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The 2024 NFL Draft is just a month away, and as the date gets closer, intel continues to pour in on where these prospects might end up. The NFL Combine has been completed, and several colleges have completed their pro days. We’ve even seen our first draft pick trade, with the Minnesota Vikings acquiring a second first-round selection from the Houston Texans.
This particular draft class is incredibly deep at receiver. It shouldn’t be surprising to see 5-7 receivers selected in the first round. By the end of the second round, we could be looking at anywhere from 12-15 receivers off the board. By the end of the third round, we could see nearly 20 receivers selected. The wild part about that is while those numbers are crazy high, there would STILL be good prospects left on the board.
In this mock draft, we’ll focus solely on the wide receivers in this draft class, where they’re likely to land, and what range you should expect to see them come off the board. We’ll also be identifying a best-case fantasy landing spot. While predicting the first round is easier, identifying a range for second, third, and Day 3 prospects is much more difficult. That said, it shouldn’t be if some of the receivers listed in these categories get selected slightly earlier or later than expected.
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Top-10 Selections
Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State
Harrison is the best X receiver available in this class. There’s been plenty of talk that Malik Nabers is on his level, but they are two different receivers. Harrison is a true X, while Nabers is likely best used and viewed as a flanker/slot receiver. Depending on what kind of receiver each team is looking for will determine who goes first. Regardless, Harrison is locked into being a top-five pick.
Marvin Harrison Jr. appreciation thread 🧵
Who needs a 40?@MarvHarrisonJr was clocked at 22.2 mph this season.
This would have been the second fastest ball-carrier time in NFL last yearpic.twitter.com/UDiSFmZqTa
— The 33rd Team (@The33rdTeamFB) March 21, 2024
Likely Destinations: No. 3-6 Range
Best Fantasy Football Landing Spot: Arizona Cardinals
Malik Nabers, LSU
Nabers is every bit as elite a prospect as Harrison. These two receivers win and impact the game in different ways. Nabers is elusive and a problem to bring down in the open field. He’s shifty, savvy in his route-running, and can operate as a team’s No. 1 receiver. He’ll do that in a different way than Harrison will. Nabers could go No. 1 if a team desires his skill set at receiver. Nabers is, without a doubt, a top-10 pick.
Likely Destinations: No. 4-10 Range
Best Fantasy Football Landing Spot: Los Angeles Chargers
Rome Odunze, Washington
Odunze, like Harrison, is a true X receiver. He’s not quite on Harrison’s level as a prospect, but he is very good in his own right. Odunze dominated the last two years at Washington and is viewed across the board as a future No. 1 receiver in the NFL. He has excellent size, speed, and athleticism. He’s another top-10 talent who won’t need to wait long before hearing his name.
Hit the film room with @draft32teams and get the report on WR Rome Odunze in the latest entry in his Coach Knows Ball series #NFLDraft #GoHuskies
Coach Knows Ball: Rome Odunze NFL Draft Film Breakdown of Washington WR https://t.co/5vcFGWZX8w
— RotoBaller NFL (@RotoBallerNFL) March 19, 2024
Likely Destinations: No. 6-12 Range
Best Fantasy Football Landing Spot: New York Giants
Potential First-Round Selections
BrIan Thomas Jr., LSU
Thomas had a breakout season this past year, finishing with 1,177 yards and 17 touchdowns. His stock was already rising, but then he dominated the NFL Combine in such a way that he’s now a first-round lock. At 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds, Thomas has great size but is still one of the fastest players at the Combine. He’s a true X receiver with game-breaking speed.
I feel like Brian Thomas Jr. might go even higher than people are expecting. Could easily see him in the 8-14 range. Unsure he's received the buzz he deserves for being 6'3"/209 with 4.33 speed after declaring early with 17 TDs in the SEC. That's a serious profile.
