Who will be Alabama's Top Prospect in 2024 NFL Draft? All Things CW
Those who have been following me or BamaCentral for a while know that I'm not big on early mock drafts, as it's often an exercise in putting the cart before the horse.
Translation: A lot can happen in a year, and that kind of speculation isn't exactly the best form of time management. It's not just that too much can happen, and there's no real way to guess at a draft order, it completely dismisses what may be the most important ingredient: development.
For example, no one knows who might end up being the starting quarterback at Alabama, so there's no way to speculate how that player will impact the others around him, especially the wide receivers. It's also a shot in the dark at nearly any other position because starting jobs will be won and lost, players are working with coaches, and during the course of a season some teams will step up and impress while others regress.
Granted, we already know who some of the best players will be in the 2024 NFL Draft, just like this time in 2022 it was already pretty obvious that Bryce Young and Will Anderson Jr. would be top selections. They include USC quarterback Caleb Williams, Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt, Penn State tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu, and Georgia tight end Brock Bowers.
Bowers is one of those rare talents that everyone else in the SEC will be happy to see move on, and yes, Olumuyiwa Fashanu will almost certainly have the coolest name at the NFL combine next year. He's legit though, and would have been a first-round selection this year but opted to return to complete his master's degree (you can't help but root for someone like that).
But while mock drafts at this point are kind of ridiculous, player evaluations are a very real thing, and shouldn't be taken lightly. Not only are first and early impressions important, we've all seen how a red flag can derail or at least deflect someone's career path.
Who's on target to be Alabama's top draft pick in 2024?
If you have to look at an early 2024 mock draft ...
Final 2023 NFL Draft grades
The All Things CW notes column by Christopher Walsh appears regularly on BamaCentral, with the latest on the Alabama Crimson Tide.
See Also:
Players Cashed in, but it Wasn't Alabama's Most Profitable Draft
Is There More Pressure To Succeed in the NFL on Bryce Young or Will Anderson?