Bo McBrayer | Mon, Mar 11th 2024, 6:16am EDT

8 Dynasty Rookie Draft NFL Player Comps (2024 Fantasy Football)

Comparing young prospects entering the NFL to current and legacy players is purely subjective and carries no intrinsic value. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a fun exercise and explosive tinder for the bonfire that is social media. If you squint your eyes like Tobey Maguire in Spider-Man you can see the resemblance between myself and legendary defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Or is that squinting like George Costanza without his glasses, spotting roadside raccoons (mailboxes)? I’ll leave that up to you to determine.

As someone who has obsessed over football since kindergarten, I feel like my football player recall is strong enough to draw some really unique (and hopefully astute) comparisons for this year’s promising fantasy football fledglings. Details from size, style, skillset and even personality will enter the fold. The 2024 rookies are a stellar group and I wish them the best of luck in reaching the zenith where future prospects will be compared to them.

Prospect Matches

Caleb Williams (QB – USC) → Baker Mayfield

No, this is not a knock on the presumptive top pick in the draft. Baker Mayfield set the rookie record for touchdown passes his first year in Cleveland and led that franchise to its first playoff berth in ages. The pocket awareness and ability to make dazzling throws off-script are where the similarities begin. Caleb Williams has more arm talent and plays a bit tougher for his size within the pocket than Mayfield, which gives him a stratospheric ceiling in the NFL. Their spicy personalities that rub some people the wrong way are also similar. Williams will feel dangerous in the league for a very long time.

Jayden Daniels (QB – LSU) → Marcus Mariota

Again, I resent anyone who thinks comparing a prospect to a Heisman-winning QB is somehow an insult to either. Marcus Mariota was utterly unstoppable at Oregon and he has the same lanky build with freaky athleticism. Jayden Daniels has a much more compact throwing motion and has already exhibited passing traits that exceed what Mariota brought to the NFL. Daniels is also a much more dangerous runner than the former Ducks legend, with more top-end speed and agility. Stylistically, they are eerily similar. Daniels could easily become a better pro signal-caller than the Hawaiian legend.

Trey Benson (RB – Florida State) → Cadillac Williams

Remember Cadillac Williams and Ronnie Brown at Auburn? They were both exciting and complimented one another stylistically. Trey Benson reminds me a lot of Williams, whose speed and big-play ability belied his sturdy frame. A bad knee injury robbed us of experiencing Benson in the Oregon offense but he was more than adequate in Tallahassee. There are little things he can polish up with coaching and experience at the next level but he’s as close to a ready-made pro as it gets in this class.

Blake Corum (RB – Michigan) → Ray Rice

Ray Rice was a fantastic player for the Baltimore Ravens back in the day. A vertically challenged, beefy runner, Blake Corum has the same incredible vision and anticipation in his cuts and moves as Rice did. Ignore his lack of top-end long speed. Corum can break big runs with his football intelligence and instincts alone. It also helps immensely that he is well-rounded in receiving and pass protection. Corum can become a solid pro if he lands on a team that will nurture his strengths.

Marvin Harrison Jr. (WR – Ohio State) → Cris Carter

Tall, lanky and quick. Marvin Harrison Jr. is a separate archetype from his Hall of Fame father. They are similar in a few ways, like with route running and their ability to stack defenders vertically. Where Harrison Jr. is more like Chris Carter is along the boundaries and extending his catch radius to unthinkable lengths. Harrison’s hands are also reminiscent of Carter, as strong wide open as they are in traffic and in contested situations. Harrison Jr. is an absolute monster in every way and might even be completely immune to the dreaded bad landing spot. That’s rarified air at wide receiver.

Malik Nabers (WR – LSU) → Torry Holt

Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr. were so much fun to watch catching bombs from Daniels this season. It reminded me a lot of the Greatest Show on Turf with Kurt Warner, Isaac Bruce and Torry Holt for the Rams. Both Bruce and Holt stressed defenses vertically and horizontally alike. Nabers reminds me a ton of Holt, especially in his ability to turn quick routes underneath into a house call. His speed is felt on deep routes in a big way, too. Some have compared Nabers to fellow LSU alums Ja’Marr Chase and Justin Jefferson but I feel he’s an even mix between them. He’s not as good in traffic as Jefferson, nor as lethal on in-breaking routes as Chase. He is, however, plenty dangerous playing his own game.

Rome Odunze (WR – Washington) → Dez Bryant

I haven’t seen a tougher player at the catch point than Rome Odunze in a very long time. It’s difficult to call a bigger-bodied WR scrappy, but the Washington star is exactly that. He’s just plain tough. Dez Bryant was a great kick returner and not just a contested catch artist when he starred at Oklahoma State. Odunze has that kind of versatility, with a very high football aptitude. I also think there are direct similarities with Odunze’s work ethic that remind me of Bryant’s dominant years in Dallas. He’s a bully… but in a good way.

Brock Bowers (TE – Georgia) → Brent Jones

If you don’t know who Brent Jones is fire up your favorite search engine and check the bio. He was an unstoppable force at Santa Clara University in the 1980s and was drafted by the Steelers before joining the 49ers the next season. He enjoyed an illustrious 11-year career in the NFL, winning three Super Bowls in San Francisco. Brock Bowers, also a stud Northern California TE prospect, is poised to match (or surpass) Jones’ four Pro Bowl selections and three seasons as an All-Pro.

Jones was a converted WR who held the 49ers’ records for receptions and receiving yards by a TE until Vernon Davis eclipsed them. Bowers is also a tad undersized for a TE but he has incredible traits as a receiving weapon and even as a ball-carrying threat. He was an unstoppable force for two Georgia national championship teams and is considered by many to be the best TE in the history of college football. Bowers will go in the first round of the upcoming draft and start from day one. He is truly special and I hope to shout him out for at least the next decade as the next great thing to come from my neck of the woods.

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