Of course we’re still recapping and evaluating everything that materialized in the 2023 NFL Draft. But don’t be ashamed to admit you’re already looking ahead to the 2024 NFL Draft and the crop of top-tier prospects it will provide.
The offensive stars like Caleb Williams and Marvin Harrison Jr. will be the headliners, yet there are plenty of studly defensive prospects to get excited about. These are my top 10 defensive prospects in the 2024 class before the 2023 college football season.
Honorable Mention: Bralen Trice, EDGE, Washington
Trice led all of college football in pressures last season with 70, and he accomplished that feat on a mere 335 pass-rushing snaps. That 20.8% pressure-generation rate is in rarefied air. Now, for as uber-slippery as Trice is — his pass-rush-move arsenal is sprawling — he’s a stocky physical specimen who may not check the burst/athleticism boxes teams want in early-round edge rushers. His production, however, cannot be ignored.
10. Dallas Turner, EDGE, Alabama
Perfectly on-brand for the Nick Saban era, the Crimson Tide will replace 2020 No. 1 weakside defensive end recruit Will Anderson with Turner, the class of 2021’s No. 1 edge recruit, per 247 Sports. We’ve seen Turner play well over the past two seasons as a regular contributor on Alabama’s defense. While he’s held his own, he hasn’t been outrageously productive. The big-time recruit flashes are absolutely there on film.
His acceleration off the snap usually jumps off the tape, Turner just needs to add more bulk and power to his game and sharpen his finishing skills when he’s closing in on the quarterback or ball carrier at or behind the line.
9. Cooper DeJean, CB, Iowa
Playing opposite longtime stud Riley Moss, DeJean was a rock star on Iowa’s defense in 2022. He rarely missed a tackle, housed three of his five interceptions and had eight other pass breakups. At 6-foot-1 and over 200 pounds, DeJean has NFL outside cornerback size. While maybe not a super-explosive athlete, he’s plenty agile enough to mirror decently well, and his football intelligence allows him to recognize when the ideal time is to pounce underneath a route. Clearly he was blessed with plus ball skills.
8. Laiatu Latu, EDGE, UCLA
There was some thought Latu would’ve entered his name in the 2023 draft after an enormous 65-pressure campaign for the Bruins. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 265 pounds, Latu has a tall,…
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