NFL Draft early big board: Top 25 prospects as college football nears midseason

It may seem like the 2023 college football season began just a few days ago, but midseason is fast approaching, making it the perfect time to highlight prospects perched atop 2024 NFL draft boards.

In several ways, this year's class feels like a repeat of last season.

Last fall it was obvious that the top three draft-eligible players in college football were quarterbacks Bryce Young and CJ Stroud, as well as edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. They, of course, wound up being the first players selected in April's draft.

Evaluations over the summer suggested that the 2024 draft might also have a "Big Three" in USC's Caleb Williams, North Carolina's Drake Maye and Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr. Nothing over the first six weeks of the season has altered that belief.

Perhaps even more interesting, however, is the fact that wide receivers and offensive tackles are again two of the richest positional groups. There were eight players (four each) from these positions drafted among the first 27 selections a year ago and the class of 2024 is even more gifted.

Note: This Big Board is not a mock draft. Positional value and specific NFL team needs are not taken into account. It is simply my personal ranking of the Top 25 draft-eligible prospects in college football.

1. Caleb Williams, QB, USC, 6-foot-1, 220 pounds, junior

I will fully acknowledge that it would make for a more interesting article if I ranked someone other than the reigning Heisman Trophy winner as my top prospect, but Williams offers an exceptional blend of accuracy and mobility — unique traits that translate very well to today's ultra-improvisational game. He is a special talent; a player that NFL teams might consider losing in 2023 to guarantee a chance at acquiring him.

2. Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina, 6-4, 230, redshirt sophomore

Maye doesn't offer the "wow" factor that Williams possesses, but his awareness, anticipation and accuracy are traits that would earn him a top-5 selection in any NFL draft. Some evaluators will rank Maye as the No. 1 prospect in this draft class, and I would have a hard time arguing with them, given his prototypical frame, arm and recognition.

3. Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State, 6-4, 208, junior

Tall, agile, explosive and sure-handed, Harrison is an even better prospect at this stage of his career than his Hall of Fame father was coming out of Syracuse. While the NFL has increasingly acknowledged the value elite receivers can provide, no one at the position has earned a top-3 selection since Calvin Johnson was the No. 2 pick back in 2007. That is the kind of company this young man keeps.

4. Olu Fashanu, OT, Penn State, 6-6, 319, junior

Players tipping the scales at nearly 320 pounds rarely warrant the term "graceful" in their scouting report, but that is precisely the word that comes to mind with Fashanu, a three-year starter with elite agility, balance and length who has yet to surrender a single sack in his college career.

5. Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia, 6-4, 230, junior

It is easy to venture into hyperbole with Bowers, whose soft hands, agility and competitiveness make him the best college tight end I've ever evaluated, a player who reminds me of San Francisco 49ers star George Kittle. Like Kittle, Bowers is a significantly better blocker than his size might suggest, but it is his ability as a pass-catcher that will ultimately make him a star in the NFL.

6. Amarius Mims, OT, Georgia, 6-7, 320, junior

Like the previously mentioned Fashanu, Mims has yet to allow a single sack at the college level, and from a scouting perspective, accomplishing that against SEC competition is quite the statement. Unlike Fashanu, Mims lines up at right tackle, but he's built like a future blindside protector, possessing a relatively long, lanky frame with exceptional power and mobility. Unfortunately for both Georgia and Mims, individually, he suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 3 against South Carolina that required surgery, putting his season (and NFL draft stock) on pause.

7. Dallas Turner, Edge, Alabama, 6-4, 242, junior

Stop me if you've heard this before, but a former five-star recruit is becoming one of the country's elite NFL prospects under Nick Saban's tutelage. Turner flashed a year ago while running second fiddle to Anderson, and he's on pace to shatter his already impressive career-high of 8.5 (as a true freshman) with 5.5 through the first five contests this year. Though he's not Anderson's equivalent against the running game just yet, Turner is sleek and slithery off the snap and is quickly emerging as the best pass rusher in the 2024 NFL draft.

