How many first-round prospects are there in the 2024 NFL draft class?
You might be thinking the answer is 32, since there will be 32 selections in Round 1 come April 25 in Detroit. But we aren’t talking about how many players will be drafted in Round 1, we’re talking about how many carry a true Round 1 grade.
NFL teams don’t typically deem many prospects in a given class as a Round 1-caliber talent, and it’s never 32 of them. More realistically, around 15 per class earn a real first-round grade, though the number varies by team and scouting department. These sacred evaluations are reserved for prospects who would be a Day 1 selection regardless of year, and my own rule of thumb is deciding whether the player would have been one in each of the past five classes.
Confusing? Welcome to the world of scouting.
I tackled my list for the 2024 class with a strict grading scale after handing out 20 first-round scores in 2023, and I ended up with 14 names at this point in the process — an offense-heavy group. I’ll update this list periodically until draft time, so the number will change with bowl games, all-star events, the combine and further tape study. But for now, here are the players who deserve a first-round grade on my board. (Players’ overall rankings are in parentheses after their names.)
Jump to position:
QB | RB | WR | TE | OT | IOL
EDGE | DT | LB | CB | S
Quarterback (3)
Comp: Aaron Rodgers
The top overall player in the 2024 draft class, Williams combines excellent arm strength, mobility and field vision with a knack for making creative plays when defenses close in on the pocket. At 6-foot-1 and 215 pounds, he is responsible for 93 touchdowns over the past two seasons at USC (72 passing, 21 rushing).
Sure, he will need to clean up the fumbles (eight in 2023) and get the ball out faster (3.14 seconds to throw on average), but the NFL-style playmaking and jaw-dropping passing ability has scouts calling him a rare prospect. What he’s able to do on second-effort plays is impressive, and Williams would have been my top-rated quarterback in each of the past five draft classes. He looks like a lock to go No. 1 right now.
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