2024 NFL Draft: Ideal Landing Spots for Top 10 Prospects in Class
In the never-ending cycle of roster building and actual football, the conclusion of the Super Bowl has kicked the NFL draft process into high gear.
When it comes to April's event, not every prospect will be a good fit for teams they land with. While incorrectly pigeonholing prospects into a roster is an unfortunate tactic still utilized for a few teams across the league, prioritizing scheme and correlating surroundings can allow a player to reach high levels of success early in his career.
Using the top 10 players from the latest B/R NFL Scouting Department big board, we'll look at an opportune landing spot for each prospect.
Marvin Harrison Jr: Chicago Bears
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All 32 teams are a "fit" for Marvin Harrison Jr., as there isn't a general manager in the league who would turn down adding a player the caliber of the former Ohio State Buckeye if positional value weren't an issue.
However, Chicago has a major decision to kick things off in April. Stay put at No. 1 and take a new face of the franchise under center? Or trade back, add capital and draft a player like Harrison and build around quarterback Justin Fields? All options are on the table.
While Fields' future in Chicago remains unclear, Harrison's fit with the Bears is obvious. With new offensive coordinator Shane Waldron in the building, having both DJ Moore and Harrison to use in a variety of alignments would give opposing secondaries nightmares.
With the aid of Waldron's experience in deploying the likes of DK Metcalf, Tyler Lockett and Jaxon Smith-Njigba during his time in Seattle, the duo of Moore and Harrison would, finally, present Fields a high level core of wideouts.
With GM Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus back in 2024, trading back (even if it's one spot) and grabbing Harrison to build around Fields may not be the most popular move, but would be one the Bears faithful shouldn't scoff at if it becomes reality.
Brock Bowers: Los Angeles Chargers
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The Los Angeles Chargers' hiring of offensive coordinator Greg Roman jigsaws this fit seamlessly.
Considering Roman's experience coaching up tight ends Mark Andrews, Isaiah Likely and Charlie Kolar during his tenure with the Baltimore Ravens, a player like Brock Bowers could be one of clearest prospect-team fits in the class.
A Y/F versatile talent who'll force teams to bring another defensive back onto the field, Bowers was pro-ready years ago. While an ankle injury late in the year still looms in the forefront of minds for some, it's "not an issue in the slightest" when it comes to his evaluation, per one AFC rep.
In an offense led by gunslinging quarterback Justin Herbert, the addition of Bowers to serve as both a YAC threat in the shallow areas and a seam runner on shot plays should further expand Roman's playbook in Los Angeles.
Drake Maye: Atlanta Falcons
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As talented as Drake Maye is both in his upper and lower half, there are moments that leave you scratching your head. It's part of the give and take of the evaluation process when it comes to the quarterback position, where elite traits can sometimes be ignored and isolated mishaps can be extrapolated to the umpteenth degree.
But, that's the lay of the land when nitpicking a potential face of an organization.
However, Maye possesses and highlights many of the traits teams look for in a franchise QB with his size (6'4", 230 lbs), arm talent and ability to win both inside and outside structure.
In Atlanta, the hiring of offensive coordinator Zac Robinson (who hails from the Sean McVay/Kyle Shanahan coaching tree) would make the adjustment as smooth as possible for Maye.
At North Carolina, too much "hero ball" often put Maye in precarious situations, in which he tried to do too much instead of living to see the next play. While the surroundings at Carolina didn't offer much help, in Robinson's offense, where predetermined reads are a pillar of the passing attack, targeting the likes of receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts is a luxury every quarterback would want.
While London and Pitts are both expected to take steps forward in 2024 with whomever is under center, having Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier in his hip pocket as threats on the ground and through the air would also make life easier on the young quarterback.
Furthermore, operating behind a stout offensive line that finished near the bottom half of sacks allowed in 2023 would give Maye time to read and dissect both pre- and post-snap.
The Falcons would presumably have to move up from No. 8 overall to grab Maye, but the fit is there should the former Tar Heel land in Atlanta.
Caleb Williams: Washington Commanders
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The ties go beyond surface level for Caleb Williams and the Washington Commanders.
While the connection will continue to stem from newly minted Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury and Williams' time together at USC last year, bringing the Bowie, Maryland, native home could be priority No. 1 for a revamped Washington organization.
A highly recruited prospect out of Gonzaga College High School located just a few short miles away from the White House, Williams has childhood ties and football ties to the area that make this such a popular talking point.
On the football side of things, he could be everything Washington has desired under center since it took another Heisman Trophy winner in Robert Griffin III in 2012.
On offense, a trio of weapons remain that would present both Kingsbury and Williams a variety of ways to attack defenses in wideouts Terry McLaurin, Jahan Dotson and running back Brian Robinson Jr.
Washington also has a plentiful helping of selections after No. 2 overall (five additional picks inside first 105 selections) to add to the front five. The Commanders are also slated to enter free agency with the most available cap space of any team.
It'll take a king's ransom for Washington to jump into the top slot, but if Williams is the guy for GM Adam Peters, there may not be a price too high.
Joe Alt: Tennessee Titans
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Whether it's Will Levis, Malik Willis or an unnamed quarterback who will lead the Tennessee Titans in the years to come, fortifying the left side of the offensive line for potentially the next decade is simply a good process.
With Peter Skoronski locked in at left guard for the long term, slotting in Joe Alt on his left hip would immediately create one of the top guard-tackle combos in football.
