Scouting 2024 NFL Draft WR Prospects Not Named Marvin Harrison Jr.
Heading into the 2023 football season, Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr. is almost universally considered the top wide receiver in the 2024 NFL draft class. Harrison Jr. is deserving of that distinction as he's already one of the more complete wideout prospects in recent memory. But this year's crop of pass-catchers has much more to offer than just the Buckeye, though.
Fellow OSU receiver Emeka Egbuka, Texas' Xavier Worthy and Adonai Mitchell, Johnny Wilson from Florida State and Rome Odunze out of Washington are the top five players at the position behind Harrison on Pro Football Focus' big board. All five bring a unique skill set to the table and could easily play their way into the first round this fall.
Here we'll take a look at their stats from last season, dive into a handful of their strengths and areas for improvement, and touch on their 2024 draft stock.
Emeka Egbuka
1 of 5
School: Ohio State
2022 Stats: 13 games, 74 catches, 1,151 yards, 10 TDs, 87 rushing yards, 2 rushing TDs
Strengths:
– Nuanced route-runner who attacks leverage and stems to set up routes, and reads coverages well to recognize and sit in windows against zone coverage.
– Keeps his shoulders square to the defensive back to avoid tipping the route and has good change of direction on sharp-breaking routes.
– Impressive after the catch, he has the vision to find lanes, contact balance to run through arm tackles, change of direction skills to make defenders miss and he fights for every yard.
Areas for Improvement:
– Needs to do a better job of getting defensive backs' hands off him and add some strength to fight through contact.
– Had a few concentration drops last season.
– Primarily operated out of and most of his production has come from the slot, he needs to expand his repertoire this season to avoid the "slot only" label.
What They're Saying: "If Marvin Harrison Jr. is the Ja'Marr Chase of the 2024 NFL draft cycle, then Emeka Egbuka might be the Justin Jefferson to his Chase. That's high praise, especially when you look at what Jefferson has become in the NFL. But if Harrison is a blue-chip prospect, Egbuka isn't far behind—and he has all the traits to be an early first-round pick with his teammate." — Ian Cummings, Pro Football Network
2024 NFL Draft Stock: Egbuka enters the fall as the clear No. 2 wide receiver behind his teammate, Harrison Jr. The latter projects as one of the best receiver prospects in several years, so it will be difficult for the former to supplant him. However, Egbuka does have a top-20 grade from me and can cement himself in the top 10 if he expands his repertoire in 2023.
Xavier Worthy
2 of 5
School: Texas
2022 Stats: 13 games, 60 catches, 760 yards, 9 TDs
Strengths:
– Accelerates off the line of scrimmage really well.
– Attacks leverage to set up his routes and is effective at using head/shoulder fakes at the top of the route to help create separation.
– Displays an impressive burst/second gear out of the cut on deep routes, especially when running a post.
– Good sideline awareness to get a foot down on catches near the boundary.
Areas for Improvement:
– Very light and will get bounced around by physical defensive backs; he needs to add mass.
– Drifts a bit when making sharp cuts on in routes.
– Not shifty after the catch to make defensive backs miss in the open field.
– Received significantly more deep targets than any other area of the field as he hasn't proven to be a legitimate threat on short to intermediate routes at the next level. Texas often took him out of the game in red zone and goal-line situations.
What They're Saying: "Xavier Worthy is an explosive playmaker that is a threat to score from anywhere on the field." — The Draft Network's Keith Sanchez
2024 NFL Draft Stock: Worthy definitely has a future in the NFL as an explosive receiver and has a fringe Day 1 grade from me. The problem is, how much bigger of a role can he take on at the next level with his size and limited YAC skills? If he proves to be more of a threat on short-to-intermediate routes this season, he'll cement himself as a first-rounder, in my opinion.
Adonai Mitchell
3 of 5
School: Texas (Georgia transfer)
2022 Stats: 6 games, 9 catches, 134 yards, 3 TDs
Strengths:
– Fast off the line of scrimmage, he can eat up a cornerback's cushion in a hurry.
