2024 NFL Draft Feature: My Guys on Offense
Here are my favorite offensive players in the 2024 NFL Draft and why I like them so much
We’re on the doorstep of the 2024 NFL Draft. I’m usually more diligent about providing lead-in content for the draft, but work and my 2025 scouting focus have eaten away at the feature articles I usually post around this time of year. We’re beating the buzzer here, but today we’re going to discuss “my guys” among the offensive players in the 2024 class. We’ll talk about the defensive guys tomorrow.
There are several offensive players in this class that I didn’t include in this article who I’ve been pounding the table for since last spring. Florida State’s Trey Benson is my RB1 in the class, Texas’ Adonai Mitchell is my WR4, Western Kentucky’s Malachi Corley is my WR14 but still cracks the top 60 on my personal big board, and Virginia’s Malik Washington is WR17 at No. 81 overall.
I’m also a big supporter of Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton and Arizona’s Jordan Morgan, who are my eighth and ninth-highest-graded offensive linemen, respectively. Kansas’s Mason Fairchild is a deep sleeper I think could be a solid contributor in the league.
I didn’t have enough time to write sections on those seven – this post is long enough as is – but I wanted to mention them. Also, some of those guys are in contention for first round picks, and I really wanted to focus on the Day 2 and Day 3 prospects in this article.
Note: After each player discussed in this article, I include the grade I gave the prospect and where I project they’ll actually go in the draft.
My Guys on Offense: Day 2
Troy Franklin, WR Oregon
Franklin is lean (6'1 7/8", 176 lbs.), which takes a toll on his play strength and ability to compete through contact at the catch point. However, his fluidity and flexibility through his releases and the combination of acceleration and burst he showcases off the line creates instant downfield opportunities against man coverage. Franklin also has the quick and shifty footwork to make press-man corners miss their jams at the line.
In addition to his explosiveness and speed, Franklin executes sharp cuts in his routes that create natural separation. He maintains speed through his breaks and uses his fast feet to manipulate the defensive back’s leverage and create space. Franklin also has a strong feel for holes in zone coverage. You just have to move past the frame and accept that he won’t be a contested catch monster. The rest of the profile is very exciting.
Grade: Early Second Round
Projected Draft Position: Late Second Round
Ja'Lynn Polk, WR Washington
I like big receivers. At 6'1 3/8", 203 lbs., Polk isn’t a true big-bodied pass catcher, but he plays way above his size. He bailed out Michael Penix Jr. many times over the past two years and is a force at the catch point. Despite not measuring in with long arms, Polk flashes and expansive catch radius on tape thanks to his strong hands, ball tracking, and excellent body control.
Polk lacks elite speed, but his acceleration and burst allow him to overtake and stack cornerbacks early in plays. Defenders need to worry about Polk vertically, but they also have to deal with a constant barrage of double moves. Arguably no one in this class sells the out-and-up or stutter-go quite as well as Polk.
Polk also showcases quick feet at the top of the stem to gear down and flip his hips on comeback routes. Knowing this, defenders often bite when they see him start to decelerate, but Polk also re-accelerates at a high level, so he can fly past cornerbacks who commit to a comeback-fake too early.
Grade: Second Round
Projected Draft Position: Second Round
Brandon Coleman, LG TCU
Injuries hindered Coleman’s success in 2023, but his 2022 tape was fantastic. His home in the NFL is at left guard, but he played more than 1,400 offensive snaps at left tackle over the past two years. He’s smaller than your average tackle (6'4 1/2", 313 lbs.), but has tackle-sized arms (34 5/8"), hands (10 3/4"), and wingspan (84") that will play to his advantage at guard.
Coleman has heavy hands that deliver firm strikes. He doesn’t have the best foot speed and lateral agility, which is why a full-time move inside to guard is in his future. Coleman might not have an All-Pro ceiling, but his floor is among the highest in the 2024 class.
Grade: Second Round
Projected Draft Position: Third Round
Kiran Amegadjie, LT/LG Yale
Amegadjie suffering a quad injury and missing all but four games was one of the biggest bummers of the 2023 college season. It also stunk that he missed the All-Star cycle because it would’ve been great to see him against Power Five pass rushers. Amegadjie’s massive frame (6'5 3/8", 323 lbs.) and length (36 1/8" arms with an 85 1/2" wingspan), nimble footwork, and use of leverage made him a daunting challenge for Ivy League opponents.
Amegadjie still needs to refine his hand usage, but he has the physical tools to be a starting left tackle or left guard by the end of his rookie contract. He should go in the top 100 selections.
Grade: Second Round
Projected Draft Position: Third Round
Isaiah Adams, LG Illinois
I’m convinced all the people ranking Adams outside of the top 100 on their big boards haven’t actually watched his guard tape. The Canadian primarily played right tackle in 2023, and the tape was ugly. However, he was only out there because injuries required Illinois to shuffle their offensive line, and Adams has tackle-sized measurements at 6'5", 315 lbs. with 33 7/8" arms and an 81 7/8" wingspan.
So Adams sacrificed for the good of the team and put some bad tape out there in 2023, but he was crushing people in 2022 when he was playing his natural position at left guard. Adams is aggressive and powerful with pop in his hands and the upper body and core strength to torque defensive linemen out of their gaps. He doesn’t have the best foot speed, but his anchor is fantastic.
Grade: Second Round
Projected Draft Position: Third Round
Blake Corum, RB Michigan
I’ve seen some people say Corum has lost a step since tearing his meniscus in 2022. I think it’s more of a half step if anything. Despite packing more than 200 lbs. into a 5'7 3/4" frame, Corum’s acceleration and burst early in the play are enough to gain depth and carve out chunk plays. That compact build and low center of gravity make him difficult to pin down, and he pairs good vision with a loose, twitchy lower body and nimble feet that allow for sudden jump cuts and changes of direction.
