2024 NFL Draft: Mel Kiper updates Big Board Top 25 rankings following conference championship games
The college football season has mostly wrapped up, with just bowls, the Army–Navy game, and the College Football Playoff left on the schedule. And that means it’s NFL Draft season.
As such, ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. has unleashed a new Big Board featuring his top draft-eligible prospects. Not every player listed is guaranteed to enter the draft, nor is it a mock draft — merely a ranking of the Top 25 draft-eligible prospects.
Check out Kiper’s latest 2024 NFL Draft Big Board below.
1. QB Caleb Williams, USC
Williams has been widely consider one of, if not the top prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft class since he won the Heisman with a sterling 2022 campaign. His 2023 season didn’t quite go as planned, but NFL evaluators haven’t cooled on Williams and his ability.
Kiper raved about Williams’ talents: “Williams is a fabulous playmaker, and there are ‘wow’ throws all over his tape, even going back to his freshman season at Oklahoma. He’s incredible escaping the pocket and making off-platform throws, excelling when plays break down. His improvisational skills are off the charts — it’s incredible how he can make the first defender miss and create first downs out of thin air. He has great field vision and throws dimes to receivers while under duress. He’s incredibly creative, which is not something we can usually say of quarterbacks.”
2. WR Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State
Perhaps the best overall player in the class, Harrison Jr. brings elite college production and tape along with an NFL pedigree. He is Marvin Harrison’s son, after all.
And Kiper thinks Harrison Jr. could outstrip his old man: “Harrison has everything, from outstanding size and stellar hands to incredible body control and blazing speed. His dad ran a 4.33-second 40-yard dash before the 1996 draft but was just under 6 feet when the Colts took him in Round 1. Harrison Jr. is four inches taller and could have similar speed.”
3. QB Drake Maye, North Carolina
The reason some evaluators don’t have Williams as a lock to go first overall is Maye, who some have tabbed as the top QB in the class. He’s got the prototypical size, arm strength and plus-athleticism that the modern quarterback position demands to excel, and will likely be the second quarterback drafted, at worst.
“He looks the part of a big-time NFL signal-caller. He can make every throw with ease. He’s accurate on the move and can pick up first downs with his legs. Maye varies his pass speeds really well — he knows when to take a little off to make it easier for his receivers. He has outstanding touch on vertical throws,” Kiper wrote of Maye.
4. TE Brock Bowers, Georgia
Bowers exists on a similar plane to Harrison Jr., arguably the best player in the sport but not likely to be the No. 1 pick because of position. Even still, NFL teams will be salivating over the matchup nightmare that is Bowers, someone Kiper wrote should be an immediate difference maker in the NFL.
Kiper on Bowers: “He has great hand-eye coordination and run-after-the-catch ability, and he can stretch the field down the seams. I also love the way he tracks the ball, high-pointing it above defenders.”
5. WR Rome Odunze, Washington
If it weren’t for Harrison, Odunze would potentially be a clearcut No. 1 wideout in this class. The Huskies wideout has a smooth blend of size, athleticism and ability to track the ball and be physical at the catch point.
Kiper is impressed with Odunze’s physical makeup, writing that “Odunze put up four straight 100-yard receiving games to begin the season, and I love his combination of size and speed. He’s big, and he knows how to use his body to shield defenders. … He’s used both inside and out. He can make defensive backs miss after the catch. He is going to test extremely well at the combine.”
6. QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado
Kiper is higher on Sanders than many of his draftnik colleagues, but the Colorado quarterback showed a lot of promise in Year 1 of Power 5 football. Both draft eligible and retaining more eligibility, there’s been no indication either way on what Sanders plans to do.
If he goes back to school, Kiper thinks Sanders could be in contention for the top overall pick in 2025: “Sanders is unflappable. He throws a great ball, showcasing pinpoint accuracy on intermediate routes and a heater when he needs it across the middle of the field. He can throw strikes on the move to his right or left. He’s an excellent decision-maker and is highly competitive, which I love from a quarterback. Having watched Sanders’ tape from 2021 and 2022 and the improvement he has shown this season, I see future top-10 pick potential. He’s that good. He’s only a true junior, which means he could return to school next season and compete to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 class.”
7. OT Olu Fashanu, Penn State
Fashanu, widely considered the top tackle in the class after passing up the draft a year ago, remains just that: The top tackle in his class. Kiper sees no reason not to spend a high draft pick on the massive, athletic Fashanu.
Kiper wrote how highly he thinks of Fashanu: “In any other class — a class without Williams and Harrison — he’d be the easy pick as the No. 1 overall prospect. That’s what kind of talent he has. Fashanu has the size, footwork and physical traits teams wanted in a high-end left tackle. He moves effortlessly and with urgency, getting his hands on second-level defenders with ease. The exciting part? Fashanu is still developing. He has started just 20 games, including eight last season, and doesn’t turn 21 years old until December.”
8. QB Jayden Daniels, LSU
Few players had as steep a climb up draft boards as Daniels has in 2023. From starting the season as something of an afterthought among the quarterbacks, Daniels is firmly in the QB3 discussion after his Heisman-caliber season.
And his growth as a passer has Kiper hopeful for the future: “Daniels has rare ability as a dual-threat playmaker. He can evade, elude and blow by defenders, but he also impressed with the way he can run through contact. But his improvement as a passer that has him looking like a Round 1 selection.”
9. WR Malik Nabers, LSU
Daniels’ rising tide lifted many boats, particularly Nabers’. The LSU wideout was expected to have a strong season and many tabbed him as a potential WR2 behind Harrison entering the season, but after a nation-leading 1500-plus yards and 14 touchdowns, Kiper is very high on Nabers at the next level.
While his speed is his defining trait, Kiper sees a lot more to Nabers’ game: “Nabers has good hands and showed toughness in taking a shot while hauling in a catch over the middle of the field. He tracks the ball exceptionally well. He gets easy separation on cornerbacks. I have been impressed with his run-after-the-catch ability.”
10. EDGE Laiatu Latu, UCLA
The highest ranked defender on Kiper’s board also happens to be one who has been making rounds on the awards circuit, as Latu recently took home the Lomardi Award — not to be confused with the Lombardi Trophy — as a top player in the trenches. Kiper raved about Latu’s production and drive.
Kiper: “Latu is a polished pass-rusher who knows how to use his hands and has a knack for slipping by offensive tackles. What I like, too, is that he understands that a sack is great but a strip sack is even better; he had three of those in 2022 and one more this season.”
Prospects No. 11 through 25 on Kiper’s latest big board
11. EDGE Dallas Turner, Alabama
12. WR Keon Coleman, Florida State
13. CB Cooper DeJean, Iowa
14. OL Troy Fautanu, Washington
15. OT Joe Alt, Notre Dame
16. EDGE Jared Verse, Florida State
17. OT Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State
18. DT Jer’Zhan “Johnny” Newton, Illinois
19. OT Amarius Mims, Georgia
20. WR Xavier Worthy, Texas
21. CB Kool-Aid McKinstry, Alabama
22. OT JC Latham, Alabama
23. CB Kamari Lassiter, Georgia
24. CB Nate Wiggins, Clemson
25. OT Jordan Morgan, Arizona
All told, there were just eight defenders in the entire Top 25. And in a class heavy on receivers and offensive linemen, Kiper has four receivers and seven offensive linemen on his latest big board.