The NFL Draft is just three short months away, and we finally know which underclassmen are in the draft and which ones returned to school. With this in mind, we can now give greater perspective on which positions are truly strong in this draft.

On this week’s episode of The Steelers Fix, Jeremy Betz and I broke down this exact topic, discussing the strongest and weakest positions in the NFL draft. If you have not yet listened to it, make sure you do so below.

Strongest Positions

Offensive Tackle

After the amount of quarterback injuries we saw in 2024, this is the best news the NFL could possibly be getting. This tackle class not only includes two blue-chip prospects, but it also contains a good five or six others that are good enough to be selected in Round 1 as well. Could we see 8 first-round tackles? I do not believe it is out of the question, especially if fringe first-rounder Jordan Morgan stands out in Mobile at the Senior Bowl. Several tackle prospects could also slide inside to guard, as many project to happen with Washington standout Troy Fautanu.

Wide Receiver

Any class that starts with Marvin Harrison, Jr. has to be strong. As of now, there is the potential for three receivers to be taken in the top ten, and there are several high-level athletes with supreme potential who could find their way into the later portions of the round. Florida State’s Keon Coleman has an incredible knack for coming down with 50/50 balls, and Xavier Legette is a height/weight/speed specimen who put up consistent production at South Carolina. No matter what your team is looking for at wide receiver, you can find it in a class this rich with talent.

Cornerback

There is no Sauce Gardner or Joey Porter, Jr. in this class, but there are a boatload of good, quality cornerbacks who will be starters in the NFL for years to come. We may not see a corner come off the board in the first half of the round, but there will still be an intense battle for the CB1 of the class. Iowa’s Cooper DeJean will be an attractive option to teams that run zone-heavy concepts, while Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinstry and Terrion Arnold both provide schematic versatility and an aggressive play style. Two sleeper first-rounders to watch are Toledo’s Quinyon Mitchell and Missouri’s Ennis Rakestraw, Jr.

Weakest Positions

Tight End

Brock Bowers is one of the top receiving threats we have seen at the position in several years, but there is a major drop-off in talent after him. Ja’Tavion Sanders is a big-play threat over the middle, but he lacks the versatility Bowers possesses. Cade Stover had a strong season for the Buckeyes as a receiver, but blocking is definitely his forte. His limited explosiveness will likely prevent him from being taken in the top 50 picks. Florida State’s Jaheim Bell and Colorado State’s Dallin Holker are intriguing mismatches in the slot, but neither have enough size to play a traditional tight end role.

Quarterback

There was a lot of hype surrounding this quarterback class this season, but from top to bottom, I am not super impressed. While the upside of Caleb Williams, Drake Maye, Jayden Daniels, and J.J. McCarthy are all incredible, there is not a ton of depth. There are more teams looking for a quarterback than there are quarterbacks available. It did not help that Quinn Ewers and Shedeur Sanders both chose to return to school, but nonetheless, we are looking at two risky entities vying for QB5: Bo Nix and Michael Penix, Jr. Perhaps one of them goes in Round 1 simply due to need, but neither grade out as sure-fire starters in the NFL.

Defensive Line

Jer’Zhan Newton and Byron Murphy II both had incredible seasons in 2023, but the class lacks a true homerun prospect. I am very much intrigued by Murphy’s teammate, T’Vondre Sweat, as a two-gap nose tackle, but the options are limited, especially for teams in need of 5-technique/3-4 defensive end prospects. One sleeper to keep an eye on, however, is LSU’s Maason Smith. At 6’5″, 300 pounds, Smith is an incredible talent who was held back by injuries in college. Although 2023 was a relatively healthy year for Smith, he was not the same player we saw before he suffered his ACL tear in 2022. His lack of collegiate production may cause him to drop to the middle rounds and provide value for a team in need of his services.

Be sure to let us know which positions you think are the strongest in the 2024 NFL Draft by signing up for a free account and commenting down below!