RADIO
Mike Marteny takes a look at the best 2024 NFL draft prospects that are playing in the college football playoff this weekend. Which 20 players should you keep an eye on in these games?
We here at RotoBaller have been keeping track of college players all season long. We bring you DFS and power rankings. We also highlighted those guys who had big weeks that NFL dynasty players should be aware of. We'll also do that at the end of bowl season, but this week we are going to highlight those difference-makers in the college football playoff.
We're digging deeper than Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Malik Nabers, Drake Maye, and Brock Bowers. None of them are in the playoff. None of them are playing in bowl games either. We'll keep track of those that are going to play in the postseason. We will highlight the top 20 draft-eligible players who are in the running for a national championship this year. We all know those NFL general managers love championship pedigree.
We will highlight players on both sides of the ball. IDP leagues are becoming more popular, and, well, offensive linemen make the offense go. Landing one of those guys on your team can change a lot. Let's get to it!
20: Jonathon Brooks, RB, Texas
Brooks backed up Bijan Robinson for the last two years at Texas and was used sparingly. He had a strong year this year with 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns in 10 games. A torn ACL in the win over TCU ended his season. That injury has led to a slide on the draft board for Brooks since running backs aren't valued in the NFL anymore anyway.
Brooks has plenty of time to regain draft stock as long as he participates in the NFL combine in April. As it stands right now, he is projected as a third-round pick. If you watched Brooks at all this year, he's shifty and is a pretty good receiver. He caught 25 passes in 10 games this season. There is definitely a place in the NFL for Brooks.
19: Jalen McMillan, WR, Washington
McMillan hauled in 153 passes for 2,052 yards and 15 touchdowns in his career as a Husky. Like Brooks, an injury this season has hurt his draft stock some. Also like Brooks, a strong showing in the playoff or at the combine will go a long way. McMillan excels in route running and running after the catch. He's not a burner off the line, but once he hits top speed, he's hard to catch.
18: Xavier Worthy, WR, Texas
Worthy has been successful all three years at Texas, even if he wasn't the "alpha" receiver in any of those seasons. Worthy has 195 receptions for 2,710 yards and 26 touchdowns with one game left in his college career. Worthy ran track in high school and might be the fastest receiver in this draft class. He's a little small (172 pounds at 6'1"), but is an elite route runner. He's a tough guy to cover, but he'll get chucked in the NFL if he can't bulk up a little without losing that elite speed.
17: Ja'Lynn Polk, WR, Washington
Polk finished with exactly 1,000 yards this season on 60 catches. He has 134 receptions for 2,072 yards and 17 touchdowns in 10 games for Texas Tech in 2020 and 27 games for Washington. Polk is one of the more versatile receivers in this class. He can play in the slot or outside and runs good routes from both. He has deceptive speed for his 6'2", 207-pound frame. Polk has the size to compete with NFL corners, but he hasn't been that strong on contested catches in college. He needs to learn to better use his size, but his versatility will keep him on the field.
16: Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas
Ewers is better known as NIL's first million-dollar man than anything else he has done on a football field. That's not to say Ewers isn't talented. It just says that Texas was content to let Ewers take it easy and run the ball with their stable of backs instead. Ewers threw for 5,338 yards in 21 games for the Longhorns with 36 touchdowns to 12 interceptions.
Ewers sometimes still has lapses even though he has the arm to make just about any throw that he wants. However, he's a really strong pocket passer who has deceptive speed to elude defenders. Scouts have been talking about Ewers as an NFL talent since he was a sophomore in high school, but this is a stacked class. He might be better off taking the NIL money and giving Texas one more year.
15: T'Vondre Sweat, DT, Texas
Sweat uses his size (6'4", 362 pounds) to his advantage. He's maybe the best run stuffer in this draft and has a really good bull rush to get pressure on the passer. He can be had if a lineman can get his hands on him. Still, the NFL always has room for an elite run stuffer, which is what Sweat is. Dillon Johnson is going to have trouble finding holes much like he did last year.
14: Kris Jenkins, DE, Michigan
Jenkins is almost the opposite of Sweat. He's a decent run stuffer, but his strength is as a pass rusher. Jenkins lacks the speed to be an edge rusher in the NFL, but he's good at the point of attack at shedding blocks. He's better in close spaces as he's not all that fast in pursuit. Some of that can be taught. He has the physical tools to succeed at the next level since he's excellent around the line.
13: J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
McCarthy is flying up draft boards. No sane person had him anywhere near the likes of Ewers in this class a couple of years ago. McCarthy has 41 touchdowns to just nine interceptions in his last two years as a starter.
