The 2023 NFL Draft is over and teams have re-stocked their talent on the offensive side of the ball. When all was told, there were 15 offensive prospects taken in the first round. Who are the next stars on offense to know? Here are the top-10 offensive prospects in May for the 2024 NFL Draft.
The list is meant to familiarize fans with some of the top offensive talent in college football based on a small sample size rather than concrete rankings.
1. Caleb Williams, QB, USC
Williams has a good feel for pressure and mobility to evade. He displays good arm strength and an innate ability to extend plays and make throws in space. The Oklahoma transfer throws with touch and does a good job of leading his receivers. He is easily the best draft-eligible quarterback at this point.
In his sophomore season, he threw for over 4,500 yards with 42 touchdowns and just five interceptions. He added 10 rushing touchdowns.
2. Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State
Ohio State wide receivers are often among the best route-runners in their respective classes. Harrison adds size, speed and vertical ability on top of his refinement. The son of Peyton Manning’s favorite target with the Colts is one of the most polished boundary receivers in recent memory.
During the 2022 season, he caught 77 passes for 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns.
3. Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State
Fashanu would have been the best offensive tackle prospect in the 2023 class if he had declared, in my opinion. In his first season as the starter, the Maryland native showed power to create displacement in the run game as well as the mobility to get out on pulling assignments and block in space. His technique improved over the course of the season and that creates even more optimism entering what could be his final season with the Nittany Lions.
4. Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia
Bowers has been highly-productive for the back-to-back national champions. As a true freshman in 2021, he caught 56 passes for 882 yards and 13 touchdowns. He exceeded the receptions and receiving yards totals in the most recent season. Bowers is a dynamic pass-catching threat without the injury history of Dalton Kincaid, who was taken late in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
5. J.C. Latham, OT, Alabama
Latham is built like a guard but plays right tackle. He does a fantastic job of absorbing contact and is not going to be beaten with power. There is plenty of room for growth as far as technique and pad level are concerned but the traits are there to be a dominant, powerful right tackle like a Tristan Wirfs.
6. Kingsley Suamataia, OT, BYU
Suamataia’s listed height and weight is similar to Latham but the body type is different. The former is massive but more linear. He has good eyes and mobility to engage in space. He is patient running the arc but needs to do a better job of landing punches and varying punch pace. Suamataia, a right tackle, has a strong upper body and core to absorb contact. The Utah native transferred in from Oregon during the 2021 season.
7. Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas
Ewers is able to generate velocity with ease. He throws with touch and anticipation through a 3/4 release. The offense is designed to take a bit of pressure off of the quarterback but he has a natural feel for the game. Injury disrupted his first full season as a college starter but his season was not statistically impressive. They have legitimate NFL skill talent so the Longhorns need more from him this year.
8. Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina
From a traits perspective, Maye is easily one of the two most talented quarterbacks in this class. He has a more traditional release and impressive arm strength. The North Carolina native has good mobility but is not necessarily elusive in open space. He tips off plays to the left by closing off his hips and his general decision-making needs to improve. There is a play or two every game where he throws into coverage or is unnecessarily making a throw off-platform. Maye is a gamer and capable of making plays on the move though.
The junior-to be threw for 4,321 yards, 38 touchdowns and seven interceptions, in addition to rushing for nearly 700 yards and seven touchdowns, despite being in short supply of next level skill talent.
9. Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame
Alt is a tall offensive tackle with average speed running the arc. He has good eyes to pick up stunts and exchanges, as well as good lateral agility to cut off inside counters. Alt has a little forward lean in his stance rather than sinking his hips and bending his knees to absorb contact. He can do a better job of varying punch pace and adjusting his hands when engaged. Alt does a good job of running rushers wide but lacks the bend to meet them at the high side of their rush. He plays with good lateral balance and rarely oversets.
Four offensive tackles made the top-10 offensive prospects list. It is very early in the process but this class has a good chance to be better than the 2023 class that placed four in the first round.
10. J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
McCarthy received his first extended playing time in 2022. He threw for more than 2,700 yards and rushed for an extra 306. The Illinois native has good height, but a thin frame. He does a good job of moving in the pocket to evade pressure and enough foot quickness to get chunk yardage when available. McCarthy has accurate arm strength and inconsistent touch, ball placement. It will be interesting how he develops in his second year as the full-time starter.
CBSSports’ Chris Trapasso also took a look at the top defensive prospects eligible for the 2024 NFL Draft.
Go to Source
Author: Josh Edwards
May 9, 2023 | 1:13 pm
