The 2024 receiver class has earned its label as a generational group, living up to its reputation with an abundance of physical talent and backed by impressive production. It's no surprise that 15-20 receivers from this class are likely to secure spots in most people's top 100 big boards. Personally, I've dedicated countless hours to analyzing these players' film, and while I'm confident in this initial list, I acknowledge the possibility of slight adjustments. This represents the first version of my rankings, and while I anticipate minimal changes, I'll be releasing a final list for receivers (and other positions) approximately a week before the draft. Without further delay, here are my current top 25 receivers.
Top-Five Pick Worthy:
1.) Marvin Harrison Jr, Ohio State.
Photo courtesy of Ohio State Athletics.
This shouldn't come as much of a surprise for anyone. Harrison possesses a rare blend of athleticism and length that makes him a generational prospect - a term that is thrown around too much for prospects but is fitting in this scenario. He moves like his dad but he is several inches taller and 20 lbs heavier. He is one of the best receiver prospects we have seen in the last decade and deserves his status as the consensus number-one receiver.
2.) Malik Nabers, LSU.
Photo courtesy of Kalifornia Highlights.
With the lofty praise of Harrison Jr., you may expect there to be a sizable gap between him and WR2 in this class, but there isn't. In fact, the gap between all of these top three prospects is razor-thin, and that is what makes it a rare class. Nabers has exceptional burst off the ball and is a nightmare for defensive backs at the top of his route. He has violent hips and is a natural separator - the best in the class.
3.) Rome Odunze, Washington.
Photo courtesy of Washington Athletics.
Odunze is your prototypical number-one wide receiver. He possesses plus speed coupled with impressive short-area quickness for a guy of his height and weight. His body control and aggressive nature at the catch point make him a threat to be open, even when he isn't open. He caught 17 of his 24 contested targets in 2023, which is a 70.8% success rate—an elite mark. In addition to his contested catch ability, his burst is deceptive, and he excels at pacing his routes to catch defensive backs off-guard who might not respect his athleticism.
Top-32 Pick Worthy:
4.) Brian Thomas Jr., LSU.
Photo courtesy of LSU Football's Instagram account.
Thomas might have the most impressive physical tools in this class. He blew up the combine running a 4.33 at 6'3" and 209 lbs. Thomas isn't just a toolsy prospect that you hope can develop in the NFL. He showed it all: the ability to climb the ladder and come down with tough contested catches, the ability to beat press coverage as a technician, the ability to eat up cushion in off-coverage and threaten defensive backs deep, and the ability to just "out-physical" opposing defenders. Thomas would be higher in this class if the other guys ahead of him weren't so polished and didn't have multiple years of high-end production. Thomas broke out in 2023 with 1,177 receiving yards and 17 receiving touchdowns. He has the rarest tools in this class, and I never like mentioning Hall of Fame receivers in the same sentence as prospects as it is just unfair, but he has Julio Jones-level tools.
5.) Ladd McConkey, Georgia.
Photo courtesy of Ladd McConkey's Instagram.
The most underappreciated receiver in this class, McConkey just gets open. As NFL Network's Daniel Jeremiah said, every cornerback looked good until they faced McConkey. He is so good at the top of the route and routinely utilizes his short-area quickness to win. He exceeded expectations with his 4.39 40-yard dash, which shows he can threaten defenders deep too. His 1.52 10-yard split was the third fastest among receivers. He wins with exceptional burst and short-area quickness. He has a marquee trait that is both extremely rare and highly coveted - he loses no speed through his breaks. While he may not have ideal size, his size profile closely resembles that of New York Jets receiver Garrett Wilson. McConkey should be able to play from both the slot and outside in the NFL.
6.) Adonai Mitchell, Texas.
Photo courtesy of Texas Athletics.
