Who checks in our initial way-too-early draft prospects in the 2024 class.
The dust has barely settled on the 2023 NFL draft and we are already looking forward to the next year’s class.
The top quarterbacks will take center stage this season. USC’s Caleb Williams is already viewed as the No. 1 prospect with UNC’s Drake Maye not far behind. Which teams will be vying to take either at the top of next year’s draft? It very well could be Arizona or Tampa Bay, the latter is in dire need of a quarterback.
There are plenty of skill positions in our top 25 prospects for 2024 led by Marvin Harrison Jr and Brock Bowers. They would be a welcomed addition to almost every NFL team.
As we look at the top 25 prospects for 2024, you will find plenty of offensive and defensive players across the college football landscape. Starting with Williams and Harrison Jr.
ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren released his latest predictions for the top remaining uncommitted prospects with UF making the cut for 3 of the names.
Currently consisting of 24 members, the Florida Gators’ 2021 recruiting class is ranked No. 6 in America and third-best in the Southeastern Conference (SEC), per the 247Sports Composite.
This grade is already the highest of any of the four classes compiled during head coach Dan Mullen’s tenure, and the program appears primed to add even more firepower to the group.
ESPN’s Tom VanHaaren released his latest predictions for five of the top remaining uncommitted prospects in the cycle on August 26 (subscription required), with the Gators making the cut for three of the names.
According to VanHaaren, the player to watch is Vanguard (Ocala, Florida) four-star strong-side defensive end Bryce Langston, a teammate of fellow 2021 Florida commit Trevonte Rucker, a four-star wide receiver.
“Langston had been committed to Florida since 2018 but decommitted in 2019,” VanHaaren pointed out.
“That was a case in which a prospect made a decision too soon, backed off, but still had interest in the school. The Gators continued pursuing him, and Langston was able to visit campus before the dead period was put in place.
“The lack of any visits might help Florida get him in the end. Without the opportunity to take an actual visit and see a place like LSU in person for a game, that could make a big difference in any recruit’s process.”
Listed at 6-foot-2.5-inches and 250 pounds, Langston is the 247Sports Composite’s No. 11 player at his position in the class and a top-20 player in the state. Echoing VanHaaren’s prediction, the Gators hold all six of his Crystal Ball Predictions, including ones from Blake Alderman and Steve Wiltfong.
One of the other prospects Florida made the shortlist for was Robinson Secondary (Fairfax, Virginia) five-star offensive tackle Tristan Leigh.
Now Bounds has made up his mind and he won’t be attending college at Notre Dame but instead to a nearby rival who isn’t on the schedule for over another decade.
Bounds is rated as a three-star offensive tackle and chose Michigan over offers from Notre Dame, Louisville, North Carolina State, Nebraska and Texas who were just a handful of the 25 offers he receieved.
Michigan now has 17 commitments to their 2021 recruiting class that is rated the sixth best in the nation according to 247Sports.
Notre Dame remains sitting with 10 commitments in their ’21 class, two of which play on the offensive line.
There are plenty of opinions circulating the world wide web as to just who the best prospects available in the 2020 NFL draft are. Each draftnik and analyst have their own inherent biases, whether it be based on school and conference or traits they …
There are plenty of opinions circulating the world wide web as to just who the best prospects available in the 2020 NFL draft are. Each draftnik and analyst have their own inherent biases, whether it be based on school and conference or traits they like to see. That’s why there’s never just one list and fans are generally well off looking at a multitude of boards to get an overall sense.
Here, the work has been done for you. Using the Top 100 boards of well-revered and respected names in the industry, we’ve compiled a composite ranking. That’s why the awkward number of 143. Across the six boards we used, there were 143 total prospects named in the various top 100s. An important distinction, this doesn’t take into account scheme fit or team needs for the Dallas Cowboys. This is a list that looks at the NFL as a whole.
53 players appeared in everyone’s Top 100 and another 18 showed up on at least five boards. As for the outliers, there were 21 players who only showed up on one board, signifying the diversity of opinions across the draft world. From there, players had to be given ranks for the boards they didn’t appear in.
If a player showed up on five boards, the missing rank was assigned 101. For four boards, 110, three boards, 120, two boards, 130 and one board 140. Data scientists are probably cringing right now, but it seemed a fair way to assess on surface and not completely dismiss the outliers from the exercise.
Analyzing three lesser-know MLB prospects entering the 2020 season as fantasy baseball sleepers who have the upside to help win your league.
Drafting prospects can be one of the most fun parts of fantasy baseball. It’s always exciting to get a share of MLB’s new wave of top, young talent, whether they’ll be starting the season in the majors or auditioning for an early season promotion. Here, we look at three sleeper prospects available toward the end of your fantasy baseball draft who’ll be able to make big contributions upon their MLB debut this season.
2020 Fantasy baseball sleepers: Prospects
Alec Bohm, 3B, Philadelphia Phillies
Bohm comes into the 2020 season just 23 years old and without having played a game above Class AA. Hit hit 14 home runs across 63 games at the second-highest minor-league level last year. Additionally, he has shown promising plate discipline in the minors with a 10.4% walk rate and stomachable 14.1% strikeout rate last year in AA ball.
The Phillies have a crowded infield following the signing of SS Didi Gregorius this offseason. Scott Kingery is expected to handle third base duties to open the season, but he hasn’t quite lived up to expectations through his first two seasons. Kingery’s versatility and ability to play multiple positions defensively also makes him an easy injury replacement whether it by around the infield or in the outfield.