— Hayden Winks (@HaydenWinks) March 20, 2024
Likely Destinations: No. 11-20 range
Best Fantasy Football Landing Spot: Jacksonville Jaguars
Adonai Mitchell, Texas
Mitchell is another size and speed demon like Thomas. He’s 6-foot-2 and 205 pounds. He ran a 4.34 40-yard dash and finished with a 9.99 Relative Athletic Score (RAS) out of 10.0. His collegiate production profile does not include a 1,000-yard season, which isn’t ideal. His best season came this past year when he finished with 845 yards and 11 touchdowns. However, there aren’t many athletes that are his size with his kind of speed. He’s a matchup nightmare, and that upside will cause his name to be called in Round 1.
Likely Destinations: No. 17-32 Range
Best Fantasy Football Landing Spot: Buffalo Bills
Troy Franklin, Oregon
Franklin isn’t as big as Thomas or Mitchell, but he brings the speed component. He clocked in at 6-foot-1 and 176 pounds. He also ran a 4.41 40-yard dash and scored an 8.95 on the RAS scale. He had 1,383 yards and 14 touchdowns this past season. In 2022, he had 891 yards and nine touchdowns. His college efficiency, speed, and ability to win downfield will appeal to many teams.
Likely Destinations: No. 17-32 Range
Best Fantasy Football Landing Spot: Kansas City Chiefs
Ladd McConkey, Georgia
McConkey might appear to be a reach for the first round after having just 483 yards and two touchdowns this past season. However, he only played nine games. Brock Bowers was there, and Georgia has been a predominantly run-first offense. He was, however, incredibly efficient, finishing with a 3.26 yards per route run average.
He also displayed crisp route-running all year and put that on display at the NFL Combine. McConkey is sometimes viewed as this technique-savvy slot receiver, but he brings plenty of juice to his game. He ran a 4.39 40-yard dash and scored a 9.30 on the RAS scale despite measuring 5-foot-11 and 186 pounds.
The "official" Pro Day numbers for #Georgia WR Ladd McConkey:
3.97 short shuttle (95th percentile)
6.72 3-cone (85th percentile)— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) March 18, 2024
Likely Destinations: No. 20-32
Best Fantasy Football Landing Spots: Dallas Cowboys
Second-Round Selections
Roman Wilson, Michigan
Wilson didn’t get many chances to show what he could do at Michigan. Their offense was so run-heavy that they often blew out their opposition, limiting passing situations. Still, Wilson finished with 789 yards and 12 touchdowns. He went to the Senior Bowl and dominated, which helped increase his draft stock. He ran a 4.39 40-yard dash and now looks locked into being a second-round selection and a fairly early one.
Likely Destinations: No. 33-48 Range
Best Fantasy Football Landing Spot: Los Angeles Chargers trading down with a team looking to draft a quarterback at No. 5, and the Chargers drafting an offensive lineman early.
Keon Coleman, Florida State
Coleman doesn’t have gaudy collegiate stats, finishing with 1,456 yards in his final two seasons, but a lot is due to subpar quarterback play. He did have 18 touchdowns and is another big-bodied receiver. While he struggled with just a 4.61 40-yard dash at the Combine, he was also clocked in at 20.3 mph on the gauntlet drill, which was the fastest number among receivers.
His play speed is faster than his 40-yard dash time. Despite his poor performance in the 40-yard dash, Coleman still had an 8.08 on the RAS scale and measured at 6-foot-3 and 213 pounds.
Opinions are wide on Keon Coleman. Ran just a 4.61, but reached 20.3 mph during the Gauntlet drill, the fastest among WRs. Biggest question is how well can he separate at the next level? This guy’s catch radius is insane. pic.twitter.com/FueMNHBbBL
— Kyle Lindemann (@LuckIsMadeFF) March 20, 2024
Likely Destinations: No. 33-48 Range
Best Fantasy Football Landing Spot: Carolina Panthers
Xavier Legette, South Carolina
Legette took a while to break out in college, and some will understandably view that as a red flag. However, it’s hard to ignore what he put on tape last season. He finished with 1,255 yards, seven touchdowns, and an impressive 3.15 yards per route run average. He also measured in at 6-foot-1 and 221 pounds. He’s best viewed as a big-bodied slot receiver, similar to how A.J. Brown was deployed early in his career at Tennessee.