Our first projection of this class: Adonai, known better as AD, wasn't overly productive at either of his two stops in college football, but that appears to be more of a function of the offenses he played in rather than a concern about his play. You will hear this a ton, but Mitchell is another guy with a blend of elite speed and size. His explosive drills were impressive as he ran a 4.34 at 6'2" and 205 lbs and jumped nearly 40 inches in the vertical jump, both among the best at his position in the draft class. Mitchell's athleticism doesn't jump out to you on tape as he paced his routes proportionate to whether or not he was receiving a target, but when he was running at full speed, you could see he was a matchup nightmare.
7.) Xavier Worthy, Texas.
Photo courtesy of Texas Athletics.
AD Mitchell's counterpart was no slouch either. Now best known for running the fastest 40-yard dash in NFL history, Worthy made headlines with his 4.21 40-yard dash this past weekend, breaking John Ross's 2017 record of 4.22. Worthy is an interesting player, extremely quick and packaged into a uniquely small frame. He weighed in at just 165 lbs, but his slight frame is no longer the concern it once was. Houston Texans rookie receiver Tank Dell found substantial success in year one with a similar frame.
Worthy is more than just a track guy; he showed the ability to beat press coverage, even if it was inconsistent. He possesses impressive ball skills and shiftiness that would make you think he doesn't have ACLs. One of the best ball trackers in the class, he's an exceptional deep threat. While not the most physically imposing receiver and likely to struggle as a perimeter blocker at the next level, his burst (1.49 10-yard split) is a real threat to take a drag route or end-around for 70 yards. He will be best suited for a team that tries to manufacture as many free releases for him as possible. Nonetheless, his rare speed, ball-tracking skills, and shiftiness make him a home run threat every time he touches the ball.
Top-64 Pick Worthy:
8.) Devontez Walker, UNC.
Photos courtesy of Breakshot Media.
Walker has the physically imposing nature to be a premier receiver, but he doesn't have the production to back it up. Controversially, Walker was forced to sit out the first four games of the 2023 season, per the NCAA, due to transfer eligibility issues. That hurt his production, but Walker hit the ground running when he came back. In three of his eight games, he recorded more than 130 receiving yards, and in five of the eight, he recorded at least 70 yards. Walker finished with 699 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns in eight games. Walker had a chance to showcase himself at the Senior Bowl and work his way into first-round consideration, but despite flashing his athletic prowess, he struggled with drops for most of the week. He struggled with drops in 2022, his final season at Kent State, finishing with seven drops. However, he improved in this regard in 2023 with just three drops in nearly as many pass reps as his 2022 season - a positive trend. Walker confirmed his impressive physical skill set with a 4.36 40-yard dash and a 40.5-inch vertical jump.
9.) Ricky Pearsall, Florida.
Photo courtesy of Florida Athletics.
Pearsall has been the fastest riser in the pre-draft process. He was moderately productive at Florida and put some good reps on tape, but he was widely considered a third-round pick going into the Senior Bowl. After a strong pre-draft process, I wouldn't be shocked if he has worked his way up to top-50 pick consideration. He was virtually uncoverable at the Senior Bowl and then followed that up with A+ athletic testing. Despite being an older prospect - Pearsall looks like a natural receiver. He has enough speed to threaten vertically and enough burst to be productive after the catch. He has the ideal size and hands to be a long-time productive receiver in the NFL - but where he separates himself is his 6.64 three-cone time, which exceeds the desirable threshold and enters rare lateral agility territory.
10.) Roman Wilson, Michigan.
Photo courtesy of Breakshot media.
Wilson, similar to Pearsall, has boosted his draft stock in the pre-draft process. He was the best receiver at the Senior Bowl, dominating in one-on-one drills, albeit those drills favored the receivers. At Michigan, Wilson was primarily used as a deep threat, although Michigan didn't routinely attack the deep areas of the field. Despite Wilson running a 4.39 40-yard dash at his combine, I don't believe he excels as an outside receiver or against physical press coverage. I'm not convinced he can win at the of scrimmage, against bigger and stronger corners, to be a constant deep threat, and I do believe he would be best suited as a slot/Z-receiver. I view him as someone who will win more in the short-to-intermediate parts of the field - manufactured free releases that allow him to utilize his quickness in space - a coveted skill set in the NFL.
11.) Javon Baker, UCF.
