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Matt Miller, ESPN
There is generally very little time off for NFL scouts and evaluators. The summer months following an NFL draft are typically spent already studying the next class — and the 2024 group looks promising.
We’ve all heard about USC quarterback Caleb Williams, Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and Penn State left tackle Olumuyiwa Fashanu. But what about those elusive prospects who aren’t generating a ton of buzz yet? Identifying those potential breakout risers is key during the summer months. Think about Devon Witherspoon and Darnell Wright. No one was talking about them at this time last year, but they both ended up being top-10 picks.
With that in mind, we polled more than 15 scouts and execs from around the league to build a list of 10 under-the-radar prospects for the 2024 class. These aren’t guys you’ll see in our early first-round mock drafts, and they aren’t guys being discussed often by the media elsewhere. They are, however, sleepers who could catapult their way up draft boards this fall.
Let’s kick it off with a quarterback who could rise over the next 10 months:
A senior transfer from NC State, the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Leary has produced at a high level as a starter and has scouts excited about his potential in Kentucky’s pro-style offensive scheme with the return of coordinator Liam Coen to Lexington. Leary has flashed potential, including a 2021 season that saw him throw for 35 touchdowns to just five interceptions.
“There’s no substitute for experience at quarterback in college,” one AFC area scout said, “and Leary has a ton of it. He’s built right mentally for that quick-strike offense, and I think we’ll see more mobility from him now.”
That’s something scouts are eager to see; Leary had a 7.8 QBR outside of the pocket last season with the Wolfpack. He also suffered a season-ending pectoral injury against Florida State on Oct. 8, and one scout said a healthy season could boost his stock, which currently sits in the Day 3 range.
“The last time he was healthy for a full season he was torching people,” that NFC scout said. “This scheme is better than what he had at NC State. Don’t be surprised if Leary has a better year than [Will] Levis did last year.”
Corley already has scouts buzzing after a 101-catch, 1,293-yard, 11-touchdown season, and once he gets a little more attention, his third-round status could eventually rise all the way up to Day 1.
“Here is your Deebo Samuel-type guy,” said an AFC area scout who covers Western Kentucky. “Corley is rocked-up, very elusive, and he’s carried the ball out of the backfield already. Offensive weapon is his position.”
The Hilltoppers’ offense will be prolific again in 2023 with quarterback Austin Reed returning and Corley moving around the formation. His explosiveness in short areas and vision after the catch are as good as any receiver’s in college football. Corley led the FBS in yards after the catch (982) and forced missed tackles on receptions (43) last season.
“I could see a Deebo comp, but I see some A.J. Brown,” one NFC scout said when asked for his opinion of the 5-11, 210-pound senior. “He knows he’s stronger than you. There’s a lot of times where he runs through defenders.”
It’s hard to be under the radar as a wide receiver at Georgia, but McConkey is not getting much preseason attention with an offensive personnel shift coming in Athens. That should change once the games begin, though.
The 6-foot, 185-pound fourth-year junior produced in a run-first Bulldogs offense in 2022 (58 catches, 762 yards, 7 touchdowns) and has shown elite hands and route-running ability. With more opportunities in 2023, those numbers should explode. I have him in the Round 3 range right now, but things could change quickly if he sees more targets this year.
“He’s a top-50 player on my early list,” said an area scout covering the SEC for an NFC team. “He’s tough as hell, super quick out of his breaks, and he doesn’t drop passes — ever.”
McConkey doesn’t have elite size or production to date in his college career, but scouts are already praising his NFL readiness coming from the Georgia scheme. “Even if they don’t throw the ball a ton, that’s a pro-style offense, and he’s asked to do NFL-style things right now. He’ll hit the ground running,” said another NFC scout.
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Ladd McConkey gets wide open for a 37-yard Georgia TD
Georgia QB Stetson Bennett stands in the pocket and connects with Ladd McConkey for a 37-yard touchdown.
The NFL seeks out size at wide receiver, and Clark has plenty of that at 6-3 and 210 pounds. He plays to that size, too, with 15 touchdowns on 103 catches over the past two seasons for the Roadrunners. Scouts have taken notice of his ability.
“He’s just effortless in the way he attacks and tracks the ball, especially in the red area. He extends well, uses his size and he’s not afraid of contact,” an AFC area scout said. “How fast is he? That’s the big question, but his tape last year looked like a top-100 pick.”
Another scout said, “I’ll bet he was a hooper in high school. He plays like one. Great vertical skills. Big, strong hands. Just out positions and outjumps defenders.” (Clark indeed played basketball in high school and was a long jump standout in track and field.)
Clark — who is probably an early Day 3 candidate this summer — might not go against SEC talent on a weekly basis, but his name is getting serious hype as more scouts study smaller program tape.
Scouts are always looking for the next big thing along the offensive line in preseason tape study. That might just be McCormick.
He’s a 6-4, 305-pound left guard with the positional versatility to also play center or right guard. And McCormick has dominated for the Jackrabbits as a four-year starter heading into his senior season. He earned All-MVFC and All-American accolades for three straight years, and scouts think he’s ready to add top-50 draft pick to that résumé next April.
