The 3 Best Players In This Draft Are Wide Receivers

While three QBs are likely to be off the board with the first three picks, Draft guru Luke Easterling believes that wide receiver is where the talent is.

Author:
Chris Pirrone
Apr 23, 2024

Most mock drafts reasonably have QB's going 1-2-3. It's clear that in the NFL you aren't going to win without a top signal caller at the helm. So its reasonably likely that the top of the draft is QB heavy for those teams that desperately need a quarterback:

1. Caleb Williams | QB | USC to the Chicago Bears (via a 2023 draft trade with the Carolina Panthers).

2. Jayden Daniels | QB | LSU to the Washington Commanders.

3. Drake Maye | QB | North Carolina to the New England Patriots (or another team willing to trade a bundle to the Pats for the right to select a quarterback).

But....the 3 Best Players In This Draft Are Wide Receivers

Luke Easterling believes that the top athletes and best players are not the three QBs listed above, but wide receivers. Easterling's order of best available is:

1. Marvin Harrison Jr. | WR | Ohio State

Harrison is an elite combo with size, skill, and athleticism. He is quick in and our of routes despite being 6'4" and 205 lbs. He impresses with physical traits, but his NFL lineage shows up as he also excels in his mental approach to the game. He is the most polished and pro-ready player in the entire draft in terms of his skills, technique and mental intelligence.

undefined — Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) pushes off Minnesota Golden Gophers

Clare Grant / USA TODAY NETWORK

2. Rome Odunze | WR | Washington

The 6'3" 215 Odunze is a complete receiver with size, athleticism, physicality, and college stats that show he is pro ready. He knows how to use his body to win contested-catch situations with regularity, but he is also capable of winning with explosivness, smooth technique and subtle moves when seemingly covered. He showed off his ability to get involved in all aspects of the Huskies offense who found ways to get him the ball all over the field via hand-offs and screens. Given Washington's talent on offense, Odunze he saw a lot of 1:1 coverage, so how he reacts at the next level when teams try to remove him from the game with double and unique coverages will determine his initial success.

3. Malik Nabers | WR | LSU

Nabers is the smallest and lightest of the big 3 receivers in this years draft at 6'0" 200 pounds. He is also the youngest at just 20 years old. A extremely smooth route-runner with elite explosiveness, Nabers is most impactful in extending plays after the catch. He leverages his explosiveness to get open and find gaps in coverage, and uses his reliable hands to bring in contested or off target balls. Naber's can turn any catch in to a big play. There is the risk that more physical pro defenders may be able to slow him at the line of scrimmage.