8. Keon Coleman, WR, Florida State, 6-4, 215, junior

It isn't often that non-quarterbacks earn real Heisman consideration in today's era, but with six touchdowns in four games (on just 17 receptions), this uniquely gifted Michigan State transfer has the production for a playoff contender to warrant that type of buzz. A fluid, coordinated athlete with sticky hands and excellent body control, Coleman has the look of a top-20 pick. 

9. Kool-Aid McKinstry, CB, Alabama, 6-1, 195, junior

Pardon the pun, but NFL teams "thirsty" for a cover corner have turned to Alabama for years now, and that will once again be the case in 2023 with McKinstry, who offers the light feet and loose hips to run with any receiver downfield. While boasting true man-to-man cover skills, Kool-Aid isn't without his cavities, as he needs to show greater ball skills (two career interceptions on 20 pass breakups) and consistency as an open-field tackler.

10. Malik Nabers, WR, LSU, 6-0, 200, junior

I don't take comparisons to San Francisco superstar Deebo Samuel lightly, but there are very few wide receivers who can beat defenders with their speed, elusiveness and power, but that is the skill set Nabers has flashed with LSU. His natural playmaking ability has flickered since his true freshman season in 2021, but with a career-high five touchdowns in as many games this season, Nabers has taken his game to a whole other level as a junior.

11. Emeka Egbuka, WR, Ohio State, 6-1, 205, junior

It is easy to get overshadowed by a talent like Harrison, but Egbuka is a legitimate first-round candidate in his own right, offering the NFL a prototypical blend of size, suddenness and soft hands. Egbuka is a quality route-runner with experience inside and out, and he boasts one of the best stutter steps in college football, using it beautifully to create both before and after the catch.

12. Jer'Zhan Newton, Illinois, 6-2, 295, junior

The NFL's shift to more of a pass-happy league in recent years minimizes the value of most defensive tackles, but interior rushers who can penetrate are all the more important. Newton has a stubby, powerful frame, and he's both quick upfield and quite agile, flashing the upper and lower body coordination reminiscent of Javon Hargrave, who is excelling in San Francisco after signing a four-year $84 million contract.

13. Nate Wiggins, CB, Clemson, 6-2, 185, junior

It isn't often that you come across cornerbacks with Wiggins' height and light feet. His backpedal, hip fluidity and quickness to close is the kind of stuff that every NFL team that values man-to-man cover skills salivates over.

14. McKinnley Jackson, DT, Texas A&M, 6-2, 320, senior

Even as the NFL shifts towards pass-rushers on the inside, I'll fully admit that I'm a sucker for traditional nose guards with power and agility. Jackson has a grand total of 10 tackles through the first five games of the season (as well as 3.5 tackles for loss and two sacks), but he routinely disrupts the opponent — and let's be clear, isn't that the point?

15. Adonai Mitchell, WR, Texas, 6-4, 196, junior

Entering the season, there were a number of NFL-caliber prospects on the Texas roster that made Steve Sarkisian's squad a worthy national champion candidate. With all due respect to quarterback Quinn Ewers and the rest of the Longhorns, however, it is Mitchell — a playmaking transfer from Georgia — who intrigues me the most due to his exceptional blend of height, acceleration and upside.

16. Rome Odunze, WR, Washington, 6-3, 217, junior

While I am intrigued by the accuracy of Washington's Michael Penix Jr. — the first legitimate Heisman Trophy candidate for the Huskies since perhaps 1992 No. 1 overall pick Steve Emtman — it is his weapons on the outside that excite me even more. Odunze was reportedly clocked in the 4.3s prior to this season, and his playmaking ability is undeniable, with the prototypically-built speedster averaging a career-high 19 yards per catch in 2023, with four touchdowns in five games thus far this season.

17. Jared Verse, Edge, Florida State, 6-4, 260, redshirt junior

After taking the ACC by storm last season with 17 tackles for loss and nine sacks following his transfer from Albany, Verse entered the 2023 campaign as one of the more celebrated pass rushers in college football. The second "verse" has not yet been as good as the first, however, with the power-packed redshirt junior registering just half a sack through the first four games. Verse is quick off the ball, but it is his strength and upper-body coordination that has scouts most intrigued. 