“You want to see lower-level guys dominate both athletically and fundamentally, and he does that. There’s no drop off from him to a lot of those NDSU players we saw going early rounds on the O-line,” said an NFC area scout familiar with offensive line play.
McCormick is a throwback in terms of play power and strength, and he brings a nastiness to the game that scouts will fall in love with during postseason all-star games. “I think he’s a better prospect than [Cody] Mauch was last year, and he went top 50. That’s a good range for [McCormick],” an AFC area scout said.
Want versatility along the offensive line? You’ll love Barton, who looks like a third-rounder at the moment. He has spent the past two seasons at left tackle, but he played almost 450 snaps at center during his 2020 freshman year. The 6-5, 306-pounder is putting himself on the map with strong play in space and overall agility. After allowing seven sacks in 2021 in his first season at tackle, he only allowed two in 2022 despite seeing 100 more pass-blocking snaps.
“He’s tailor-made for a zone scheme,” an NFC area scout said. “Barton does things in space that are résumé builders. His hands are all over the place sometimes, but my God, can he pull and put defenders on their backs.”
One NFL general manager went as far as tabbing Barton as “one of my guys” in our conversations this summer. And while most scouts want to see him improve his technique in a final season — one referenced the jump Wright made at Tennessee last year — one suggested he’s fine with Barton’s game as it is now.
“He’s proven he’s a worker with the position change and how well he took to that,” said the scout. “The tape I’ve seen says this dude will be a really good tackle or a great guard. That’ll get you in the top 50 most drafts.”
Every class typically includes a few talented offensive linemen who just need to connect the pieces when it comes to technique and strength, and Paul jumps out among the 2024 group. He’s slotted in as fourth- or fifth-rounder for me right now, but his game allows a lot of room to move way up the board.
Patrick allowed just one sack as a junior in 2022, even though he saw 563 pass-block snaps (26th-most in the nation). The younger brother of 2022 seventh-rounder Chris Paul (Commanders), he has length at 6-foot-7 and plenty of strength on a 315-pound frame. And he has started 32 games over four seasons, all at left tackle.
“Best-kept secret in the country at tackle,” an area scout who handles the Texas schools said. “He needs some polish, especially in the run game, but you can’t teach his natural mobility and length. He’s a starter in the NFL his second year.”
A former NFL offensive line coach who studies the top prospects took it a step further: “It’ll be hard for anyone to unseat Fashanu as OT1, but Paul as a sleeper OT2 is realistic.”
Texas A&M has been among the country’s best recruiting programs under coach Jimbo Fisher, and those classes are starting to mature into draft prospects. And many believe four-star recruit Jackson (Round 4-5 range) will break out in 2023. The 6-foot-2, 325-pound Jackson is a wrecking ball in the middle of the line.
“The first thing you notice is his explosiveness. There is so much power generated off the snap. He’s hard to handle one-on-one,” an NFC area scout who covers Texas said.
Jackson posted 13 run stops last season and had 6.5 tackles for loss. Where he’ll need to improve, though, is in his pass rush production. Jackson has just 4.5 sacks in three seasons. But the word is out that the Texas A&M staff is excited about his potential.
“You talk to the coaches down there and they’ll tell you the O-line is struggling to contain him — and that’s a veteran interior line down there,” another NFC scout said. “If he’s doing that in practice, watch out.”
Turn on the 2022 Penn State tape and you’ll see a handful of defensive starters who could make this list — and plenty who could be top-50 picks in next year’s draft. But Jacobs stands out in a big way, and there is some excitement in the scouting world to see his follow-up performance in 2023. The 6-foot-1, 229-pound Jacobs had 52 tackles, seven tackles for loss, four sacks and an interception last year.
“That dude is exactly what the linebacker position is becoming,” an AFC national scout said. “He can absolutely fly, and he has production on three downs. … Watching him play in space, I don’t think you’d ever have to take him off the field.”
One AFC general manager who has done a surface-level viewing of the top 2024 prospects said Jacobs might be the most underrated player in the nation. “[Fashanu] gets all the praise there, and he’s great, but Jacobs might be a top-five player in the class when it’s all said and done.”
If that proves true, Jacobs is currently the most overlooked player in the nation given the attention placed on teammates Fashanu, Chop Robinson, Adisa Isaac and Kalen King. He has a chance to soar up boards from a second-rounder to potential top-10 pick once the games start in September.
Nubin surprised the football world when he returned to Minnesota following a stellar 2022 season, but even as a well-known Big Ten player, he has a chance to shoot up draft boards should he continue the level of play shown the past two years.
“He’s one of my favorite safeties [in the class],” an NFC area scout said. “He attacks the ball, has proven hands and he’s really sticky in coverage.”
Nubin has eight interceptions over the past three years and has recorded at least 50 tackles in each of the past two. Among players with at least 300 coverage snaps in 2022, his 30.4% completion percentage allowed as the primary defender ranked 12th-best in the country. Another scout compared him to a former under-the-radar safety who worked his way into the first round.
“I watch him and I’m thinking Nick Scott all day. Free safety range to every level, great hands, great eyes. But he’s bigger [at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds]. He’s going to blow up this year.”
Nubin has a shot at All-American honors and could push his way into the top two rounds of next year’s draft.