– Against press coverage, he either attacks leverage to give himself a two-way go or has a good speed release with a good shoulder dip to get a free release.
– Sudden at the top of short to intermediate routes to create separation.
– In contested catch situations, he high points the ball well and has good timing to adjust ot back shoulder throws.
Areas for Improvement:
– Needs to be more accurate with his hand swipes against press coverage, defensive backs will get their hands on his body and be able to ride him.
– Sub-par change of direction on sharp routes after reaching full speed, he either has to slow down to make the cut and tips the route or stumbles and drifts.
– Lacks long speed to create separation on deep routes.
– Underwhelming production so far (partially due to injury).
What They're Saying: "When healthy, Mitchell produces. At Georgia, he proved a clutch performer, catching game-winning touchdown passes in the 2021 and 2022 College Football Playoff. His promising freshman season (29 catches, 426 yards and four touchdowns in 2021) set the stage for a big sophomore year, but a high ankle sprain limited Mitchell to just 41 snaps in the 2022 regular season." — Sam Khan Jr. of The Athletic
2024 NFL Draft Stock: The Georgia product is tough to give a summer grade to because he missed so much time last year. He's shown flashes and provided some clutch moments, but the game-by-game consistency is still a question mark. A full season of high-level production at Texas in 2023 would change all of that and push him into the first round.
Johnny Wilson
4 of 5
School: Florida State (Arizona State transfer)
2022 Stats: 13 games, 43 catches, 897 yards, 5 TDs
Strengths:
– Great size and frame for an NFL wide receiver.
– Uses his hands to defeat jams and has good body control to avoid contact in the five-yard window.
– Impressive change of direction for his size, he uses speed cuts on sharp routes to fall off the table and doesn't drift much after cutting.
– After the catch, he has the vision to find the optimal lane and tack on extra yards before contact.
Areas for Improvement:
– Underwhelming in contested catch situations for someone with his size, he's still learning how to use his body as a weapon to box out defensive backs and needs to be more physical.
– Early to adjust to back-shoulder throws, giving corners time to adjust and make a play on the ball.
– Lacks short-area quickness to make his head/shoulder fakes effective at the top of routes and isn't explosive out of the cut to maximize separation.
What They're Saying: "Johnny Wilson has a rare combination of size, quickness and athleticism that makes him a mismatch for most defenders." — The Draft Network's Keith Sanchez
2024 NFL Draft Stock: Wilson is currently teetering between a first- and second-round grade. He's an impressive athlete for his size and has room for growth in contested catch situations. It's not that he's bad at the latter by any means. He's just not as dominant as someone with his physical gifts should be.
With a strong season in the fall during which he continues to grow as a complete receiver, the Florida State product will cement himself as a Day 1 pick.
Rome Odunze
5 of 5
School: Washington
2022 Stats: 12 games, 1,145 yards, 7 receiving TDs, 1 rushing TD
Strengths:
– Accelerates off the line of scrimmage well and will vary the speed of his release to keep cornerbacks guessing.
– Is sudden when using speed cuts on 90-degree routes to fall off the table and create separation.
– When executing double-move routes, he sells the first route well and has great acceleration out of the cut to win down the field.
– Strong hands to make catches away from his body on inaccurate throws.
Areas for Improvement:
– Needs to get his hands up at the line of scrimmage to help defend against jams from press corners.
– Lacks some shake at the top of routes to get defensive backs to bite on his head fakes.
– Doesn't high point the ball on contested targets and struggles to make catches through contact.
– Could afford to add a move or two after the catch to make defenders miss.
What They're Saying: "While most early projections for next year's draft will have Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr. as the top receiver off the board, Odunze is an elite prospect in his own right, and could give the Buckeyes' star a run for his money." — Luke Easterling of Athlon Sports
2024 NFL Draft Stock: Odunze is certainly in the first-round category heading into the season with the combination of his size, speed and route-running ability. He has a good chance to be WR2 in the 2024 class, especially if he can improve after the catch.
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