2024 NFL Draft: 5 Prospects Who Could Sneak Into Round One

The NFL Draft is always full of surprises in some way shape or form. Who could be those players that sneaks into round one of the 2024 NFL Draft?

Nov 18, 2023; Columbia, South Carolina, USA; South Carolina Gamecocks quarterback Spencer Rattler / Jeff Blake-USA TODAY Sports

Each year, the NFL Draft brings us a lot of entertainment. Usually, entertainment is a word used for music and primetime television shows but the NFL Draft is peak entertainment in more ways than one.

Every once in awhile, you get an incredible moment during the NFL Draft that will live forever. The late Bill Tobin yelling "Who the hell is Mel Kiper anyway," the Minnesota Vikings blowing the timing with their first round pick in both 2002 and 2003 and the infamous Laremy Tunsil gas mask bong have become legendary moments with the annual selection meeting.

One of the other things that can manifest entertainment is a surprise player going in round one that wasn't expected to be there. Rashaad Penny in 2018 and Cole Strange in 2022 are two players that weren't expected to even go in round two that went in round one in their perspective years.

Who are some players that fit the bill of sneaking into round one? We identified five players who could sneak into the first round.

1. South Carolina QB Spencer Rattler

We know the six quarterback names that have been consistently mocked in the first round, including both Washington's Michael Penix Jr. and Oregon's Bo Nix as fringe first round guys. The one quarterback that also could make it in there who has more talent than both of them is Rattler. Once thought to be a first overall pick type of quarterback, Rattler struggled so much in 2021 that he transferred from Oklahoma to South Carolina but wasn't able to recreate his 2020 season for the Gamecocks. He still has an incredible arm and that will be enticing to general managers.

2. Western Michigan EDGE Marshawn Kneeland

The edge rusher position is a fascinating one to break down. The consensus top four of Laiatu Latu, Chop Robinson, Jared Verse and Dallas Turner are all likely to go in the first round. However, there could be 1-3 more that end up going in that range and one of those could be Kneeland. While he did play at Western Michigan, Kneeland was a menace for the Broncos, lining up all over the front seven and wreaking havoc from everywhere. With his athleticism and size, Kneeland would be a great fit for a hybrid defensive front.

3. UConn guard Christian Haynes

Interior offensive linemen are notoriously difficult to project out. There have been multiple interior offensive linemen who get taken higher than expected, including Logan Mankins and Cole Strange, both of whom ended up being taken by the New England Patriots. Haynes is a physical force on the inside with movement skills to be able to help tackles on the outside when necessary. He could be the next guy to sneak into the first round from the interior.

4. Florida WR Ricky Pearsall

The wide receiver class has three elite players at the top and then it gets interesting. After Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze, there isn't a lot of consensus after them. Guys like Brian Thomas Jr. and Adonai Mitchell are likely to go in the middle of the round but who could go at the end of the first round is a mystery. Pearsall is a late riser in the class due to being in subpar situations for the majority of his career. He got a chance to be the guy at Florida in 2023, showed out and then dominated the pre-draft process. With the type of receivers that are dominating in the National Football League in today's game, Pearsall could be a major priority come next week's NFL Draft.

5. Georgia CB Kamari Lassiter

Cornerback is quite the interesting position in this class. There are players of any type available to take across the board and Lassiter looks like the classic Georgia cornerback. He is aggressive, technically sound and is great in the running game. That's something that will be endearing to coaches across the league. Lassiter isn't one of the most athletic players in the class, but he's got the technical skills to thrive in the league for a long time.