The Phillies are all in, and they’ll make room for Bohm if he can get off to a hot start at Class AAA. He’s a top option in keeper leagues or redraft leagues with Inactive slots.
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Nate Pearson, SP, Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays finally splurged in free agency this offseason, reeling in SP Hyun-Jin Ryu as one of the top starters on the open market. He’ll front the starting rotation this year, but he’s followed by an uninspiring corps of veterans with potential injury concerns in Tanner Roark, Matt Shoemaker and Chase Anderson.
Pearson has been dominant in spring training and could be forcing the Blue Jays’ hand. The team is in need of a top-level No. 2 starter behind Ryu, and it may be best for his development to be up in the majors and working with the veteran ace while facing MLB hitters rather than toiling away in the minors.
Ryan Mountcastle, 1B, Baltimore Orioles
Mountcastle is the top hope for an Orioles club in dire need of adding excitement and offensive talent. The 23-year-old hit 25 home runs across 127 games at Class AAA last season, and he has little left to prove.
He’s stuck behind highly paid, but struggling veteran Chris Davis at first base, but he could force the Orioles to admit the mistake of Davis’ lofty extension and make them swallow salary to clear room. If not, he’s likely to get his shot in left field, as the Orioles are in need of an upgrade at several positions.
We checked in with The Draft Network’s Jonah Tuls on his latest mock, where he sends a certain SEC safety the #Cowboys way.
The Dallas Cowboys’ safety issue has been on full display the last couple of weeks. Really, it’s been all year. Really, it’s been a couple of years. There’s no question that Xavier Woods is a keeper and over the last several games has started to put forth the type of performance predicted for him from way back in January. The other safety position? Whew, that’s been a problem.
Jeff Heath has been bad, really bad, but for Cowboys fans who thought it couldn’t get worse, it actually did when Darian Thompson stepped in for an injured Heath against the Detroit Lions. Backup quarterback Jeff Driskel targeted Thompson on almost every big passing play the Lions had. The Cowboys need an upgrade, and they will likely have to wait until April’s draft to do so, considering they may still not want to spend at the position.
Draft analyst Jonah Tuls may have a solution for that.
In his latest 2020 mock for The Draft Network, Tuls assigns the Cowboys a potential star safety from the SEC; one Grant Delpit of LSU.
Now, Cowboys fans will probably still be hopeful the team can work out a trade with the New York Jets for another LSU safety, Jamal Adams. The two sides talked before the trade deadline but the Jets were asking for far more than Dallas was willing to give. If that continues to be the case and Dallas still has their first rounder come draft weekend, Tuls sees Delpit as being a great addition for the Cowboys.
Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports
Cowboys Wire caught up with our former contributor to pick his brain on Delpit and some other things surrounding the Cowboys and the upcoming 2020 draft.
Cowboys Wire: You mocked LSU super safety Grant Delpit to the Cowboys in your latest mock for The Draft Network. Talk to us about what he brings to the table the Cowboys would like, and what are some question marks where he’ll need to improve in the pro game.
Jonah Tuls: Grant Delpit provides something the Cowboys haven’t had at the safety position in over a decade — elite playmaking ability. With his combination of sideline to sideline range and short-area quickness, he is ready to make an impact in both man and zone coverage. The Cowboys haven’t had a difference-making cover safety in years, and Delpit would be a perfect fit for Kris Richard’s attacking defense.
The biggest question mark with Delpit’s game is his finishing consistency in the open field. He plays super aggressive as a run defender, and that often works to his detriment. His playmaking prowess will likely overshadow this flaw in the draft process, but changing speeds as a tackler is something he needs to take care of.
CW: Let’s assume Dallas makes the playoffs and do draft in the 20s like you have them. Who are some of the other players you have mocked in the first round that you feel would be good fits for the Cowboys and where they are lacking right now.
Tuls: Other positions of interest for the Cowboys in the first round are defensive tackle and cornerback. Two players come to mind here — South Carolina DT Javon Kinlaw and Alabama CB Trevon Diggs.
Kinlaw is an athletic freak as an interior pass rusher who can play on all three downs as either a one or three technique. I get the feeling he will be long gone by the time Dallas picks, but he fits right up the alley of what this front office looks for in a defensive tackle.
Diggs is the prototypical Kris Richard cornerback. It is rare to find 6’2 boundary players who can move, stay in phase in man coverage, and find the ball as well as Diggs does. With all the free agency questions surrounding this position for the team, I think this could be the year where Richard finally gets his guy at cornerback in the early rounds.
CW: Outside of those names, who are some other players you think could be good fits for the Cowboys and go between picks 20 and 60? I think we’re likely looking at a need to replace Randall Cobb in the slot, Jeff Heath at safety (though I still love Donovan Wilson).
Can you give us a quick preview of who could fill those holes in that range?
Tuls: There are a ton of slot wide receivers in this draft class that will be in the Day 2 range. If you’re looking for players who can stretch the field with their speed, similar to Mecole Hardman from last year, look no further than Penn State’s KJ Hamler and Texas’ Devin Duvernay. I know Dallas was interested in Hardman last year, so it would make sense for this team to go back to that archetype next April.
If the Cowboys wait to address safety on Day 2, some names to keep in mind are Texas’ Brandon Jones and Cal’s Ashtyn Davis. Both players fit the mold of what this front office looks for, in terms of their physical profiles. Jones and Davis are interchangeable safety prospects who have range, athleticism, and run support production.
