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17 Breakout Players From The 2024 NFL Draft

By Peter Marasco

ORLANDO, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 17: Grayson McCall #10 of the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers looks to pass during the second half of the 2021 Cure Bowl against the Northern Illinois Huskies at Exploria Stadium on December 17, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 17: Grayson McCall #10 of the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers looks to pass during the second half of the 2021 Cure Bowl against the Northern Illinois Huskies at Exploria Stadium on December 17, 2021 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by James Gilbert/Getty Images) /
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The 2024 NFL Draft is starting to take shape as the college football season approaches. These 17 names should be on your radar as the off-season comes to a close.

Every college football season provides for a number of new names of potential breakout players for the following NFL Draft. This statement is exemplified by the performance of Lukas Van Ness from Iowa, who never started a game at Iowa, and yet, as only a Redshirt Sophomore, became the No. 13 overall draft pick by the Green Bay Packers just last year.

Draftniks already know the major stars and highly-rated college players for the 2024 NFL Draft, but what about the lesser known players who blossom and seemingly come out of nowhere? Every cycle sees prospects boost their stock from Day 3 status to top-100 consideration. Some more recent examples include Devon Witherspoon of Illinois and Deonte Banks of Maryland; neither was considered a top prospect prior to the 2022 season.

None of the players mentioned in this article were included in:

-the Walter Camp 2023 Pre-Season All American Teams.

-the Pro Football Focus “top ten at every position for the 2023 season”.

-the Pro Football Network “top ten at every position”.

-Sports Illustrated “top five at every position”.

17 Breakout Players From The 2024 NFL Draft

Here are 17 players poised for a breakout season, starting with a former five-star talent with the Crimson Tide.

(1) CHRIS BRASWELL, OLB, 6-foot-2, 255 lbs., JRr., Alabama

This former five-star athlete had the misfortune of playing the same position as Will Anderson Jr., and thus had to bide his time for a couple of years. Being built similar to Anderson, and with similar quickness and speed, Braswell’s five-star abilities haven’t evaporated and he will be able to show his wares in 2023. Having never started a game at Alabama, he still had a few sacks last year along with six quarterback hurries and a forced fumble.

(2) LANDON JACKSON, DE, 6-foot-6, 274 lbs., Jr., Arkansas

This transfer from LSU was slow to recover in 2022 from an ACL injury suffered in 2021, but came around toward the end of the season. Jackson has been virtually unblockable during the Spring of 2023, which has led to high expectations for this coming campaign at Arkansas.

(3) SIMOTE PEPA, DT, 6-foot-2, 330 lbs., SOr, Utah

Only a Redshirt Sophomore, Pepa slimmed down from 345 pounds this off-season. He only started 1 game in 2022, yet had four sacks from his interior defensive line position. The Utah star was named to the AP first-team All Pac-12 and second-team All Pac-12 with Pro Football Focus. However, Pepa received no mention by the Pac-12 coaches. He has served his two-year church mission, so with a standout 2023 season, he could easily declare for the 2024 NFL Draft.

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