DETROIT, MI - APRIL 25: The the New York Giants select LSU Wide Receiver Malik Nabers sixth overall during day 1 of the NFL Draft on April 25, 2024 at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza in Detroit, MI. (Photo by John Smolek/Icon Sportswire)
It didn't matter where Harrison landed, he was going to be at the top of this list. At the end of the day, he's just that good. That's not to say that other wide receivers in this class aren't great as well, but he's a generational type of player.
Going into the draft, he was far and away our top prospect at the position and our top prospect overall in the entire draft. His landing spot isn't bad either though. In Arizona, he'll be with Kyler Murray, who can sustain a fantasy WR1 without concern and there isn't anyone to fight for targets with on the outside. This is about as good of a situation as fantasy owners could have hoped for.
Nabers landed in just as good of a situation, if not better when it comes to target competition. However, there are significantly more questions surrounding his quarterback. Also, as good as he may be, Harrison is still a much better prospect. That's not a knock on Nabers in any way.
As long as whoever the quarterback in New York is can get him the ball, he's going to thrive. Because of the quarterback questions, the gap is even wider between Nabers and Harrison in redraft compared to dynasty. The pack is also closer in redraft than they are in dynasty. Still, we expect him to show flashes of brilliance this season at worst, with the potential of a full-blown breakout rookie campaign. This is the kind of player who can overcome a situation and elevate the offense around him.
This is a fantastic landing spot for Thomas. Not only does he have Trevor Lawrence as his quarterback, who we still very much believe in, but he goes to a team that moved on from both Calvin Ridley and Zay Jones who saw a combined 200 targets in 2023. Those vacated targets will likely be split between Thomas and Gabe Davis.
Davis is not a high-volume receiver and he is not nearly as good as Thomas. Ridley is also much better than Davis and you can make a strong case for Jones as well. Don't be shocked if Thomas far exceeds expectations this season and is fighting for the fantasy WR1 spot by the end of the year. This is probably the best landing spot for any of the top wideouts, even with Christian Kirk and Evan Engram maintaining their role in the offense.
We were particularly high on Leggette heading into the draft ranking him as our WR5 in the class. Not many predicted it, but he did climb into the first round like we said he deserved. This is the piece that Bryce Young needed to become a legitimate NFL quarterback.
Despite a disastrous rookie campaign in 2023, we aren't among the crowd who is completely writing Young off a bust after one season. Now that he has some weapons, he should take a big step forward this year and at least become serviceable.
Worthy was the toughest player to slate in on the rankings. One of the big reasons is that we don't know what is going on with Rashee Rice. With the driving incident already in the conversation, there is now an alleged assault investigation. With very little information it's impossible to know how or when this plays out.
As of now, we are operating under the assumption that Rice will miss about six games in 2024. However, he could miss none and he could miss a lot more. Either way, Worthy is a bit redundant with Marquise Brown, who is on a one-year deal. This ranking could drastically change, nevertheless, this is where he's at for now.
Six and seven were a toss-up, but we ended up giving the edge to McConkey. This is because we believe McConkey is a slightly better player, however, Justin Herbert is also a more accurate quarterback. Both the Chargers and Bills were desperate for a weapon. We just believe McConkey will be a bigger part of a better offense in 2024.
Coleman landed in Buffalo, where they badly needed help at the position. The concern is that we aren't so sure Coleman is or ever will be a WR1 and that's what they are going to try to make him.
McConkey isn't a lock to be a WR1 either, but the other wideouts around him are good enough that he won't necessarily be locked up by top corners every week. The volume gives Coleman upside, however, there are certainly other concerns.
Odunze is far from the eighth-best wideout in this draft class, but he drops down due to target competition. It's very possible that injuries strike the Bears and he far outplays this No. 8 ranking. Unfortunately, without injuries he has a rookie QB splitting targets between D.J. Moore, Keenan Allen, Cole Kmet and D'Andre Swift.
There is no chance he's the first or even second target in this offense without an injury. At least not until late in the season. Don't let this redraft ranking impact his dynasty ranking though. This kid should be fine long term.
