We’ll be live from Mobile, Alabama this week to cover the 2024 Senior Bowl. We’ll be getting you ready for the 2024 NFL Draft, diving deep into practices and streaming live in the evenings throughout the week. Here is my 2024 Senior Bowl Preview. Below we dive into a few notable names in upcoming dynasty rookie drafts.

NEXT WEEK!!!!

YOU WANT @seniorbowl COVERAGE!!!

Don’t worry. @FantasyPros we gotchu.

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Wednesday: TikTok Live at 7:30pm ET

Thursday: YouTube Livestream at 6pm ET pic.twitter.com/ARIr2GrOZg

— Derek Brown (@DBro_FFB) January 25, 2024

• 2024 Dynasty Fantasy Football Draft Kit
• 2024 NFL Draft Guide
• NFL Draft Scouting Reports

2024 Senior Bowl Preview

*Note: Players with a * below are confirmed out for the game with injury.

2023 Senior Bowl Wide Receiver Preview

• Ricky Pearsall (Florida)
• Johnny Wilson (Florida State)
• Xavier Legette (South Carolina)
• Brenden Rice (USC)
• Jacob Cowing (Arizona)
• Jamari Thrash (Louisville)
• Ainias Smith (Texas A&M)
• Malachi Corley (Western Kentucky)
• Devontez Walker (North Carolina)
• Jordan Whittington (Texas)
• Jha’Quan Jackson (Tulane)
• Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint (Georgia)
• Ladd McConkey (Georgia)
• Luke McCaffrey (Rice)
• Roman Wilson (Michigan)
• Javon Baker (UCF)

Pre-Senior Bowl WR Rankings

1. Javon Baker
2. Ladd McConkey
3. Xavier Legette
4. Jacob Cowing
5. Johnny Wilson (as TE)
6. Roman Wilson
7. Luke McCaffrey
8. Tez Walker
9. Jamari Thrash
10. Malachi Corley
11. Ricky Pearsall
12. Ainias Smith
13. Brenden Rice
14. Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint
15. Ryan Flournoy
16. Jha’Quan Jackson
17. Jordan Whittington

Most to Prove: Luke McCaffrey (Rice) and Malachi Corley (WKU)

I’m higher on McCraffrey and lower on Corley than most. Both ripped up Conference USA.

McCraffrey has the DNA of NFL royalty coursing through his blood. But nobody is talking about him right now because he’s performed on the small stage after failing earlier in his career at quarterback. That ends this week.

At Rice, McCraffrey was a big slot who moonlighted on the boundary. Doesn’t need much space to make the catch – tape littered with catches where he caught the ball in congested quarters. Easily led this class in completed catches where his helmet flew off because of a hit. A street-fighter at the catch point – numerous plays on tape, he ripped a should-be interception away from a defender and turned it into a huge catch.

McCraffrey had a superb 17-for-28 in contested situations last year. Very strong hands. Only three drops despite being targeted 120 times in 2023. Quarterback’s best friend who will go up high and get it, or drop to the ground to fish it out. Tough kid who’ll take a hit to make the catch. Quarterback convert whose routes remain a work-in-progress – but he understands coverage concepts, and leverage. Was dangerous enough with ball in his hands that Rice would manufacture touches for him on end-arounds. Had 25 broken tackles the last two years with zero fumbles.

Corley is a manufactured-touch slot receiver coming out of an Air Raid offense where he got force-fed a high-percentage targets near the line of scrimmage. Can he show something in the route-running department in Mobile?

Corley has a thiccc build, and he’s a tank after the catch. Easily led this class with 40 broken tackles in 2022. Tremendous power and balance for a receiver as a runner – far more akin to a running back in the open field. Not a surprise, as he began his career at WKU as a RB (after initially signing as a CB). Will also give you real utility in the run game.

Corley’s ran a parred-down route tree – this area of his game needs work for him to develop into more than a gadget guy. He doesn’t show much nuance or tactical footwork along his route path when he was asked to go downfield, instead blurring where he was going and doing an unconvincing deek at the top of his stem.

Over the past two seasons, Corley had 89 catches behind the line of scrimmage — he led the nation in screen yards both times. Conversely, he caught just 15 balls 20+ yards downfield. Had a troubing 23.5% contested catch rate last year despite a 5.5 aDOT that ranked No. 495 in the FBS. Needs to be drafted by a team that will use him situationally early-on.

Most to Gain: Javon Baker (UCF)

Former five-star recruit who realized his potential after transferring to UCF. Very sudden mover who plays with unmistakable attitude. Press corners better bring their boxing gloves and their tap shoes. Varied release package with a matrix of footwork. Was a downfield killer – 17.1 aDOT – despite good-but-not-great speed, in large part because of his my-ball determination. Attacks the ball in the air and latches on, undeterred by contact.

He was unsurprisingly one of the class’ best contested catch receivers, despite the bloated aDOT, going 20-for-36 in those instances the past two years, mostly in downfield scenarios. A contortionist in the air when reeling in poorly thrown balls. Baker isn’t the most agile, but his overall routes are better than adequate, in part because he understands leverage and tempo, and in part because he can so quickly throttle into and out of route brakes.

He does a decent job stacking, but Baker’s lack of elite wheels can lead to more company at the catch point when he’s tailed from behind – this superpower of his will have to convert to the NFL to remain a downfield maven. Baker had a red-flag drop rate over 10% the past two seasons, something he needs to clean up – this is a concentration issue, as his reel of highlight grabs would attest.

Mystery Man: Devontez Walker (North Carolina)

Well-built field-stretcher. Not explosive, but has the straight-line build-up speed for downtown duties. Uses frame well and has solid ball skills, but could stand to clean up on concentration drops. Route-running is a work in progress. Played only 28 games of FBS football – only eight in the Power 5 – and did not get fully developed in systems that asked him to run parred-down route trees. Walker ran lots of go-routes and comebacks in college – fastballs and changeups – with some lazy drags near the LOS.

His routes lack pizazz and snap. Walker is going to have to hang his hat on his downfield prowess initially. And he’s got some skill in that area, including use of his fortified frame and a late-hand aptitude that delays the defensive backs’ play on the ball. He has a my-ball attitude and will fight for it. However, Walker got himself into more contested situations than he should have downfield in college because he doesn’t put the corner into conflict by splitting and then stacking him. Instead, he’d often telegraph his intention immediately and invite his man to footrace him. Walker really could have used another year in college to develop his game. As is, he’s a field-stretcher who isn’t a true burner – I see 4.5s speed on film.