and Brenden Rice likely will be available in Round 3.

GO DEEPER

2024 NFL Draft Big Board: Who are the top 100 prospects in this year’s class?

2. On a few of the “rising” prospects …

The all-star preparation process is like a minicamp, so it’s hard to get a fair feel for prospects the way you can from their tape. For linemen, receivers and corners, though, the one-on-ones are good opportunities.

A few standouts on this consensus board:

Taliese Fuaga, OL, Oregon State: He comes in at No. 14, up six spots and trending toward the “blue-chip” OT prospects in this class — JC Latham, Olu Fashanu and Joe Alt. When you see Fuaga’s play strength and raw athletic traits, it’s clear why he’s a likely first-round pick. I still have some reservations about his hip mobility and balance in his pass sets in a way I don’t for the top three tackles (or Georgia’s Amarius Mims). Still, Fuaga is one of the draft’s best right tackles.

Quinyon Mitchell, CB, Toledo: When my most recent mock draft published after conference championship weekend, I knew that Mitchell was on the heels of this year’s top cornerbacks — but I still considered him in the 30-40 range. He had a strong Senior Bowl week playing press and proving that he has the hips and speed to go stride for stride with outside receivers, though, and lands at No. 16 here.

Mitchell’s name is hot right now, and that has helped push his stock ahead of corners I still think are better players — specifically, Cooper DeJean, Kool-Aid McKinstry and Nate Wiggins. But Mitchell is a deserved first-round talent himself. His aggression will be a plus for defenses that like to play match coverages, and there’s some potential to move him inside and out if the physicality is there. I can’t wait to see how he tests and where that leaves his stock.

Jackson Powers-Johnson, C, Oregon: Powers-Johnson is an interesting evaluation. He’s comfortably one of the top five interior linemen of this class, and the top center. He has above-average size for a center, and he moves better in pass protection than his weight suggests. He also appeared to clean up his footwork ahead of the Senior Bowl, because he didn’t have the same issues with setting too deep or too shallow — that’s why we saw more clips of him dumping guys in one-on-ones.

Still, I don’t see the kind of first-round prospect on tape that others do. When you compare Powers-Johnson to some of the centers who’ve been first-round picks (Tyler Linderbaum, Frank Ragnow, Travis Frederick), his explosiveness, agility and play strength might not quite clear that bar.

He’s still good, but I think his range belongs between picks 50-75. Ranking him ahead of guys like Graham Barton and Kingsley Suamataia is a step outside of my comfort zone.

3. The NFL has cooled on Michael Penix Jr. in the QB4 debate

A little more than a month since the college football season ended, sober-minded analysis can more appropriately distribute credit for Washington’s excellent offensive year among the receiving corps, the coaching staff and QB Michael Penix Jr.

Still, Penix (No. 38) himself is a tangled thread in an impossible-to-parse debate that also includes Bo Nix (No. 30) and J.J. McCarthy (No. 26) as the “best of the rest” options at quarterback.

2024 NFL Draft Middle-Of-The-Field throwing:
(EPA/attempt; percentage of throws over the middle)

Bo Nix .71 (62)
Jayden Daniels .67 (58.8)
J.J. McCarthy .60 (64.7)
Caleb Williams .59 (63.3)
Michael Penix .58 (49.1)
Drake Maye .57 (57.9)

— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) January 8, 2024

In Nix and Penix, we see known commodities with a half-decade’s worth of starts under their belts. Nix has received praise for trimming the fat out of his game and being wise with the ball, though I’d argue much of that success was manufactured by how quickly Oregon tried to get the ball out of his hands. Penix also was smart with the ball and good at throwing accurately against tight man coverage.

Athletically, Nix’s legs allow him to escape rushers or use bootlegs to stress underneath coverage defenders, while Penix prefers to keep his feet planted in the pocket. The latter is better at recognizing coverage before and after the snap. Both QBs appear to be coachable and willing to play strictly within the design, which is why I expect coaches running a Shanahan-style offense to take interest in them.

McCarthy is interesting because we hear a lot of arguments advocating for him in Round 1. Through one ear, you’ll hear him praised as a “winner” — you can argue whether or not wins should be a QB stat, but they carry weight for some. Through the other ear, you’ll hear about how his impressive tools and high ceiling are waiting to be unleashed in an offense that asks more of him as a passer.

Personally, I just don’t think there’s enough tape to support the latter — especially not as a top-30 pick.

I see a decent athlete in McCarthy, but one closer to Zach Wilson, Sam Howell, Baker Mayfield or Brock Purdy than a game-breaking type. He’s willing to take a hit to deliver the ball, but his navigation of muddy pockets is spotty at best, and I don’t think he’s comfortable extending plays unless he’s rolling to his right. When it comes to his raw arm talent, he can make every NFL throw, but he’s more meeting the baseline than exceeding it.

4. Will a CB separate from the pack at the combine?

The cluster of Arnold, Wiggins, DeJean, and McKinstry have played musical chairs for the top cornerback spot — and Mitchell is a late entrant. I’m excited to see how these guys test during the combine and pro-day circuit.

Right now, I’m willing to cast my lot on the guy I think will outperform the others: DeJean. In my mind, he is the best overall athlete of this group, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he registers the best jumps and 40 times among the top CBs.

Also keep an eye on Kamari Lassiter (No. 37), Khyree Jackson (No. 98) and Josh Newton (No. 100) as potential rookie-year starters. They have pretty complete skill sets, and showing out at the combine would go a long way for each of them.

GO DEEPER

2024 NFL Mock Draft: After Super Bowl LVIII, how could the first three rounds look?

5. It’s a sad state of affairs at the RB position

There already have been two drafts in the last 10 years without a first-round running back, but this class has generated the lowest level of interest that I can remember.

In fairness, it’s light on quality options. Jonathon Brooks (No. 60) is the highest-ranked RB, and he’s still recovering from a late-season knee injury. When he’s healthy, he can be a leading force for a running game and provide value as a receiver out of the backfield. Trey Benson (No. 84) can be a home-run threat in an outside zone scheme. Braelon Allen (No. 80) can do just about everything you want a back to do — and he’s still one of the draft’s youngest prospects. Still, you’d be hard-pressed to find many conversations about what these guys can bring to an offense.

This isn’t some kind of death knell for the position, as a pair of RBs were first-rounders last year and the guys mentioned above can be immediate contributors. This position is in the same spot as interior linemen and linebackers in the 2024 draft class, though, if not behind them. We might not see a running back picked in the top 50 — and maybe not in the top two rounds, period.

(Top photos of Taliese Fuaga and Michael Penix Jr.: Chris Coduto / Getty Images; Michael Wade / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)