With the 2024 NFL Combine approaching, it's time to list and explain my top five rankings for all offensive positions. Of course, this ranking is subject to change as the combine ranks quite high in my scouting grade book.
Before I begin, remember: These are my individual rankingsnot the full CBS Sports prospect rankings, which are a sum of the rankings from Ryan Wilson, Josh Edwards and myself.
Here are my top 5 2024 NFL Draft prospects at each offensive position:
quarterback
Williams is stylistically close to Patrick Mahomes in terms of spatial awareness and creativity and has a strong, mostly accurate arm. Stylistically, Maye is close to Justin Herbert. Daniels is a home run hitter as a scrambler and showed excellent downfield touch at LSU. McCarthy has the physical tools to be a better pro than he was at Michigan. I chose Rattler over Nix because I believe Rattler is better able to handle pressure and make tight throws at the next level. Remember, two years ago, everyone had him as a first-round pick and many believed he would ultimately be the No. 1 overall pick. He is ultra-talented.
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Run back
I'm not sure why Benson doesn't get more approval. He carried the ball fewer than 320 times in college, but was clearly a ridiculous contact balancer and elusive guy in a strong back body. Irving is smaller but hops around tacklers with ease and has lightning-quick explosiveness in and out of his cuts. Brooks has a well-rounded game with some shakes in the hole and downfield bursts. Lloyd and Wright are solid rushers who will run away from some defenders at the next level. You can slide.
Wide receiver
1. Malik Nabers, LSU (4)
2. Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State (1)
3. Javon Baker, UCF (96)
4. Brian Thomas Jr., LSU (27)
5 Rome Odunze, Washington (8)
For me, Nabers gets the nod over the esteemed Harrison Jr. for one reason: YAC. Harrison has run a more diverse range of routes, but the LSU star accelerates from 0-60 like a Ferrari and tracks downfield just as much as his Ohio State counterpart. Baker flies well under the radar as a plus athlete with competitive catching ability and a touch of YAC brilliance. The same applies to the more widely known Thomas Jr. from LSU. The combine will be crucial for Odunze. I love how confident he is playing the ball in the air; I'm just worried that he was stuck in traffic so much with the Pac-12.
Close end
1. Brock Bowers, Georgia (5)
2. Jaheim Bell, Florida State (118)
3. Ja'Tavion Sanders, Texas (46)
4. Ben Sinnott, Kansas State (87)
5. Cade Stover, Ohio State (101)
Bowers is as advertised. While he isn't huge, he has receiver flexibility and is a confident running back with the ball in his hands. Bell and Sanders are both H-back types, but I actually have confidence in Bell's ability to evade or run through a defender. Sinnott and Stover have TE2 skills as three-down players with enough receiving talent to see a few scores per game.
Offensive tackle
1. Olu Fashanu, Penn State (3)
2. Taliese Fuaga, Oregon State (14)
3. JC Latham, Alabama (11)
4. Amarius Mims, Georgia (24)
5. Jordan Morgan, Arizona (60)
Fashanu would have been a first-round pick a year ago and had another strong season at Penn State. He is also still very young. Exudes athleticism, balance and sophistication in pass protection. Fuaga gave me intermittent glimpses of Penei Sewell's movement abilities weighing more than 330 pounds. Latham is another strong, complete blocker – who could actually bring some more power to the bottom half in the NFL. Mims is a huge, powerful, classic right tackle with impeccable balance for his size. He plays with so much calm. Morgan has incredible mobility for his size and excels in pass defense.
Interior offensive line
1. Jackson Powers-Johnson, Oregon (25)
2. Christian Haynes, UConn (88)
3. Zach Frazier, West Virginia (49)
4. Cooper Beebe, Kansas State (97)
5. Sedrick Van Pran, Georgia (62)
Powers-Johnson needs to address some technical deficiencies in his game. That can come with time. But his natural abilities are exceptional. He has the size of a power guard but moves like an undersized center. Haynes needs to develop a more reliable anchor, but otherwise looks like a serviceable starter. Frazier played like a million snaps at West Virginia, performs as well under interior rushers as he does against any blocker in the class, and shows great athleticism.
Beebe won't destroy the combine. His task-related sound play is at the top of his draft CV. Van Pran is an experienced, special athlete with some strength issues.
The 2024 NFL Draft will take place April 25-27 in Detroit. Visit CBSSports.com for more draft coverage, including weekly updated draft order, mock drafts and a regularly available look at eligible prospects.