18. Joe Alt, OT, Notre Dame, 6-7, 322, junior

Football remains a big man's game, and few check in larger than Notre Dame's Alt, who offers imposing height, arm length and punch for pass protection. Some have concerns about his relatively high-cut frame and wonder if, like his Notre Dame predecessor Mike McGlinchey, Alt won't be better suited on the right side in the NFL, but he is a relatively pro-ready tackle in a league desperate for them.

19. Kamren Kinchens, S, Miami, 6-0, 205, junior

As the NFL has adopted more of an up-tempo passing attack, deep safeties have understandably dropped in value. True ballhawks, however, remain an exception, and that applies to Kinchens, who had a hand in eight turnovers a year ago (including six interceptions) and has two more already this season, demonstrating the range, vision and soft hands every NFL team is looking to add to the roster.

20. Cooper DeJean, DB, Iowa, 6-1, 207, junior

I am likely to be higher on DeJean than most, as I will admit that I am a sucker for natural playmakers, especially those with a bloodhound's nose for the football like DeJean. Now listed at cornerback, DeJean was moved all around Iowa's defense a year ago, seeing time at cornerback, safety, outside linebacker and punt returner, demonstrating the swivel hips and greasy knees to change directions fluidly, as well as an intriguing burst to the ball.

21. Maason Smith, DT, LSU, 6-5, 300, redshirt sophomore

With just 1.5 sacks over his first four games of the 2023 season, Smith lacks the stats to intrigue box score scouts, but true NFL evaluators are noting his rare blend of size, power and burst. Smith doesn't come without complications — he missed all but the first game a year ago due to a torn ACL and was suspended for the 2023 season-opener for a pre-NIL signing that the NCAA ruled was inappropriate.

22. Laiatu Latu, Edge, UCLA, 6-5, 265, junior

Bruins fans will hate to hear a comparison to a cross-town rival, but there are a lot of similarities between Latu and former USC star Tuli Tuipulotu, the No. 54 overall selection of last spring's draft (by the Los Angeles Chargers and the Defensive Lineman of the Year in the Pac-12. Both are more smooth than truly explosive off the edge, complementing speed with power, technique, positional versatility, awareness and, most importantly, production, with Latu registering 14.5 sacks in his last 17 games, dating back to 2022.

23. Tory Horton, WR, Colorado State, 6-2, 187, senior

It isn't often that players outside the so-called "Power 5" are selected in the first round of the NFL draft, but Horton is one of the rare talents who deserve consideration. Simply put, this guy just moves differently, plucking passes and shifting gears so smoothly that he'll almost surely earn an invitation to a prominent all-star game following the season, where I expect his 24 career touchdowns (in 36 games at Colorado State and previously at Nevada) will only expand.

24. JC Latham, OT, Alabama, 6-6, 335, junior

The turnstile of talent in Tuscaloosa is like few others, and Latham certainly looks the part of the next Alabama first-round pick along the offensive line. He offers impressive quickness, length and power for his massive frame, but, like the Tide, as a whole in 2023, he's struggled a bit with consistency this season and needs to ratchet up his game to generate the first-round selection many assumed heading into his second season as Alabama's starting right tackle.

25. Jonah Elliss, Edge, Utah, 6-3, 246, junior

Elliss has NFL bloodlines, production against top competition and a varied pass-rush repertoire that will make him much higher rated among the scouting community than his relative lack of media attention would suggest. Cat-quick and long-armed and more powerful than he looks, Elliss is one of the fastest-rising prospects in the country this season. 

Rob Rang is an NFL Draft analyst for FOX Sports. He has been covering the NFL Draft for more than 20 years, with work at FOX, Sports Illustrated, CBSSports.com, USA Today, Yahoo, NFL.com and NFLDraftScout.com, among others. He also works as a scout with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. Follow him on Twitter @RobRang.