Corum’s size is a limiting factor that prevents him from having high-end power or speed, and some teams won’t want to deal with a prospect that falls short in both of those areas. Fortunately, the Michigan star’s creativity and agility are among the best in this class.
Grade: Third Round
Projected Draft Position: Fourth Round
Jamari Thrash, WR Louisville
Thrash really didn’t help himself at the NFL Combine. Outside of the ten-yard split and 40-yard dash, he tested in or below the 41st percentile in all other drills. That will be tough for some teams to stomach, especially considering Thrash is only 5'11 3/4", 188 lbs. However, those testing numbers don’t really capture Thrash’s acceleration and burst that allow him to overtake and stack cornerbacks.
On top of having field-stretching speed, Thrash is an excellent route runner and natural separator. He sinks his hips well at the top of the stem and is a smooth athlete going through cuts. Many cornerbacks can’t match how quickly he gears down on comeback routes, which allows Thrash to use stutter-go routes later in the game to produce big plays. Despite his severe lack of size and play strength, Thrash tracks the ball well and competes at the catch point.
Grade: Third Round
Projected Draft Position: Fifth Round
Hunter Nourzad, C Penn State
Nourzad and his teammate at right tackle, Caedan Wallace, have gotten surprisingly little buzz despite playing on the same line as first rounder Olu Fashanu. Nourzad played right and left tackle at Cornell before playing left guard for Penn State in 2022 and center in 2023. He was better at the latter and possesses a rare build for the role at 6'3 1/8", 317 lbs. with 33 1/8" arms, a 79 3/8" wingspan, and 10 3/4" hands.
Nourzad explodes out of his stance and flashes immediate strong punches to deter interior rushes. His upper body strength makes him a menace, especially when he unleashes his trap move. Nourzad has heavy hands and a stout anchor that wasn’t tested often in 2023. He also has surprising mobility at his size to play diverse roles in the run game.
This past year was Nourzad’s first season at the pivot full-time. He’s still learning to identify stunts from his new role and might require some patience early in his career as he fully adapts to the position.
Grade: Third Round
Projected Draft Position: Early Fourth Round
My Guys on Offense: Day 3
Bub Means, WR Pittsburgh
Jerrod "Bub" Means was plagued by poor quarterback play his entire college career. Pittsburgh’s 2023 game against Cincinnati was a perfect encapsulation of his experience. Means saw 11 targets during the contest, but quarterback Phil Jurkovec couldn’t put the ball anywhere close to his best receiver. Means had no catches during the game, and I don’t blame him one bit.
Means is 6'1", 212 lbs. but plays much larger than that at the catch point thanks to his physicality, adjustments, and measurements (33 1/4" arms and 79 3/8" wingspan with 10 1/8" hands). He’s also a downfield threat. Means is a long-strider with the burst off the line and top speed to stack corners vertically. He falls into the “if he’s even, he’s leaving” category of receivers, meaning if he ever gets shoulder-to-shoulder with a cornerback, he’s going to win the footrace.
Means showcases crisp breaks on posts and corners and is surprisingly sharp on out and dig routes but struggles to stop his feet and work back down the stem on comeback routes. He is primarily a vertical threat with limited underneath value, but so are guys like Gabe Davis and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and they’ve cashed in at the NFL level.
Grade: Early Fourth Round
Projected Draft Position: Fifth Round
Matt Goncalves, OT/G Pittsburgh
Similar to Amegadjie, Goncalves was a causality of the 2023 season. A toe injury held him out for all but three games, robbing him of the chance to lock up a top 100 selection. The redshirt senior has significant starting experience at both left and right tackle, but his build (6'6 1/4", 317 lbs. to 327 lbs.) and measurements (33 1/4" arms with an 81 1/4" wingspan) support a move inside to guard.
Goncalves lacks elite agility and explosiveness and plays with an elevated pad level. Fortunately, he has smooth, repeatable footwork in pass protection and a powerful upper body. He throws feints and baits rushers with his hands and possesses hand counters to combat long-arm moves. Goncalves’ awareness of stunts and delayed blitzes is impressive, and his power and pop really come alive in the run game.
Goncalves will likely find himself in a swing tackle role early in his career but could develop into a starting guard by the end of his rookie contract.
Grade: Fourth Round
Projected Draft Position: Fourth Round
Rasheen Ali, RB Marshall
I originally watched Ali’s 2021 tape in the summer of 2022 and assigned him a “Mid Fourth to Early Fifth” round grade. I haven’t really budged from that mark over the past year and a half. It’s true that the Marshall product doesn’t have great size to create between the tackles (5' 11 1/4", 206 lbs.), but he has massive biceps that reflect his effort and dedication in the weight room.
Unfortunately, Ali ruptured a biceps tendon at the Senior Bowl. He couldn’t finish his week at Mobile, which started off really strong, and didn’t test at the NFL Combine. The injury could put Ali’s rookie season in jeopardy, but hopefully a team will appreciate his tape enough to snag him on Day 3 and start him on the PUP list.
Ali is an explosive, fast offensive weapon with fantastic acceleration and burst. He occasionally gets caught from behind but is still a big play waiting to happen. Despite his build, Ali displays good balance to challenge arm tackles and create after contact. His lower half is fluid and allows for sharp, sudden cuts upfield when he finds a lane. Ali also has a history of contributing as a pass catcher.
Grade: Fourth Round
Projected Draft Position: Sixth Round