by Ryan Mercier
Struggling Actor Sports has struggled a little less lately in the acting field, leading to fewer posts. That’s good news on one hand, bad news for sports takes! Here are some quick thoughts before the first round of the NFL Draft kicks off tonight.
Wide Receivers
Here’s the biggest overall takeaway which goes against what everyone in the draft world is saying. This group at the top is not an all-time, stellar group. The Big 3 (Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, and Rome Odunze) are often predicted to be drafted in the top-10. This will be a mistake.
They can still be successful players, but this group does not deserve the hype. This conclusion is based on my own quick study in addition to what other draftniks are saying. While many have them coming off the board in the top-10 in mock drafts, they still say things like:
“…has the ability to be a dominant No. 2 receiver on Sundays.” -Tony Pauline (Harrison Jr.)
“….relies on his body to finish grabs…” -Dane Brugler (Nabers)
Nabers also tends to get mentioned with on and off-field concerns.
Odunze is a big guy who lacks speed and elusiveness. Sure, maybe he could be Larry Fitzgerald but what if he’s just Devin Funchess?
Going out on a limb, I am picking the other LSU pass-catcher as my WR1 in this draft, Brian Thomas Jr. There are injury concerns coming out about Thomas, though. Final rankings below are based on total career projections.
1. Brian Thomas Jr. – LSU
2. Malik Nabers – LSU
3. Marvin Harrison Jr. – Ohio State
4. Rome Odunze – Washington
Quarterbacks
Simply put, this is how I see the top-4 quarterbacks in the 2024 NFL Draft:
1. Caleb Williams – USC
2. Jayden Daniels – LSU
~Big, SEISMIC, drop-off~
3. J.J. McCarthy – Michigan
4. Drake Maye – UNC
Congrats to Drake Maye, as last year I had C.J. Stroud ranked 4th on my QB list. This assures Maye will turn into a star.
Edge Rushers
1. Dallas Turner – Alabama
2. Laiatu Latu – UCLA
3. Chop Robinson – Penn State
4. Jared Verse – Florida State
For this group, it appears to just be a matter of taste. I like Turner as the clear No. 1 pass rusher with the other three possessing totally different types of skills.
Latu has the size, craftiness, and never stops chasing. But, he has injury concerns. Robinson is a lightning bug coming off the edge while Verse is all power. To each their own.
Struggling Actor Sports 