Welcome to Week 12 of the 2023 Footballguys Roundtable. Our intrepid panel of fantasy pundits discusses and debates four topics every week. We split the conversation into separate features.
This week's roundtable features these four topics:
- WR Prospects: A Look at the 2024 NFL Draft Class (see below)
- WR Roulette: Whose Recent Emergence Is Sustainable
- RB Perception Game: Who Is Better/Worse Than Their Perceived Value
- Bust? Or, Not So Fast...
Let's roll.
WR Prospects: A Look at the 2024 NFL Draft Class
Matt Waldman: From the list below tell me about the two best prospects.
- Keon Coleman
- Rome Udunze
- Malik Nabers
- Marvin Harrison, Jr.
- Jermaine Burton
Go...
Jeff Bell: Marvin Harrison Jr. is at the top with a bullet. Harrison Jr. is a prototype primary receiver in an NFL offense, able to win at all levels with plus size, ball skills, and body control. Nick Whalen has a good comp for Harrison Jr. in A.J. Green, but Harrison Jr. is built stronger than Green at his point. I am unsure what else to say except that he is one of the best prospects ever for the position.
Malik Nabers is next on my board. He excels in modern NFL passing offenses, can work with the ball in his hands, and wins in the intermediate game. A good ceiling comparison is CeeDee Lamb, a player capable of serving as the team's primary target and working out of the slot and outside. Nabers would be viewed as WR1 in many draft years but gets a slight knock sharing a class with Harrison Jr.
Sean Settle: The two best WR prospects on this list are Marvin Harrison Jr. by a mile and then Malik Nabers. Both have separated themselves this season, with Harrison being the most complete of the two. It is not a case of 1a and 1b, but instead, Harrison is leagues ahead of Nabers right now.
While their starts are similar, their situations are not. Harrison is playing with a first-time quarterback who has struggled this season, while Nabers is playing with a Heisman candidate. Harrison has not played full games this season, with Ohio State often up big in the 4th quarters, while Nabers has played the entire game trying to get LSU ahead.
Both of these players should be instant impact receivers in the NFL and should start right away. Both players can run the entire route tree with a slight edge in speed going to Nabers. Look for Harrison to be a top 5 pick and for Nabers to go later in the 1st round. This year’s class is loaded at quarterback and receiver.
Haseley: To me, Keon Coleman has playmaking ability with a my-ball mentality and a knack for coming up big, especially downfield. The traits, skills, and talent are there for him to succeed at Florida State. Will that translate to the NFL? That's the big question. I am more aware of his ability than his inner drive to be great. Does he have the work ethic to go the extra mile? That's what I'll be looking at when his time to showcase himself in the Combine and draft prep comes along in the Spring.
Marvin Harrison Jr. is a highly regarded prospect to be the top wide receiver in his draft class. While benefiting from a potent Ohio State offense, his skills and talent suggest he can excel on any team. He has proven himself capable of carving out his own role, independent of his Hall of Fame father's legacy. Given his impressive abilities, it's likely that he'll be selected in the top 5 picks of the upcoming draft.