Likely Destinations: No. 33-48 Range
Best Fantasy Football Landing Spot: Washington Commanders
Xavier Worthy, Texas
People will look at Worthy, see his 4.21 40-yard dash and his 5-foot-11 and 165-pound frame, and assume he’s just fast. However, Worthy had 981 yards and 12 touchdowns as a true freshman and led Texas in receiving. Over the past three seasons, he had 2,752 yards and 25 touchdowns.
He’s more than just fast. He’s been an incredibly productive collegiate receiver at a Power Five conference and will be an early declare. The NFL game is evolving to be more speed over power and playing in space. The increase in zone coverage also ensures Worthy will see plenty of clean releases, decreasing the concerns about his size.
Speaking of Texas wideouts, how about the emergence of Xavier Worthy!
One executive in attendance at his Pro Day texted: “That dude’s a video game. Like a 99 speed in Madden! But he’s not just a straight line guy. He’s twitchy and fluid.” https://t.co/8AIf58jfvI pic.twitter.com/HReqrRzqsH
— Jordan Schultz (@Schultz_Report) March 20, 2024
Likely Destinations: No. 40-64 Range
Best Fantasy Football Landing Spot: Pittsburgh Steelers
Ricky Pearsall, Florida
Pearsall has never benefited from positive quarterback play throughout his college career. However, this past season, Pearsall finished with 963 yards and four touchdowns. Pearsall, like almost all of these receivers, dominated the NFL Combine. He ran a 4.41 40-yard dash and scored a 9.90 on the RAS scale. He measured in at 6-foot-1 and 189 pounds. He’s best viewed as a flanker/slot receiver at the next level. He’s shifty, quick, and can be dangerous in open spaces.
Likely Destinations: No. 49-64 Range
Best Fantasy Football Landing Spot: Cincinnati Bengals
Jermaine Burton, Alabama
Burton isn’t a household name among this receiver class, which makes him one of the more underappreciated prospects. He had a 2.75 yards per route run average at Alabama and finished with 798 yards and eight touchdowns this past season. He posted a very impressive 20.5 yards per reception average. From 2021-2023, Burton averaged 18.7 yards per catch. He’s a proven deep-ball weapon. He measured in at 6-foot-0 and 196 pounds, ran the 40-yard dash in 4.45, and had a 9.06 score on the RAS.
Likely Destinations: No. 53-64 Range
Best Fantasy Football Landing Spot: Baltimore Ravens
Malachi Corley, Western Kentucky
Corley didn’t participate in the NFL Combine, so we don’t have any athletic testing on him. What we do have, however, is plenty of evidence of him in the open field, where defenses cannot get him down to the ground. He had 2,267 yards and 22 touchdowns over the past two seasons. 1,658 of those yards have come after contact. He’s averaged 2.72 yards per route run from 2022-2023 and is a bowling ball of a receiver.
With NFL defenses taking away the downfield pass, players who can make big plays happen after the catch are becoming more and more valuable. In that sense, few are better than Corley at doing just that.
Malachi Corley aka the YAC King - shoutout @SteveSmithSr89
- 709 YAC (2nd among WRs invited to #NFLCombine)
- 8.5 YAC per reception (2nd)
- 15 missed tackles forced (8th)
- 289 rec yards after contact (3rd)
- 6.1 air yards per target, 12.2 yards per catch— Michael F. Florio (@MichaelFFlorio) February 22, 2024
Likely Destinations: No. 53-64 Range
Best Fantasy Football Landing Spot: San Francisco 49ers
Third-Round Selections
Javon Baker, UCF
Baker is a former four-star recruit who started his college career in Alabama. However, DeVonta Smith, Jaylen Waddle, John Metchie III, and Jameson Williams buried him on the depth chart. That’s three top-15 selections and a fourth selected in the second round.
He transferred to UCF and had 796 yards and five touchdowns in his first season there. This past year, he exploded for 1,139 yards and seven touchdowns. He led the country with a 21.9 yards per reception average and a 3.21 yards per route run average. He has prototypical size at 6-foot-1 and 202 pounds. He posted a 7.72 RAS.
