NFL Analysis
2/9/24
7 min read
2024 NFL Draft: Player Comparisons for Top 5 WRs
Wide receiver is one of the most loaded position groups in the 2024 NFL Draft. The talent in the draft class will stretch throughout Day 3, and it won't be a surprise if the group has multiple Pro Bowlers after Year 1.
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With each prospect having their own unique skill set, a few compare similarly to some successful receivers already in the NFL. Here are our best comparisons for the top five wide receivers in the Draft.
Wide Receiver Comparisons
Marvin Harrison Jr., Ohio State — A.J. Green, Cincinnati Bengals
The shades of A.J. Green in Marvin Harrison Jr. are evident as soon as you turn on the Ohio State tape. When Green was coming out of Oklahoma State, he measured 6-foot-1, 202 pounds and was highly ranked due to how impressive he was across the board.
Green wasn't a dynamic athlete coming out of college, and Harrison isn’t expected to blow up the combine, either.
Harrison’s listed height and weight at Ohio State was 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds. Though he's expected to test better than Green did combine, one of Harrison's knocks throughout the draft process will be his lack of top-end athletic traits — especially for how early he’s expected to be drafted and how dynamic some of the other receivers are.
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Harrison wins with nuance as a route runner and an impressive catch radius in all three levels of the field. He and Green dominated with body control at the catch point, with the ability to make the tough grab anywhere on the field.
Harrison’s long strides and big frame will get plenty of comparisons with Green during the next few months — their games are similar when you dig into how both players have found success throughout their careers.
Malik Nabers, LSU — DJ Moore, Chicago Bears
Though it seems unlikely now, one of my dreams for this draft is to have Malik Nabers land in Chicago to pair with DJ Moore.
Nabers is entering the draft listed at 6-foot-0, 200 pounds. Moore weighed in at 6-foot-0, 210 pounds. But their size is one of the few traits they share.
While neither Nabers nor Moore are considered elite route runners, they’re both explosive and twitchy enough to generate separation out of breaks to create easy throwing windows for their quarterbacks. Coming out of Maryland, Moore was viewed as one of the most explosive receivers in the 2018 NFL Draft. Coming out of LSU, Nabers is viewed as the most explosive receiver in this year's draft.
Both players offer dynamic ability after the catch — they can run through arm tackles with ease. You can expect Nabers to test just as well, if not better, than Moore. Nabers is expected to run in the high 4.3 to low 4.4 seconds in the 40-yard dash, have a vertical jump of more than 40 inches and clear more than 11 feet in the broad jump.
While both Nabers and Moore are eerily similar athletes, they play the game similarly as route runners, ball winners and ball carriers after the catch, too.
Rome Odunze, Washington — CeeDee Lamb, Dallas Cowboys
One of the tougher players to find an NFL comparison for is Washington’s Rome Odunze.
Odunze is unique due to his body type, playing style and how good of a route runner he is. Coming out of Washington, Odunze reminds me of a thicker CeeDee Lamb. Odunze is listed at 6-foot-3, 215 pounds and has a rare blend of size, fluidity and physicality. Coming out of Oklahoma, Lamb shared many of the same traits.
Over the years in Dallas, Lamb has developed his game as a route runner and has always been a physical and elusive player after the catch.
While Oduze isn't quite the yards-after-catch monster Lamb has developed into, Odunze can break his fair share of tackles. He can dice you up as a route runner in all three levels of the field and win above the rim with relative ease.
Odunze and Lamb are highly intelligent receivers who feast when allowed to freelance or to read defenses on option routes. Odunze didn't play a ton in the slot due to the Huskies having a great slot option (Jalen McMillan), but that’s a spot where I could see him getting a ton of work early in his NFL career.
Brian Thomas Jr., LSU - Corey Davis, Tennessee Titans
LSU and Brian Thomas Jr. fans might not like this comparison, but we must remember how good Corey Davis was coming into the league out of Western Michigan.
Thomas, listed at 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, has the ideal size and speed to be a consistent deep threat in the NFL on the outside. Davis, a deep threat in college, won on the outside with his speed and long levers. Davis didn't live up to his pre-draft expectations, and struggles to stay healthy led to an early retirement for the 2017 first-round pick.
But the ways the guys win are similar.
Thomas is expected to test well at the combine and should receive one of the top relative athletic scores in this draft class. While we didn't get testing from Davis leading up to the draft due to an ankle injury, he was expected to test well.
It’s tough to get excited about a Davis comparison, but there’s a reason Davis was selected fifth overall in 2017. Thomas shares many of the same characteristics that made Davis a top-five pick.
Troy Franklin, Oregon — Tyquan Thorton, New England Patriots
Another one of my favorite comparisons in the draft is Oregon’s Troy Franklin to New England Patriots WR Tyquan Thorton.
Listed at 6-foot-2, 181 pounds, Thornton came out of Baylor as a long, fast and wiry receiver, but concerns about size and play strength were at the top of his scouting report.
The same will be said for Troy Franklin, listed at 6-foot-3, 187 pounds. Franklin and Thorton win as deep threats and can separate deep using their speed and ability to change gears throughout their route stems.
While both win similarly, they also have similar concerns. Franklin and Thorton have shown issues getting knocked off stems against physical coverage and finishing players down the field when fighting through contact at the catch point.
With both players looking, playing and likely testing similar, you can see the exact role Franklin will be asked to play in the NFL. If he can add some weight to his frame, he should have no issues developing into a consistent big-play receiver.
