The 2024 NFL Draft will be here before you know it, leaving us all scrambling to predict where so-and-so might get taken by whatever team.
Some players, like USC quarterback Caleb Williams, feel pretty locked in to go where we expect (first overall). Others, like Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., we can reasonably expect will go somewhere in the top 10. However, some guys remain a mystery as to when they’ll be drafted.
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We’ve compiled a list of five players whose positioning in the first or second rounds of this year’s draft leaves us stumped. While not all of these guys will actually fall into Friday’s draft picks, they’ve all got question marks for whatever reason that make them very hard to pin down.
Let’s run through these names and why their draft range is hard to predict right now.
1
QB Michael Penix Jr.
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Penix enters this year’s draft as one of the biggest question marks for where he might get taken. Whether he’s destined to go surprisingly high (like, top 10) or wait until the second or even third round, the Washington quarterback’s range feels all over the place. If a team is sold on him as a future option, it’s possible he goes in the first round. If not, he may wait a bit.
2
OLB Laiatu Latu
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Latu’s medicals might slide him down the draft board a bit, as a clean bill of health would likely lock him in to a top 10-15 range with how productive he was at UCLA. Whether or not he’s even on teams’ draft boards is probably dependent on how comfortable teams are with the medical issues from his days at Washington. Some teams will likely covet what he can immediately bring to the table as a pass-rusher. However, if he didn’t go until late in the first, it wouldn’t shock us.
3
CB Cooper DeJean
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DeJean is a versatile defensive back with plenty of room to grow, but his size might knock him down the board a bit for some teams. Or will it? It’s hard to say! We could honestly see DeJean going within the top-20 picks because of just how electric he can be, or we could see him falling to the second round because of those size concerns. It’s really hard to tell with the Iowa standout.
4
C Jackson Powers-Johnson
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Powers-Johnson might be the best center in this draft, or he might be a guy who waits until the second round to find his team. Elite Kansas City Chiefs center Creed Humphrey waited until nearly the end of the second round to get drafted, proving that NFL teams can be weird when it comes to when they’re willing to draft the center position. However, Powers-Johnson might be a true blue-chip prospect at the position, so it wouldn’t surprise us if he goes decently high in the first, either.
5
CB Kool-Aid McKinstry
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McKinstry might not make this list if he’s not dealing with a foot fracture, but alas, it’s on his medical report. He’s felt like a first-round lock this entire process, but that health issue could send him into the second round if teams have any hesitation about it. He’s one of two Alabama cornerbacks that could go on the first day along with Terrion Arnold, but we’re curious if he’s one of the most talented players available on Friday once round two gets going. We’re flummoxed on where he might go.