“He can be one of the BIGGEST STEALS in the draft.”@LegerDouzable is putting a lot of people on to UCF WR Javon Baker 👀 pic.twitter.com/YLfGmvbcEi
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) March 20, 2024
Likely Destinations: No. 65-80 Range
Best Fantasy Football Landing Spot: New England Patriots
Devontez Walker, North Carolina
Walker is an early-declare prospect. He broke out in his sophomore season at Kent State, finishing with 58 receptions, 921 yards, and 11 touchdowns. He transferred to North Carolina for the 2023 season but missed the first five weeks due to eligibility issues.
In the remaining eight games, Walker had 699 yards and seven touchdowns. As a sophomore, he had a 2.62 yards per route run average and a 2.28 average this past season. He was almost exclusively used outside the past two seasons, running 88% of his routes there. Walker is an explosive athlete, measuring in at 6-foot-1 and 193 pounds. He posted a 9.91 RAS with a 4.38 40-yard dash.
Likely Destinations: No. 65-80 Range
Best Fantasy Football Landing Spot: Chicago Bears
Ja'Lynn Polk, Washington
Polk was Washington’s third-best receiver in 2022, operating behind Rome Odunze and Jalen McMillan. However, he still had 694 yards and six touchdowns. With McMillan dealing with an injury this past season, Polk stepped up and had the best season of his career, finishing with 1,159 yards and nine touchdowns.
He excelled in contested catch situations and was one of the better downfield weapons in the country last year. He is a good size at 6-foot-1 and 203 pounds. He also had an impressive 8.78 RAS score.
This is one of my favorite catches from this past season and I think embodies Washington WR Ja’Lynn Polk: he snatches a pass while horizontal and absorbs a massive hit.
He’s tough, he’s got vice grip hands, a good route runner and competitive. pic.twitter.com/bEOJpgjlNt
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 6, 2024
Likely Destinations: No. 65-100 Range
Best Fantasy Football Landing Spot: Indianapolis Colts
Jalen McMillan, Washington
In his junior season, McMillan had more targets, receptions, and touchdowns than likely top-10 teammate Rome Odunze. He finished with 118 targets, 79 receptions, 1,098 yards, and nine touchdowns. This past season, McMillan started the season off on fire. He racked up 20 receptions, 311 yards, and three touchdowns in the team’s first three games before suffering an injury and missing the next four games.
This allowed Polk to move ahead of him on the depth chart. However, McMillan’s collegiate production is very impressive. He ran 90% of his routes from the slot in 2022 and 2023. He measured 6-foot-1 and 197 pounds. He had an 8.56 RAS score, running a 4.47 40-yard dash.
Likely Destinations: No. 65-100 Range
Best Fantasy Football Landing Spot: Denver Broncos
Malik Washington, Virginia
Washington began his career at Northwestern but transferred to Virginia for his fifth and final year in college. He dominated ACC competition and finished with 138 targets (fourth in the country), 111 receptions (first in the country), and 1,384 yards (fifth in the country).
He posted a 3.00 or higher yards per route run average against zone and man coverage. He measured in at just 5-foot-8 and 191 pounds, which could mean he’s likely best viewed as a slot receiver. However, he still posted an impressive 8.51 on the RAS.
This is one of my favorite catches from this past season and I think embodies Washington WR Ja’Lynn Polk: he snatches a pass while horizontal and absorbs a massive hit.
He’s tough, he’s got vice grip hands, a good route runner and competitive. pic.twitter.com/bEOJpgjlNt
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) March 6, 2024
Likely Destinations: No. 65-100 Range
Best Fantasy Football Landing Spot: New York Jets
Best Remaining Day 3 Selections
- Johnny Wilson, Florida State
- Jacob Cowing, Arizona
- Jamari Thrash, Louisville
- Ainias Smith, Texas A&M
- Brenden Rice, USC
- Anthony Gould, Oregon State
- Cornelius Johnson, Michigan
- Luke McCaffrey, Rice
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