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.
2024 NFL Draft: Intriguing Names To Monitor
(4) PATRICK PAUL, LT, 6-foot-6, 310 lbs., SRr, Houston
Paul has garnered All-Conference honors in the AAC but is still not well-recognized nationally. He was only a low-rated two-star player out of high school, yet his play at left tackle has looked awfully good at times. With adequate size for the position, he has exhibited good footwork including an effective kick-slide in pass protection. Paul profiles as a mauler in the run game, all while playing the high priority blindside position.
The downside with the Houston lineman is that he has also exhibited some poor technique, which he has been working to improve. Now playing a Big 12 schedule in 2023, including Texas on Oct. 21, he could thrust himself into the top tackle conversation with continued improvement. Paul is a name to have on your early 2024 NFL Draft radar.
(5) XAVIER TRUSS, Guard, 6-foot-6, 320 lbs., SRr, Georgia
Truss started 14 of 15 games at left guard for the National Champion, Georgia Bulldogs. Unfortunately, he did not attain any All-Conference honors. Still, Truss proved to be a bruiser from the interior while also flexing promising sets and hand usage in pass blocking. Being 6-foot-6, he needs better knee bend to be a first- or second-round draft choice, but he and Landon Tengwall, another player on this list, are my two top guards heading into the 2023 season.
(6) LANDON TENGWALL, Guard, 6-foot-5, 314 lbs., SOr, Penn State
Tengwall is only a Redshirt Sophomore who started the first five games of 2022 before going down with a season-ending injury. This heralded high schooler looked excellent during his limited time in 2022, offering the fan base a glimpse of what could be. Tengwall displayed a good base, quick feet, flexibility, agility, power and anything else one would look for on the interior. If he regains that form in 2023, the Nittany Lion standout would be my highest-rated guard. Alas, it is doubtful that he declares for the 2024 NFL Draft with such limited tape under his belt in Happy Valley.
(7) SETH COLEMAN, OLB, 6-foot-5, 240 lbs., JRr, Illinois
Seth Coleman was somewhat overlooked in the Illinois defense, as ten of the eleven starters received All-Conference honors in one form or another in 2022. That defense included first-round pick Devon Witherspoon, second-round pick Jartavius Martin and third-round pick Sydney Brown, as well as a couple that will be early selections in 2024. But as to Coleman, he boasts ideal size at 6-foot-4 and 240 pounds. He contributed four-and-a-half sacks last season, along with six passes defended and ten quarterback hurries. The outside linebacker prospect can follow the footsteps of his former teammates at the 2024 NFL Draft by going inside of the first 100 picks.
(8) BRAIDEN McGREGOR, Edge, 6-foot-5, 261 lbs., JRr, Michigan
McGregor has been in a rotational role since arriving in Ann Arbor. Don’t let this fool you; coaches have high expectations, even stating that he has Aidan Hutchinson-like traits. The ascending pass rusher started to come around at the end of the 2022 season and Coach Harbaugh claims that “he is on the verge” of becoming a great player. A knee injury his senior year in high school somewhat limited McGregor physically and mentally.
This year also presents another problem for him with reps as Super-Sophomore Derrick Moore is also vying for playing time at his position. The coaches, however, feel that if McGregor can put it all together, he could approach the heights of an Aidan Hutchinson. This could be the highest riser at the 2024 NFL Draft — or a complete afterthought if he is buried on the depth chart.
2024 NFL Draft: Breakout List Continues
(9) GRAYSON McCALL, QB, 6-foot-2, 215 lbs., SR., Coastal Carolina
Realizing that I didn’t have a skill position player, McCall was an easy choice to add to this list. A three-time Player of the Year in the Sun Belt Conference, he was somewhat limited by a foot injury in 2022. With every opponent heavily game-planning against him, the veteran signal-caller still led the Chanticleers to a 9-4 record. He completed 69.7 percent of his passes with 24 touchdowns against only two interceptions while running for six additional scores on the ground.
While some analysts have defensive tackle as the strongest position group for the 2024 NFL Draft, I am in the quarterback corner as there are at least eight signal-callers with first-round potential. But as to McCall, his rushing ability is well known while his passing ability is much better than he is given credit for. The 2023 season provides another opportunity for the Senior to see if he can prove that he belongs with that top group. Coastal’s opening game at UCLA on Sept. 2, 2023 provides a great opportunity.
(10) RYAN WATTS, CB, 6-foot-2, 206 lbs., SR., Texas
This Ohio State transfer helped the Longhorn defense immensely in 2022 by being able to play a shut-down cornerback position. This not only helped defend the passing game but also helped the running defense by allowing at least one safety to contribute in run support in the box, rather than having to help over the top in pass defense.
What really stands out about Watts is his consistency in all phases of the game including press coverage, recovery ability, length, recognition in the run game, and his tackling ability. All of this was accomplished while playing with a nagging hamstring injury. Any improvement on his 2022 play will improve his 2024 NFL Draft stock significantly.