Photo courtesy of Javon Baker's Instagram.
Baker is one of those guys who won't wow you in any regard physically, but his play strength and ability to beat press coverage should translate well to the NFL. Boundary cornerbacks are not going to be able to line up against Baker and jam him; he isn't afraid to get physical and swipe corners' hands down. Some receivers struggle to work through contact, but Baker is not one of them.
Although he didn't "blow up" the combine, he met all the thresholds you like to see in a receiver. He ran a 4.54 40-yard dash, which won't burn defenders deep, but he is crafty enough as a route runner and technical enough at the line of scrimmage to stack defenders. Despite his lack of a special athletic profile, he is technical enough to win at every level. It's important to remember that some of the best receivers in the league are in the same athletic tier.
The easiest way to describe Baker is that he is "just a dude". Sometimes the biggest compliment is that a guy looks natural playing receiver, and that describes Baker.
12.) Troy Franklin, Oregon.
Photo courtesy of Oregon Athletics(Credit: Eric Evans Photography).
Franklin is a guy that I have been lower on dating back to the fall. While some consider him a first-round caliber receiver, I just don't see that level of prospect. I believe Franklin has adequate vertical speed, but I view it more as build-up speed than a true threat to ruin any play. His agility tests were good, but I don't see the short-area quickness or top-tier foot speed come through on tape. He is not overly dynamic with his lower body, and I think that will require him to be more crafty at the top of the route to generate significant separation against NFL cornerbacks.
Despite my reservations, Franklin still ranks as my 12th receiver because he is a well-rounded prospect who is adequate at enough things to carve a role for himself in the league. He will need to improve his ball security as he had too may drops at Oregon, but if he becomes more nuanced as a receiver, he may develop into a plus starter.
13.) Xavier Legette, South Carolina.
Photo courtesy of South Carolina Athletics.
I want to preface this by saying I don't feel overly confident about this ranking. My concerns regarding Legette just prevented me from placing him higher. That being said, I think he has a chance to develop into a great starter as he possesses elite receiver traits. Remember, I view all of these guys as being worthy of a top-64 pick, and I wouldn't fault a team for taking him because they are banking on his athleticism.
For starters, Legette was listed at 6'3" 227 lbs by South Carolina. He showed up to the Senior Bowl and measured in at 6'1" 221 lbs. Despite the discrepancy in size, Legette showed off his athletic ceiling by running a blistering 4.39 - which is exceedingly rare for his size profile. Legette is a late breakout, recording 1,255 yards and seven touchdowns in his fifth season for South Carolina. As hard as it is to believe, before his final season with the Gamecocks, he never recorded more than 170 yards in a season - he hardly received any playing time.
In 2023, he was essentially the only receiving option for an anemic offense, and despite the impressive showing, you must raise the question of why it took until year five to see any level of playing time. Legette's loyalty to one program must be appreciated in a day and age where it is so easy to hit the transfer portal for a more lucrative option - he stuck it out. He will be an older rookie at 23.5 years old for his first NFL snap, and his lack of playing experience means he has some growth to do as a receiver - it sounds cliche, but he needs playing time as he needs to develop his release package and become more nuanced of a route runner.
14.) Keon Coleman, Florida State.
Photo courtesy of Keon Coleman's Instagram.
At one point in the 2023 college football season, Coleman was being talked about as a potential top fifteen pick, but as people delved into his tape, questions regarding his ability to separate started to arise. In the court of public opinion, Coleman did himself no favors at the combine. He came out and ran a 4.61 40-yard dash at 6'3" and 213 lbs. On the surface level, that seems concerning, as the track record of taller receivers who struggle to separate is not great.
However, there is a silver lining. Not only was his 10-yard split impressive, suggesting he is a good accelerator, but he also showcased his game speed. In his gauntlet drill, he hit the highest GPS speed of all the receivers over the past two seasons at 20.36 mph. This is important because some players just play faster than they run. A great example would be Los Angeles Rams star receiver Puka Nacua, who ran a 4.57 40-yard dash but, similar to Keon Coleman, was the fastest receiver in the gauntlet drill during the 2023 combine, hitting 20.06 mph.
