Dr. Commish's 2024 NFL Draft Big Board

We made it. The 2024 football offseason is mere days away with the final NFL regular season games wrapping up tomorrow, followed by the College Football National Championship on Monday. For those of us here in the Doctor's Office, this means only one thing: draft season is nearly upon us.

Now, don't get too excited yet; this isn't a mock draft. Dr. Commish has far more film left to observe and loads more data to collect before he can make a diagnosis. This is merely the initial lineup of the players that are, in his opinion, the most intriguing prospects of this year's high-powered class. Dr. Commish has also included his initial suspicions as to which athletes at each position could possess the best traits in the class in one particular area, as well as his personal favorite prospect in each phase of the game (labeled as his "guys").

Top 10 Overall (Reminder: this is NOT a mock draft)

1. Marvin Harrison Jr. - WR, Ohio State

He isn't a perfect player, but the 2023 Ohio State offense may be the "generational" talent for this class, at least among the more well-known phases of the game. With a blend of great size and athleticism, Harrison Jr. combines high-level route running with an elite ability to adjust to the ball after the throw and make catches happen. He is HIM. Pro Comp: Justin Jefferson with elite physical tools.

2. Caleb Williams - QB, Southern Cal

Formerly labeled as a "generational prospect", Williams' inability to elevate his team into the playoff conversation (not his fault) has dragged his hype train off the rails and deep into the lake that the Pac-12 Conference drowned in before the season. That being said, Caleb has unbelievable potential, and could quickly become a top 5 quarterback in the NFL if he lands in the right situation. Pro Comp: A less weird Aaron Rodgers.

3. Brock Bowers - TE, Georgia

Formerly the "little man" to Darnell Washington's "big boy", Bowers is the best non-Iowa tight end to enter the NFL Draft since former top-5 pick Kyle Pitts, whose career was abruptly ended in 2021 when he was selected by infamous weapon-killer Arthur Smith to join the high-opportunity, low-competence assault tank in Atlanta. The bright side with Bowers is that if he does end up in a Falcons uniform, he can be used as a high-level lead blocker on the goal line for Tyler Allgeier. Pro Comp: A watered-down, less cool George Kittle.

4. Drake Maye - QB, North Carolina

If Caleb Williams is the next Aaron Rodgers, Drake Maye could be the next Peyton Manning (without the five-head). If you're looking for a guy who can execute your offense at an elite level, Maye is the perfect prospect for you. Pro Comp: Justin Herbert from the East Coast.

5. Olumuyiwa Fashanu - OT, Penn State

Olu Fashanu could have gone to the NFL last season and would've likely been a top 5 pick. But not all heroes wear capes, and the elite left tackle decided to return for another season solely to help protect Penn State's new starting quarterback Drew Allar (NIL had nothing to do with it, I promise). Rumors are, he could slide as far as pick 10 to Chicago. Pro Comp: Christian Darrisaw but hopefully drafted by a contender.

6. Joe Alt - OT, Notre Dame

Although Fashanu may be the top offensive lineman on my board, Joe Alt (lovingly nicknamed "The Irish Monster" by draft analysts closest to him) makes a strong case to take his place. Listed at 6'8" and 315 lbs., Joe Alt is huge, and his PFF grade was highest among all offensive tackles at 90.7 (shoutout PFF, not a sponsor but love them). Pro Comp: Catholic school Kolton Miller.

7. Malik Nabers - WR, Louisiana State

This dude can do everything. He's my "guy" in this draft, at least on offense. I also heard rumors that he might be struggling with some off-field issues (nothing concrete yet) which may drop him out of the top 9, potentially giving the Bears a dilemma similar to the Jalen Carter-Darnell Wright decision from last year's draft (but with much more talented players). Pro Comp: Tyreek Hill in Ja'Marr Chase's body.

8. Dallas Turner - EDGE, Alabama

Like with the aforementioned offensive tackles, the top of this year's edge-rush class could reasonably be given to multiple different players. In my opinion, the choice between these top three really comes down to preference, and I personally prefer Laiatu Latu. However, due to reasons beyond anyone's control, he ends up lower on my list than he'd normally be. Dallas Turner is my second-favorite edge rusher in the deep 2024 class, and therefore he takes the cake in this scenario. Pro Comp: Why look further than his 2022 partner in crime (figuratively), Will Anderson Jr.?

9. Jared Verse - EDGE, Florida State

I really liked Jared Verse going into the 2023 draft cycle, and he was slated to be my top EDGE this time through after choosing to return to Tallahassee for another season. But he lacked dominance for much of the season, and slowly lost steam as a potential top 5 pick. However, following the Jordan Travis injury, Verse returned to form for the home stretch, and got out just in time to avoid the PR disaster that was the 2023 Orange Bowl. He may not be my "guy" anymore, but he's definitely thrown his name in the ring to reclaim that throne in the near future. Pro Comp: He gives me Bryce Huff vibes with even higher upside.

10. Laiatu Latu - EDGE, Cal-Los Angeles

For all those asking: no, Latu isn't my "guy" on defense. But he's a beast. Literally the only thing keeping him from a top 5 listing is this haunting fact: the dude had to medically retire from football in 2020 with a neck injury. Pro Comp: STRONG Josh Allen vibes (not the quarterback who got snubbed from this year's Pro Bowl).