(11) AL WALCOTT, SS, 6-foot-2, 215 lbs., SRr, Arkansas
Walcott was a low-rated high school player that took a while to get going. After redshirting at the JuCo level in 2018, and spending another year there in 2019, the safety prospect seized a special-teams-only role at Baylor in 2020. He parlayed this hard work into two very productive years at Baylor, achieving all-conference recognition in 2022. With prototypical strong safety size, he can also play in the box or the slot. This is an ascending player who transferred to Arkansas for his final season, hoping to boost his 2024 NFL Draft in the process.
(12) DWIGHT McGLOTHERN, CB, 6-foot-2, 190 lbs., SR., Arkansas
A highly-rated cornerback out of high school, McGlothern started out at LSU where he achieved some success. Alas, he transferred to the Razorbacks in 2022 and had a breakout campaign with four interceptions and ten pass breakups. The gifted defender also performed well in the tackle department with 43 solo tackles. He garnered some recognition in the SEC but still isn’t well known nationally. Now, built up to 190 pounds, he has ideal size for the boundary and looks for a further breakout in 2023.
(13) PATRICK PAYTON, DE, 6-foot-4 ½, 248 lbs., SOr, Florida State
Payton playing on the opposite side from 2024 NFL Draft star, Jared Verse, provides the Seminoles with a formidable pass-rushing duo. The 6-foot-4 pass rusher is another one of those players who didn’t start a game in 2022, yet still came up with five sacks and three pass breakups during the season. That effort garnered ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year honors, but reports say that he took his game to a new level during the Spring of 2023. This is part of the reason for Seminole fans having ambitions for the team which go beyond the ACC this year.
2024 NFL Draft: Rounding Out The List
(14) PAYTON WILSON, OLB-ILB, 6-foot-4, 242 lbs., SRr, North Carolina State
If healthy, Payton Wilson would be a sure bet first-round draft choice. With ideal size and speed (22.3MPH on GPS), he has played every linebacker position, defensive end, and special teams. I like him most on the outside, where he can pass rush and chase plays down.
Last year in only 11 games, the Wolfpack veteran had more than four sacks, eight additional tackles for loss, an interception, three pass breakups and seven quarterback pressures, but he has yet to play a full season because of injuries. Wilson was the state wrestling champ in North Carolina, while also being a star lacrosse player, but in football, he has had two knee surgeries, at least two shoulder surgeries, two shoulder dislocations and a collarbone issue.
2024 NFL Draft evaluators will have a chance to see him as NC State opens early against UConn on Thursday, Aug. 31, 2023 in a televised game. The program then hosts Notre Dame on Saturday, Sept. 9 in another televised game. These are must-watch games for him as Wilson needs to prove he can hold up for a full slate. I should note that his hard hitting is part of the reason for his injuries.
(15) SAI’VION JONES, DE, 6-foot-5, 268 lbs., JR., LSU
Jones was highly-rated out of high school but served as a part-timer in 2022. Now, he has the defensive end position to himself and after putting up nearly five sacks in 2022, he could easily double that number in 2023 with an explosive first step and quickness around the arc. The LSU Tiger has all the potential to go early at the 2024 NFL Draft.
(16) DEONTAE CRAIG, DE, 6-foot-2 ½, 266 lbs., JRr., Iowa
After mentioning Lukas Van Ness, I thought that it is worth mentioning another Iowa player who is on a similar trajectory; that player is Deontae Craig. As a Redshirt Junior, he is a shade over 6-foot-2 and weighs 266 pounds. He is a 2024 NFL Draft prospect who didn’t start any games in 2022, yet came up with 6.5 sacks, an additional 3.5 tackles for loss, three quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles and a blocked kick.
Although not having the same length that Van Ness has, and maybe not being quite as athletic, Craig could achieve double digit sacks this year. This type of success would make evaluators take notice and go back for another look at his tape, similar to what happened with Van Ness.
(17) J. MICHAEL STURDIVANT, WR, 6-foot-2, 205 lbs., SOr, UCLA
Sturdivant rounds out the list as another skill position player. This four-star wideout from Texas started out as a California Bear where he saw sparse action in four games in 2021. After taking a redshirt, 2022 saw him start the whole year, hauling in 65 passes for 755 yards and seven touchdowns, while attaining some all-conference mention.
For 2023, Sturdivant transferred to UCLA, which created some ill will between the two universities; aside from which, he has been by far the most impressive player on the UCLA team during spring practices. He has been burning defensive backs with his track speed, which he revealed as a Texas high schooler by running a 10.39s 100-meter and 10.49s 100-meter, along with a 20.99s 200-meter. The receiver prospect also excelled in the long jump; his size, speed, athleticism and production are all coming together for a monster year in Chip Kelly’s offense.