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5 NFL Draft Prospects You NEED to Know

5 NFL Draft Prospects You NEED to Know

Putting "need" in all caps is enticing isn't it

Michael Valenzano
April 11, 2024

3 Defensive & 2 Offensive Prospects

We are now just two weeks out from the 2024 NFL Draft!

And after breaking down two of the deepest and most anticipated position groups in the past two weeks, quarterback and wide receiver, in this article I’ll introduce you to five more prospects on other parts of the field who I think’ll be future stars in the NFL.

Before we get started, if you have yet to check out the previous articles breaking down this year’s quarterbacks and wide receivers, I’ll link both of those articles below.

2024 Quarterback Prospect Analysis

2024 Wide Receiver Prospect Overview

Dallas Turner, Edge, Alabama

Height: 6’3”

Weight: 247 lbs

40-Yard Dash: 4.46 Seconds

This year’s draft class doesn’t have the most impressive group of pass rushers compared to years past, but Dallas Turner looks to disprove that as the class’s best at the position.

Dallas Turner impressively played all 42 games of his college career, never missing a game due to injury. Scouts will absolutely love that about him, as he’ll be playing in arguably the most important defensive position.

Like most of these top-rated prospects, its Turner’s combination of speed and physicality that makes him so productive as an edge rusher. He has a deep bag of tricks to use against offensive linemen, whether it’s beating them around the edge or just running straight through them. And his 4.46 40-yard dash time means he’ll have no problem keeping up with even the most elusive NFL quarterbacks.

In 2023, Turner finished with 53 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles. All of this while playing in the most competitive conference in college football, the SEC, and playing for Alabama, who currently have 57 former student-athletes in the NFL, the most out of any college football program.

Turner should adjust well to the game speed of the NFL, but would be most effective as a compliment to another veteran pass rusher as he finds his bearings as a pro.

Projected Draft Position: Top 10 Pick

Projected Team: Atlanta Falcons, Chicago Bears

Brock Bowers, Tight End, Georgia

Height: 6’3”

Weight: 243 lbs

40-Yard Dash: 4.55 Seconds

Brock Bowers is, in the simplest terms, a unicorn.

He enters this year's draft as one of the highest-rated tight end prospects of all time. Unfortunately for him, the last great tight end prospect, Kyle Pitts, who we all thought would be game-breaking, just turned out to be kind of alright. And year after year, people draft him too early in their fantasy drafts, only to be disappointed every time.

Bowers is, of course, his own player and should find himself on a team that can utilize his unique skill set effectively. Though he comes in a bit undersized for the tight end position, he makes up for it with elite speed and physicality. He’s a very difficult man to tackle and a gifted runner after the catch.

Bowers, like many elite tight ends, offers a significant advantage with his ability to exploit mismatches against defenders. He frequently uses his size and frame to “box out” against smaller cornerbacks and is far faster than any linebacker who’ll be covering him when he lines up inside. He’ll look to continue to pose problems for opposing defenses like he has in his three years at Georgia.

This past year, Brock Bowers totaled 56 receptions, 714 receiving yards, and 6 touchdowns in just 10 games while leading the nation in yards after the catch among tight ends. On a 17-game pace, he would’ve finished with just under 100 receptions, 1200 yards, and 10 touchdowns.

Whoever drafts him should expect a productive and long-term starter at the tight end position.

Projected Draft Position: Early/Middle First Round

Projected Team: Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets

Jer’Zhan Newton, Interior Defensive Line, Illinois

Height: 6’2”

Weight: 304 lbs

Jer’Zhan “Johnny” Newton has a serious tendency to make grown men look like children.

The Illinois product dominated opposing offensive lines with both finesse and aggression. Operating mainly from the interior of the defensive line, Newton totaled 52 total tackles, 7.5 sacks, 8.5 tackles for loss, and 4 blocked kicks (Led CFB). Those blocks are a testament to his vicious interior devastation that only compares to that one time I got really bad food poisoning and soiled a hotel room in Mexico.

Newton has remarkable agility at his size and finds himself in the backfield by any means possible. The gap in competition from college to the NFL will be more noticeable for Newton, but with time, his style of play should take him far.

I am, of course, a bit biased, as Newton is a fellow fighting Illini and had his own sandwich at one of my favorite restaurants (Cracked: The Egg Came First), but I do believe he’ll develop into an impressive difference-maker in the league.

Projected Draft Position: Late First Round

Projected Team: Los Angeles Rams, Detroit Lions

Fun Fact: I had class with him last semester!

Joe Alt, Offensive Tackle, Notre Dame

Height: 6’9”

Weight: 321 lbs

When you’re looking for someone to protect your quarterback, you can’t build them any better than Joe Alt.

And yes, you are reading that right. Joe Alt is a whopping 6 feet, 9 inches tall, and 321 pounds. Upon entering the league, he’ll immediately be tied for the tallest player in the NFL.

Joe Alt is everything a team looks for at the offensive tackle position. He effectively avoids penalties and has extraordinary balance for a man of his stature. His mobility jumps off the screen as he finds himself successfully getting to the second level on run plays. His size alone immediately makes him hard to get by, but on top of that, he pairs it with great hand skills and rarely lets players get by once he makes contact.

Alt comes from a family of athletes as well. His father, John Alt, was an NFL Pro Bowl tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1984 to 1996. Joe Alt will likely follow in his father’s footsteps in becoming a top-tier protector of the quarterback.

Barring any injuries or a dramatic drop-off in his play, Alt will be a future All-Pro player and should have a very successful career in the NFL.

Projected Draft Position: Top 10 Pick

Projected Team: Tennessee Titans

Cooper DeJean, Cornerback, Iowa

Height: 6’0^1/2 ”

Weight: 203 lbs

40-Yard Dash: 4.43 Seconds

The most impressive part about Cooper DeJean is the fact that he’s white.

I’m not kidding either. The last white cornerback who started in the NFL was Jason Sehorn, who retired 21 years ago! On top of that, Cooper DeJean is projected to become the first white cornerback to be drafted in the first round since 1969.

Despite this feeling like a form of affirmative action, DeJean will be a first-rounder for good reason.

He is easily the most versatile defensive back in this draft. DeJean has played the outside corner position, nickelback, safety, and even returned punts for Iowa the past two seasons. Modern defenses are best when they have a reliable nickel corner. DeJean will provide just that, with the added ability to move him around if need be.

DeJean finished the 2023 season as the Big 10 Defensive Back of the Year, Return Specialist of the Year, and received First-team All-Big 10 honors. He has better ball skills than most at the corner position and a knack for finding the end zone during returns. Like most of these rookies, the situation he finds himself in will dictate the likelihood of long-term success in the NFL, but nevertheless, DeJean will bring value to multiple positions for whoever drafts him.

Projected Draft Position: Late First Round

Projected Team: Green Bay Packers, Miami Dolphins

As we get closer and closer to draft day, I hope you’re feeling more prepared and more familiar with some of the best talent this class has to offer!

Next week, we’ll move away from players in this year’s draft and look at the general managers who will be selecting them. This will be a new type of analysis for me, so it’ll go either really good or absolutely great. I don’t miss.

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