This is the kinds of throws that McCarthy made this year that made the stock start to rise. He made a really tough throw look easy. We haven't really seen Ewers do that with any sort of consistency. Like Ewers, McCarthy has the speed to evade rushers and he takes care of the ball. That is the single most important thing at any level of football and at any position. Guys that take care of the ball are going to play.
12: Troy Fautanu, LT, Washington
Fautanu made leaps in his pass protection this year, not allowing a sack in 822 snaps. Having an elusive quarterback helps, but that kind of protection is something that NFL teams covet. Fautanu is a decent run blocker and plays well in tight spaces. Agility could be an issue against NFL defensive linemen and he'll need to get stronger. A good bull rush can get around him.
11: Ja'Tavion Sanders, TE, Texas
Scouts have raved about his hands and route running his entire time in Austin. He's a lot like Kyle Pitts. He's agile with great hands despite being 6'4" and 243 pounds. He's not much of a blocker, but NFL teams often have tight ends that are like an extra receiver and some that are there for blocking. Sanders is the former.
10: Terrion Arnold, CB, Alabama
Arnold is the second-rated corner in this class, but he's not even the highest-rated one on his own team. Some NFL scouts see that as a negative since he has never been the lead corner. However, I see it as a strength. He gets thrown at more because of the person on the other side and Arnold still holds his own. He's really good in coverage and has the size to get a good bump in on receivers. He's also an above-average tackler, which is not something corners are known for.
9: Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas
Mitchell is making the doubters eat crow. All he heard after transferring out of Georgia is that he wouldn't get to play for a title. Well...he wouldn't if he still played at Georgia. Mitchell hauled in 51 passes for 813 yards and 10 touchdowns, which outproduced his two years in Athens combined.
Mitchell isn't a burner like Xavier Worthy, but he is strong enough to push with corners and will go up and get balls. He's a good runner after the catch, but will need to improve his route-running consistency at the next level.
8: Chris Braswell, DE, Alabama
Braswell is an exceptional athlete despite his 6'3", 255-pound frame. He ran a 4.45 40-yard dash, which is almost unheard of for a lineman. Because of his athleticism, Braswell is very good in coverage and is an exceptional pass rusher. If a lineman gets hands on him, Braswell sometimes struggles to shed them, but that won't happen often. His promise is going to make Braswell a mid-first-rounder this spring.
7: JC Latham, RT, Alabama
Latham can play right tackle or right guard, though he played exclusively at tackle this year. At 6'6" and 335 pounds, he is a load to handle for college and NFL players alike. He's an elite pass-blocker. Even though Latham has started for the last two years, he hasn't allowed a sack in college. Not one. That makes him a high draft pick.
6: Bralen Trice, DE, Washington
Trice recorded 15 sacks in three seasons for the Huskies. He's not a freakish athlete like Braswell, but Trice is more of a technical sack artist. He has good speed, but excellent technique and is an underrated tackler. Because the Huskies are playing Texas again, I'll leave this here as a reason why Quinn Ewers still has nightmares and the boogeyman is Bralen Trice.
5: Dallas Turner, LB, Alabama
Turner is the highest-rated linebacker in the entire draft class. He is great in pursuit and an excellent tackler. He's a strong enough athlete to cover, but it's not his strong suit. He also struggles in close quarters, but if he adds some weight and keeps the speed, that obstacle can be overcome. His work in pursuit is intoxicating.
4: Blake Corum, RB, Michigan
Corum would have been arguably the highest-rated prospect if he had come out last year. In a world in which running backs aren't valued much at the next level, Corum is still seen as a do-everything back. He may be, but the issue I have is his low usage in college. The presence of Donovan Edwards means Michigan doesn't have to ride Corum like a rented mule. He has only topped 30 carries twice in four years. Both of those instances were last year.
3: Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington
I'm higher on Penix than a lot of people are. It's not out of the realm of outcomes for him to be the best quarterback in this draft. I feel like scouts focus too much on his time with Indiana where he was running for his life and tried to make plays on the fly. Washington turned him into a pocket passer. You don't see Penix take off that much anymore, but he still has the elusiveness to get away from defenders.
2: Rome Odunze, WR, Washington
Despite standing 6'2" and weighing in around 210 pounds, Odunze ran a 4.34 40-yard dash before this season. He has elite speed and the size to fight off any corners. He is excellent at high-pointing the catch and coming down with it. If there's one knock against him, it's that Odunze is not great in traffic and the NFL has lots of it. That can be fixed though.
1: Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama
There's not much McKinstry can't do. He's exceptional in coverage, whether it's man or zone. He's physical and strong, which makes him a good tackler. He can even return punts, which means he has good hands. Can sometimes get caught getting too handsy on receivers, which seems to be called more on Sundays than Saturdays. Still, he has the potential to be one of the elite NFL corners as a rookie.
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