While Alt has been talked about for years as a top-10 pick, the depth and prowess of the entire 2024 offensive tackle class has caused the spotlight to move from Alt's game a tad.
Although classmates Olu Fashanu (Penn State) and Tyler Guyton (Oklahoma) have higher athletic ceilings, the 20-year-old Alt is beyond his years technically with a surgeon-like approach when establishing his hands and winning leverage.
While taking offensive linemen won't raise ticket sales or force a team into a prime-time broadcast, Alt would bolster both the present and future and is the type of prospect who helps teams win titles.
Olumuyiwa Fashanu: New York Jets
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While Olumuyiwa Fashanu could have declared for the draft last spring and been a top-10 pick, he's officially one of the premier prospects in this class.
He's a massive man at 6'6", 317 pounds who brings both a high floor and high ceiling. While Fashanu is by no means the perfect prospect, his athleticism and ability to mirror pass-rushers and pull in space to displace fringe defenders highlights the All-Pro ceiling he has at left tackle.
While New York Jets GM Joe Douglas could go a variety of routes with the No. 10 overall selection, bolstering the front five and keeping quarterback Aaron Rodgers' jersey clean should remain of the utmost importance this offseason.
Visualizing the success left tackle David Bakhtiari had in Nathaniel Hackett's Green Bay offense could offer immediate parallels for the uber-talented Fashanu. And while there are doubters aplenty regarding the offensive architecture from the current Jets coordinator, Fashanu's skill set in pass protection and underappreciated game as a run-blocker would boost the New York offense the moment he aligns at tackle.
Malik Nabers: Los Angeles Chargers
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The Los Angeles Chargers added Quentin Johnston on Day 1 of last spring's draft, but adding a talent such as Malik Nabers, a more refined and explosive prospect coming out of school, could put the Chargers offense over the top.
While Johnston has a ways to go in fine-tuning the lapses in his game that shadowed him out of TCU, Nabers would be an immediate-impact weapon for the Justin Herbert-led attack.
With head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman in place, swapping Nabers with impending free agent Jalen Guyton would simply provide a ridiculous arsenal of talent for Herbert to target.
The presence of both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams would force teams to cover Nabers one-on-one. A nightmare for opponents.
Sure, there's only one ball to go around, but Nabers' ability to separate at multiple levels while providing a further extension of the run game if needed showcases a player with all the potential in the world to become a star in the NFL and an immediate contributor in Los Angeles.
Jared Verse: Minnesota Vikings
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The jury is still out on when exactly Jared Verse will hear his name called in April. It could be in the top 10 or top 20. While many teams continue to bounce back and forth in finalizing their evaluation on Verse, Minnesota could take him at No. 11 and see an immediate impact.
With longtime 5-technique defender Danielle Hunter expected to explore free agency, awarding Verse with Hunter's snaps would be a trade-off that should excite both Vikings faithful and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah.
While teams like to deploy edge-rushers in coverage to offer an additional body in the fringe areas, allowing Verse to pin his ears back and get after the quarterback should be successful early on.
A physically impressive talent who wins via a power-laden approach off the edge, Verse could be an excellent fit in defensive coordinator Brian Flores' aggressive defensive architecture.
Rome Odunze: New York Jets
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Aligning Rome Odunze opposite Garrett Wilson could result in heavy fireworks in the New York Jets offense with Aaron Rodgers at the helm.
A three-level threat whose ability to turn 50-50 balls into 70-30 opportunities, Odunze touts an extremely nuanced game with a route tree as diversified as any wideout in the class.
While GM Joe Douglas will explore a variety of avenues when they're on the clock at No. 10, adding an immediate-impact playmaker in the form of Odunze will raise eyebrows—in the best way possible—inside the AFC East.
With Rodgers expected to be back at full strength following his Achilles injury and a defense that should remain near of the top of the league in all major categories, an Odunze-Wilson pairing could lift the Jets offense to a level that allows them to compete for much more than a division title in 2024.
Terrion Arnold: Las Vegas Raiders
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Terrion Arnold has been one of the biggest risers in the class after a dominant 2023 campaign.
A standout aerial stalwart for Alabama who was initially recruited to play safety, Arnold and the Las Vegas Raiders' Antonio Pierce/Patrick Graham-led defense is a match made in football heaven.
The head coach and defensive coordinator are tasked with bringing the Raiders back to competitiveness, and their desire for physical, athletic football players has been well documented. Pierce wants "alphas on his football team," per a Raiders rep, and a talent like Arnold more than fits the script.
While his ability to play as a Cover 3 corner against offenses like LSU's showcased his ability to work downhill and identify route concepts before they happen, he loves mixing it up in press-man at the line of scrimmage, a willingness that popped on his tape in his years spent in the SEC. Arnold's foot quickness and mirroring ability against different body types showcases one of the most technically refined secondary defenders in the class.
Talent is lacking in many spots in Vegas, but the need for a potential shutdown defender on the outside should remain atop the laundry list of to-dos for GM Tom Telesco.
For the Raiders, Arnold's addition alongside Jack Jones and 2023 fourth-rounder Jakorian Bennett would provide another youthful talent who was one of the stingiest corners in the SEC this past fall (41 catches allowed on 79 targets with five interceptions).
Salary-cap info via Spotrac. Advanced statistics via Pro Football Focus.
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