2024 NFL Draft WR rankings: Texas’ Adonai Mitchell climbing up the ladder but Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr. still top
In the day and age of the passing attack, the receiver position has become a high priority in the NFL. And much to the delight of franchises around the league, the NFL Draft has offered a lot of talent at the position in recent years. Part of the reason behind this is that college football programs are reliant on talented pass catchers to run the spread offense on Saturdays.
Looking ahead to 2024, there will be one great prospect at the top of the receiver board, but the talent quickly falls off and there’s not a lot of depth compared to recent years.
Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. is all he’s cracked up to be and justifies the hype surrounding him. He’s a tall, fluid wideout with natural pass-catching hands and sneaky speed. He has great bloodlines and can be defined as a game-controlling receiver with game-breaking ability. I believe he’s a better version of Garrett Wilson, the former Ohio State receiver presently tearing it up for the New York Jets.
Emeka Egbuka is in the unenviable position of playing on the same team with Harrison as the Buckeyes’ No. 2 receiver, yet the junior would be the primary target on just about any other college program in the nation. He lacks the size and game-breaking ability of his teammate, yet he’s a reliable wideout who easily separates from defenders and finds ways to get open.
Some will be surprised that I have Texas’ Adonai Mitchell rated over teammate Xavier Worthy, but I believe time will prove me correct. Mitchell is someone I’ve had on my radar since he was a freshman at Georgia and displayed himself to be a game-changing receiver for Stetson Bennett.
Injuries sidelined him most of 2022, yet Mitchell returned for the College Football Playoff and made several huge plays for the Bulldogs. He’s bigger than his teammate and much more sure-handed, and though he’s not as fast, has the speed to break it deep.
Worthy is an electrifying skill player prone to altering games with huge plays. He’s super quick and fast, and he plays with a second gear. He’s also small, struggles for the contested grab and does not possess the surest of hands, unlike his teammate.
Jermaine Burton will be interesting to watch this season. He’s made several huge plays for the Crimson Tide thus far and shows himself to be a game-changing wideout. He possesses decent size, next-level playing speed and reliable hands. The conundrum for Burton this season is the quarterback play at Alabama, which has been anywhere from inconsistent to awful during the first month of the season.
As I reported in the middle of September, Malik Nabers is expected to enter the draft, and he draws a variety of opinions in the scouting community. At the top of his game, Nabers is a game-controlling wideout, as he proved against Mississippi State. Predraft workouts will be critical in determining his final draft grade.
Ranking the top WR prospects for the 2024 NFL Draft