2024 NFL Draft Risers & Sliders after CFB Week 9: Cooper Beebe of Kansas State leads the tally while Spencer Rattler disappoints
Week 9 on the college schedule saw another team fall from the ranks of the undefeated, as Oklahoma fell to Kansas in a close contest.
It was also a week where the top interior offensive lineman in the nation affirmed his dominance while a fast-rising center continued to receive accolades from next-level decision-makers. Here are the risers and sliders for Week 9.
Risers
#1 Cooper Beebe/G/Kansas State:
There is a divergence of opinion in the scouting community on Beebe’s play this season. Many scouts have been impressed, but others expected more.
Nevertheless, the consensus is Beebe will be the first or second guard chosen in the 2024 NFL Draft and won’t get past the 42nd selection. The powerful mauler put his skills on display as Kansas State annihilated Houston 41-0.
The Wildcats finished with 179 yards rushing, much of it behind Beebe. The senior is a dominant run blocker with a killer mentality and perfectly fits a power-blocking scheme.
#2 Jackson Powers-Johnson/C/Oregon
The overall talent at the center position for the 2024 NFL Draft is nothing to get excited about, but Powers-Johnson could change the narrative if he enters the draft.
The Ducks starting right guard last season, Powers-Johnson, has made a seamless transition to center this year and his game has taken off. He has an NFL body, next-level strength and the intellect to quickly move in with the first team on Sundays.
If Powers-Johnson forgoes his senior season and enters the draft, he could be the first center selected next April.
#3 Zach Frazier/C/West Virginia
Frazier has been a consistent performer on the West Virginia offensive line at both guard and center since he was a freshman. Highly regarded in the scouting community, Frazier is smart, tough and gets the most from his abilities.
He’s not overwhelming in any single aspect of his game; rather, Frazier is a terrific technician and a great position blocker. Expect the senior to be one of the first handful of centers selected in next April’s draft.
#4 Ashton Gillotte/DL/Louisville
The Cardinals are 7-1 and battling to secure a spot in the ACC Tile game on December 2. Their defense, led by Gillotte, has been a driving force. The junior has elevated his game this season and has been a terror on the Cardinals defensive line.
During their 23-0 win over Duke, Gillotte was credited with two sacks as well as two TFLs. After eight games, he leads Louisville in both categories with 10 TFLs and eight sacks.
Gillotte is a quick, explosive lineman who plays with great leverage and intensity. Should he enter the draft, Gillotte projects as a late Day 2 selection.
Sleeper Prospect - Evan Anderson/NT/Florida Atlantic
Although possessing no great talent at the top, the defensive tackle class for the 2024 NFL Draft looks like it will be deep.
Teams should be able to come away with a next-level prospect in the late rounds, and Anderson is making his case to be one of those players.
A wide-bodied lineman who measures 6-foot-1 and 325 pounds, Anderson is more than just a big body that takes up space. He's a relatively athletic big man who makes plays on the ball.
Take for instance, last week, when Anderson was credited with eight tackles, two TFLs and one sack in the win over Charlotte.
In eight games this season, Anderson has had 41 tackles. Anderson is a fourth-year player who could return for the extra year of eligibility granted to all athletes by the NCAA due to Covid in 2020.
Should he opt for the draft, expect Anderson to receive an invitation to the combine and end up in the bottom half of Day 3 of the draft.
Small-school Prospect - C.J. Hanson/G/Holy Cross
Hanson is the second Crusader to make the risers list this year, and it’s very likely that he will only be the only Holy Cross player to be drafted in April.
Dismissed by scouts entering the season, next-level decision makers can no longer ignore the 6-foot-5, 300-pound offensive guard who has been a three-year starter and was awarded All-Conference honors the prior two seasons.
There has been talk that several area scouts have a fifth-round grade on the big blocker. Hanson is likely to receive an invite to a postseason All-Star game then end up in the late rounds of the draft.
Sliders
#1 Spencer Rattler/QB/South Carolina
Every time you want to give Rattler the benefit of the doubt and believe he’s finally turning the corner, the quarterback lays down a clunker. During the Gamecocks’ loss to Texas A&M, the signal caller completed 20 of 33 passes for just 176 yards.
That comes on the heels of a 23-of-40 passing for 217 yards during a loss to Missouri. More concerning is that Rattler has 12 touchdown passes and five interceptions this season, a poor ratio. It’s an amazing change of fortune for Rattler.
Considered a potential top-five pick after a great freshman season at Oklahoma, he was soon replaced by none other than future No. 1 pick Caleb Williams as the Sooners starter before he eventually transferred to the other USC.