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What Miami Hurricanes Could Hear Their Names Called In The 2024 NFL Draft?

Making Projections On What Miami Hurricanes Could End Up Being Drafted After Next Season

Liam Willerup

What Miami Hurricanes Could Hear Their Names Called In The 2024 NFL Draft?
What Miami Hurricanes Could Hear Their Names Called In The 2024 NFL Draft? /

While Miami has yet to play a single regular season game in the 2023 season, it is still interesting to look ahead and project where current Miami Hurricanes could end up being selected in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Miami saw three players have their names called this year, as well as a handful of undrafted free agent signings.

However the 2024 NFL Draft should see more than just three players hear their names called, and it should look something like this:

S Kamren Kinchens

Kinchens returns to Miami in what will likely be his final season, coming off a campaign where he was named an AP All American. After bringing in six interceptions last season, teams will want to see Kinchens stay up in that range as well as improving his middle of the field tackling. Teams want players that can force turnovers on defense, and Kinchens has himself a place in the league doing so.

OL Javion Cohen

Cohen headlines as the marquee offseason pickup for the Hurricanes, transferring over from Alabama to help bolster the offensive line for Miami. Cohen was viewed by multiple scouts as the top lineman for Alabama this past season, and will now be coached by a tandem that helped Penei Sewell become the seventh overall pick in 2021. Cohen received buzz for this draft, but chose to stay and raise his value even more. As long as he stays on the field and continues the same trajectory, he'll hear his name called next spring.

DL Leonard Taylor

A blue-chip prospect from the 2021 recruiting class, Taylor took a leap in his sophomore season that has put draft analysts on notice. At 6-foot-3 and 305 pounds, Taylor projects to be a 4-3 rush tackle at the next level. He has shown the ability to be a force stopping the run, and will look to further improve his ability to get after the quarterback. A lot of his development will depend on how new defensive coordinator Lance Guidry can scheme him into the best situations for his development. Hopes are sky high for the Miami native.

QB Tyler Van Dyke

Van Dyke entered this past season with buzz that he'd end up a 2023 first round pick. However a handful of injuries and a scheme that didn't play to his strengths led to Van Dyke making the decision to return for another season. There was good reason for him to be considered as a first rounder, especially after he burst onto the scene in 2021. He posted a six-game stretch of 66% completion, nearly 2200 yards and 20 touchdowns. Now under Shannon Dawson's scheme, Van Dyke has the perfect scheme in place to show scouts that the 2022 was a fluke.

S James Williams

Undoubtedly the most intriguing prospect on Miami's roster, Williams brings to the table his 6-foot-5 frame at the safety position. Despite his frame, Williams' strength this past season was his coverage ability, boasting an 88.5 coverage grade per PFF. Alongside his teammate Kinchens, him and Williams may as well be the best safety duo in the nation this coming season. However, scouts want to see Williams improve upon his lackluster tackling skills. If he can make a big improvement there while retaining his elite coverage skills, the sky is the limit for Williams.

OL Zion Nelson

Nelson was well on his way to being a draft selection this year, before injuries kept him out for a majority of the 2022 campaign. While Nelson has been taking his time rehabbing in the spring, his return to the line this season makes Miami's line a force to be reckoned with. Given the track record of Mario Cristobal and Alex Mirabal, a fully-healthy season should put Nelson right back up in the draft projections he was seeing previously.

DL Akheem Mesidor

Mesidor transferred over from West Virginia after the 2021 season and was an instant impact on the defensive line for Miami. He accounted for seven sacks and 10.5 TFLs, and returns for another season with hopes of hearing his name called at the end of it. With an influx of talent and his pairing with Taylor, Mesidor should only see his production increase.

C Matt Lee

With the departure of Jakai Clark to SMU, Lee is the clear cut favorite to start for the Hurricanes. Coming over from UCF, Lee was rated as the third best center in the nation in 2022. Bringing to the Canes his elite pass-blocking, it will looked towards plenty with the implementation of Dawson's new scheme. Similar to Nelson and Cohen, the coaching of Cristobal and Mirabal will only make him a better prospect. If Miami's unit can keep a clean pocket for TVD, Lee alongside the other linemen will be getting plenty of looks.

While the above mentioned Canes all have great chances to be draft selections in 2024, that doesn't mean they are the only ones. There's a chance a handful Canes have drastically improved seasons and start to generate buzz. However, a player being draft eligible doesn't mean they're guaranteed to come out. 

It's only a few days removed from the draft, so anything can happen from now till the next one.

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Liam Willerup
LIAM WILLERUP

You can find Liam on Twitter @theleftyliam where he shares news on University of Miami basketball and football as well as opinions

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