The Best of the Rest: 11-50

11. Cooper DeJean - DB, Iowa

12. Rome Odunze - WR, Washington

13. Demeioun "Chop" Robinson - EDGE, Penn State

14. Nate Wiggins - CB, Clemson

15. Ga'Quincy "Kool-Aid" McKinstry - CB, Alabama

16. Jer'Zhan Newton - IDL, Illinois

17. J.C. Latham - OT, Alabama

18. Terrion Arnold - DB, Alabama

19. Amarius Mims - OT, Georgia

20. Taliese Fuaga - OT, Oregon State

21. Graham Barton - OL, Duke

22. Jayden Daniels - QB, Louisiana State

23. Keon Coleman - WR, Florida State

24. Troy Fautanu - OL, Washington

25. J.T. Tuimoloau - EDGE, Ohio State

26. Tyler Guyton - OT, Oklahoma

27. Adonai Mitchell - WR, Texas

28. Kingsley Suamataia - OL, Brigham Young

29. T'Vondre Sweat - IDL, Texas

30. Jordan Morgan - OT, Arizona

31. Kamren Kinchens - S, Miami (FL)

32. Xavier Worthy - WR, Texas

33. Leonard Taylor - IDL, Miami (FL)

34. Byron Murphy II - IDL, Texas

35. Bralen Trice - EDGE, Washington

36. Patrick Paul - OT, Houston

37. Quinyon Mitchell - CB, Toledo

38. Emeka Egbuka - WR, Ohio State

39. Kalen King - CB, Penn State

40. Troy Franklin - WR, Oregon

41. Jeremiah Trotter - LB, Clemson

42. Ja'Lynn Polk - WR, Washington

43. Kris Jenkins - IDL, Michigan

44. Kamari Lassiter - CB, Georgia

45. Maason Smith - IDL, Louisiana State

46. Chris Braswell - EDGE, Alabama

47. Michael Penix Jr. - QB, Washington

48. T.J. Tampa - CB, Iowa State

49. Ja'Tavion Sanders - TE, Texas

50. Braelon Allen - RB, Wisconsin

My "Guys"

Offense: Malik Nabers - WR, Louisiana State

I already covered him a bit, but he's really a special kind of player. Furthermore, LSU has a strong history of producing elite receiver talent (DJ Chark Jr., Terrace Marshall Jr., Racey McMath), and Nabers might be next in line.

Defense: T'Vondre Sweat - IDL, Texas

I love T'Vondre Sweat. I just love the Longhorns' D-line in general from this year. Byron Murphy made a strong case for this spot in their CFP game. But when you have a BIG boy that can move like Sweat does, with that elite of a name, there's no competition. Not to beat a dead horse, but the Bears could be in line to take him in the first round too. Pairing T'Vondre with fellow Sweat-man Montez would give Green Bay the "Love Sweats" for years to come.

Special Teams: Tory Taylor - P, Iowa

Statistically, he's the greatest college punter of all time. But occasionally, stats can paint the wrong picture, especially when it comes to punt yards for an Iowa team that ranked dead-last in FBS in each of the past two seasons. But having personally witnessed hundreds (if not thousands) of Tory Taylor punts with my own two eyes, I can confirm that our Aussie golden boy has a golden leg. In fact, and I'm not exaggerating here, but Taylor may be the closest thing this highly-talented draft class has to a true generational talent at his position.

Awards

QB

Best Arm: Caleb Williams

Best Legs: Jayden Daniels

Best Mind: Drake Maye

HB

The Tank: Braelon Allen

The Missile: Bucky Irving, Oregon

The Vision: Blake Corum, Michigan

WR

Best Hands: Marvin Harrison Jr.

Most Explosive: Malik Nabers

Most Versatile: Ladd McConkey, Georgia

Route Technician: Xavier Worthy

TE

Brock Bowers wins all

OL

Most Imposing: J.C. Latham

Best Athlete: Olu Fashanu

Best Tats: Rusty Feth, Iowa

Most Pro-Ready: Joe Alt

DL

Best Anchor: T'Vondre Sweat

Best Rusher: Jer'Zhan Newton

Freakiest Specimen: Maason Smith

EDGE

The Juice: Chop Robinson

The Bull: Bralen Trice

Most Likely to Succeed: Jared Verse

LB

Highest Upside: Jeremiah Trotter Jr.

Best All-Around Player: Payton Wilson, NC State

Also Exciting But Not Mentioned Yet: Edgerrin Cooper, Texas A&M

DB

Best Man: Terrion Arnold

Zone Boy: Kamari Lassiter

Best Boundary Corner: Kool-Aid McKinstry

Most Versatile: Cooper DeJean

S

Kamren Kinchens Award for Most Outstanding Safety: Kamren Kinchens

Best Iowa Football Player Not From Iowa: Cole Bishop, Utah

Other

Good Guy Award: Nate Wiggins

Most Valuable Special Teams Player: Tory Taylor

Best Overall Athlete: Cooper DeJean