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Jackson Powers Booth -Put at CenterNow that round 1 is over, I wanted to do a quick write-up on what I view as the 13 best players still available tomorrow evening. I’m a comps guy, so I’ll add in my best comparison:
1. Jer’Zhan Newton, DL Illinois - Record breaking year for offensive draft picks means there’s some extreme value on the defensive side going into round 2. Newton was my overall #14 player and my #1 interior defensive lineman. Finding a hole with Newton is a challenge, he’s not flashing with crazy plays - but the pad level is consistent, he anchors as a run defender as well as any of the 3-techs, and as a pass rusher the hip quickness off the snap is real. Think he’ll go well before 45th, but this would be a home run.
Best comparison: Grady Jarrett
2. Ennis Rakestraw Jr, CB Missouri - Being invisible on a football field is bad for every position except CB, and to me Rakestraw is being overlooked due in large part to the fact that teams didn’t look his way. In a lot of ways, Rakestraw is Diet Sauce Gardner. He can live on an island on the boundary, has elite mirror skills and is incredibly seasoned at attacking the ball on contested catches. He’s a bit small and doesn’t have elite athletic traits, but technique and skill are up to snuff.
Best comparison: Darius Slay
3. Jackson Powers-Johnson, IOL Oregon - As a pure center, I preferred Barton by a hair, but I think as a versatile interior offensive lineman - JPJ is the best in the class. I would think more so than his physical traits, which are above average - where he is going to be a “safer” pick is his smarts as a signal caller. He’s gritty, tough and along with Quinyon Mitchell was one of the big gainers from the Senior Bowl, so it seemed.
Best comparison: Frank Ragnow
4. T’Vondre Sweat, IDL Texas - I get the off-field stuff isn’t flattering at all right now and given the terrible streak young NFL players are on, but this is a unicorn on the field. He has one obvious comp, and even then - he’s bigger and just as athletic pound for pound. He’s not a run game “piece”, he’s a dominant space eater, with better than expected 3rd down value. Today’s NFL makes a lot of the old school nose prototypes obsolete, but there is always going to be room for freaks like this.
Best comparison: Vita Vea
5. Edgerrin Cooper, LB Texas A&M - Cooper has been my favorite off ball LB in the class since about midway through the 2023 season. The East to West speed and physicality in pursuit were always elite, but where he really turned the corner was instinctually. There was considerably less guess work, which is generally a trait you don’t see a big leap in. I think he’s still getting better, and the ceiling is extremely high.
Best comparison: De’Vondre Campbell
6. Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB Alabama - I might the Diet Sauce Gardner joke earlier, so how about Diet Derek Stingley Jr? Smooth is the first word that comes to mind when I think of the player. There’s no jerkiness, or hesitation in change of direction. There is a growing brand of WRs (just call them the Ohio State guys) that I would call “gliders”, that instead of sticking their routes, they win leverage by steering the defender away from the route and gliding into apex. McKinstry’s talent is going to play to that well and I think he is going to better Year 3 than Year 1. Growing talent.
Best comparison: James Bradberry
7. Cooper DeJean, DB Iowa - The jokes are funny, but the guy can play. I think he’s a pure zone corner if you’re playing him on the boundary, but the safety skill set is there as well. He’s a willing tackler, great athlete in recovery, and plays the ball extremely well in the air. You don’t want him on an island with deep speed, but it seems avoidable given his versatility to move around the secondary. It seems like he could fall due to being a chess piece than a plug and play, but he’s talented.
Best comparison: Xavier Rhodes
8. Adonai Mitchell, WR Texas - Given his skill set and the teams that were sitting back end of Round 1, I really can’t believe Mitchell is still on the board. It’s not the 4.22 that Worthy ran, but a 4.34 at 6’2, 205 is incredible - and that speed is there on film. I actually love his deep routes, which has been a big knock on him. Some of the snap isn’t always there on the short to intermediate stuff, but he runs maybe the best deep post in the class. Adjusts well to the ball in the air. Primarily a deep threat, but not totally dissimilar to Brian Thomas Jr, who I also believe has another dimension to add to his game at the next level.
Best comparison: Nico Collins
9. Bralen Trice, Edge Washington - I get that Saints fans may feel a bit burned by Foskey so far, and it may trickle into the feelings of the rail thin, speed rushers. That said, the heart wants what it wants and I am still dying for New Orleans to find the right burner opposite the stability on the other edge. He needs to develop better moves in the NFL, but that first step twitch is unteachable. He’s smooth hipped, so I think he’s going to get better when he develops some hand fighting. May not ever be a 3 down guy, but he could be a double digit sack producer.
Best comparison: Za’Darrius Smith
10. Christian Haynes, OG UCONN - He might be my favorite pure guard in the class. Hands are where they need to be, he’s incredibly athletic and agile and he’s got the mean streak in him. He’s not big and bruising, but he can get the job done as a run blocker and the pass blocking is arguably the best among all the interior offensive linemen (unless you consider Fautanu an inside guy).
Best comparison: Shaq Mason
11. Ladd McConkey, WR Georgia - I went back and forth on ranking Ladd & Keon Coleman. If it was pure player rankings, I’d definitely prefer Coleman - but Ladd has a lot of value, especially with a QB that likes throwing short to intermediate, inside the hashes. I don’t personally comp him closest to Renfrow, but as an in-breaking, out-breaking first read option out of the slot, I think Derek Carr would see the similarities. The routes are crisp and he separates on short routes at an elite level. Also deceptively elite acceleration. I don’t think people realize this is a 4.39 guy.
Best comparison: Adam Theilen
12. Kingsley Suamatai, OT BYU - For my money, the single most underrated prospect in the 2024 class. Watching his tape, I was instantly reminded of Ramcyzk - in what could be called a “bad way”. There was nothing special about him. Big enough, but not massive. Athletic enough, but not blow-you away agile. What stood out was the consistency. He always plays clean football and he always blocks his man (allowed 2 sacks the last two years combined). Finding a negative about the player is incredibly difficult. Incredibly dependable. Isn’t that what you want in an OT?
Best comparison: Taylor Moton
13. J’Tavion Sanders, TE Texas - A forgotten man with Xavier Worthy and AD Mitchell pulling targets away, but Sanders should not be slept on as the second best tight end in this draft. His blocking is solid, though not always consistent. Where he is really bound to change an offense is as a pass catching option. He has jets for his size and busts the seam as well as Bowers. I love the athleticism and I think the blocking has room to grow. He could be far better than the gap people are assigning between he and Bowers.
Best comparison: Trey McBride
Move McCoy to Guard (played in college)
Ruiz Guard
Fuaga RT/LT
Penning/Peat RT/LT
O line gets in pretty good shape for future