Through the past two combines, the two fastest recorded GPS times during the gauntlet drills were by Keon Coleman and Puka Nacua - both of whom also ran two of the slowest 40-yard times in their respective classes.
Top-100 Pick Worthy:
15.) Ja'Lynn Polk, Washington.
Photo courtesy of Washington Athletics.
Polk is a solid athlete but presents a bit of a projection to the NFL. He possesses adequate athleticism and can win from any of the three receiver spots. Additionally, he demonstrates above-average play strength and impresses with his ability to gain yards after contact as a ball carrier.
To succeed at the NFL level, Polk needs to enhance his creativity at the line of scrimmage to outmaneuver boundary cornerbacks, although he has shown flashes of beating tight man coverage. While he may lack the highly coveted abruptness seen in other receivers in this class, Polk's potential remains somewhat unknown, making him an intriguing prospect for whichever team drafts him. He exhibits shades of Aman Ra St. Brown in his playing style.
16.) Malachi Corley, Western Kentucky.
Photo courtesy of Sick EditzHD.
Corley is the ultimate bowling ball: the muscle hamster of this class. With a compact 5'10", 210lb frame reminiscent of a running back, Corley packs a punch. He was primarily utilized as a yards-after-catch threat, closely resembling the usage of Deebo Samuel. When he has the ball in his hand, his bruising running style, desire for contact and reckless abandon, make him a cornerback's worst nightmare - no one wants to come up and be the first person to make contact with him. However, he lacks detail or nuance in his route running and needs development in all aspects of being a receiver. Nevertheless, his top-tier play strength and dog mentality often find a role in the NFL.
17.) Jalen McMillian, Washington.
Photo courtesy of Washington Athletics.
McMillian served as the grind-it-out, tough yards guy for Washington. Despite being the third receiving option in a prolific offense, he had a statistically better season in 2022. Operating predominantly from the slot, I believe that's where he best projects in the NFL. McMillian's game bears shades of Jakobi Meyers - but with a touch more athleticism.
18.) Brenden Rice, USC.
Photo courtesy of Brenden Rice's Instagram.
The son of the legendary Jerry Rice, Brenden carved out a nice career for himself at USC. He acted as the safety blanket for the consensus number-one overall pick QB Caleb Williams. Rice never quite took that production leap but remained fairly consistent throughout his career. He lacks sudden feet and does not possess overwhelming physical traits, but he has enough athleticism to survive in the NFL. He lined up all over the field and displayed a well-rounded skill set in all areas.
19.) Jermaine Burton, Alabama.
Photo courtesy of Jermaine Burton's Instagram.
Another extremely underappreciated receiving prospect who tested well at the combine, Burton was largely untapped in a poor passing offense. He stands out as one of the more nuanced route runners in the class, utilizing his football IQ to set up defenders for failure. While elite production may not be there, the tape reveals a player better than his box score stats suggest. He needs to become a bit more physical and play through contact with more ferocity, but he possesses the tools and tape that suggest he could grow into a versatile receiving threat in the NFL.
His tape suggests that he could develop into a dominant receiving threat in the NFL, and the reason he's not ranked higher is because of some off-the-field question marks. He garnered negative attention last fall for shoving a female fan while heading back to the locker room. While some players mature and thrive in the league, others struggle to overcome their off-field issues. Burton has significant boom-or-bust potential due to these concerns.
20.) Johnny Wilson, Florida State.
Photo courtesy of Johnny Wilson's Instagram.
Another polarizing prosect - Wilson owns an uncommon, almost unheard-of frame at 6'6" and 230lbs, his 4.52 40-yard dash left me astounded. He boasts one of the largest catch radii we've ever seen, but surprisingly inconsistent hands. For a player who will make his living boxing out defenders, he doesn't fully capitalize on his measurables. While there are hints of athleticism in his game, ultimately, there's simply no track record of a receiver of this size finding consistent success—a potentially high-risk, high-reward pick.
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