The Athletic Ranks, Evaluates Louisville's Top 2024 NFL Draft Prospects

Dane Brugler released his annual 'The Beast' NFL Draft Guide, ranking and evaluating Louisville's top 2024 draft prospects.

Dec 2, 2023; Charlotte, NC, USA; Louisville Cardinals defensive back Jarvis Brownlee Jr. (2) reacts / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The crop of Louisville football players who have declared for the 2024 NFL Draft don't have to wait much longer to learn where, or if, they will be selected. The first day of the three-day draft is set to begin on Thursday, Apr. 25 at 8:00 p.m. EST.

With the draft just around the corner,The Athletic's Dane Brugler has released his annual NFL Draft Guide, nicknamed 'The Beast'. It includes comprehensive scouting reports for nearly 350 prospects and NFL-verified testing information for more than 1,900 prospects, and includes rankings and breakdowns for several of Louisville's top draft prospects.

While Brugler doesn't have any Louisville players amongst his top 100 prospects, the Cardinal that he is the highest on is cornerback Jarvis Brownlee, ranking him as the No. 14 corner in the draft class and projecting him as a third to fourth round selection. Overall, Brugler is a big fan of Brownlee's aggression, movement and competitive nature.

"Brownlee’s aggressive nature will be a double-edged sword versus seasoned NFL athletes, but his movement skills and competitive toughness will be attractive qualities for defensive coordinators," Brugler wrote. "He has the right mentality to play special teams and compete for a starting nickel role early in his career (shades of Cobie Durant)."

The offensive Louisville player that Brugler likes the most is Isaac Guerendo, giving him a fourth to fifth round draft grade and placing him as the No. 12 running back in the class. While injuries during his time at Wisconsin limited Guerendo's overall body of work, Brugler loves his physical intangibles and suggests he could be a much better back in the NFL than he was in college.

"Guerendo doesn’t have an impressive body of work, but his build, explosiveness and ability on passing downs (blocking and receiving) suggest his NFL resume will far outshine what he did in college — if he can stay healthy," Brugler wrote. "Along with competing on special teams, he projects best in a one-cut, outside-zone scheme that will give him runways to show off his speed."

Jamari Thrash, who is starting to get some love in NFL Draft circles, is a player that Brugler likes due to his combination of agility, route-running and overall savviness. However, the lack of a "true distunguishing trait" and special teams inexperience has him put Thrash as the No. 26 wide receiver in the class with a fifth to sixth round grade.

"Thrash doesn’t have a true distinguishing trait as a receiver, but his separation quickness and receiving savvy will be lifelines to an NFL career," Brugler wrote. "His inexperience on special teams will need to change quickly once in an NFL camp."

The last Louisville player that Brugler projects will be drafted is Jawhar Jordan, assigning him a seventh round draft grade as the No. 20 running back in the class. Like most draft analysts, Brugler likes Jordan's potential because of his natural quickness and speed, but is not sure if he can reach it because of his small frame.

"Jordan is a lightweight runner with questionable durability to secure a meaningful role at the NFL level, but he has the start/stop quickness and natural run instincts to be a change-of-pace option in the right situation," Brugler wrote. "He also brings value as a kick returner."

Brownlee, Guerendo, Thrash and Jordan were the only former Cardinals that Brugler projected to get drafted, but he does have two more Cardinals tabbed as priority free agents: Jack Plummer and Storm Duck. Plummer came in as his No. 21 quarterback, while Duck was his No. 53 cornerback.

Brugler wrote that Plummer "needs to take better care of the football, but he is a natural thrower and offers potential as a backup quarterback." On his evaluation of Duck, Brugler said that he "has NFL-level athleticism and ball skills, but spacing issues often lead to him grabbing or allowing completions."

While several other Louisville prospects were not given full-on evaluations, Brugler still ranked them on his positional big boards. Bryan Hudson was ranked as the No. 17 center, Eric Miller and Willie Tyler were ranked as the No. 46 and 69 offensive tackles, Joey Gatewood was ranked as the No. 41 tight end, Brock Domann was ranked as the No. 46 quarterback, while Gilbert Frierson and Cam'Ron Kelly were ranked as the No. 101 and No. 112 safeties.

You can view his 2023 NFL Draft Guide, complete with full evaluations of Brownlee, Guerendo, Thrash, Jordan, Plummer and Duck here.

(Photo of Jarvis Brownlee: Bob Donnan - USA TODAY Sports_

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