2024 NFL Draft bloated by COVID, transfers
The 2024 NFL Draft features the most experienced class in history. There are 235 draftable red shirt seniors and seniors in this draft, up from a record 166 last year.
That includes a whopping 195 red shirt seniors, including sixth-year college quarterbacks Bo Nix of Oregon, Jayden Daniels of LSU and Michael Penix Jr. of Washington. At NFLDraftScout.com Daniels is the No. 3 quarterback (No. 4 overall), and the top rated redshirt senior, while Nix is the No. 5 QB (No. 33 overall) and Penix is the No. 6 signal-caller (No. 52 overall, but likely to rise).
We can thank the inconvienence of COVID and the convenience of the transfer portal for the extended experience of these players. Nix, literally born into royalty at Auburn (his dad was a quarterback there), started 34 games for that SEC team, then transferred to Oregon, y'all. So after two seasons with the Ducks, Nix set a record of 60 college starts and moved from a mid-round prospect to a potential first-rounder.
One of the most interesting stories in the 2024 quarterback class is that of Spencer Rattler, who entered college as the No. 1 prospect in the 2019 prep class and was considered a sure-fire future No. 1 pick. He was a Heisman Trophy favorite at Oklahoma going into the 2020 season, before being replaced mid-season by a guy named Caleb Williams—yea, that Caleb Williams. They both moved on to their respective USC teams: Rattler to U. of South Carolina, where he spent his last two seasons; and Williams to U. of Southern California, where he won a Heisman in 2022 and is rated by many — not here — as the No. 1 overall draft prospect.
At this year's Senior Bowl, where Penix bowed out of the game and Nix barely played, Rattler was able to strike up some attention, as he was sharp in completing all four of his passes, for 65 yards. He capped his first drive with a 29-yard touchdown pass to Georgia's Marcus Rosemy-Jacksaint. Rattler looked pretty good in practice leading up to the game, as well.
"I felt like I wanted to come out here, create relationships and have fun," Rattler said, who won his team's MVP Award. "This was just the cherry on top."
Below are two lists, showing all 40 senior and 195 redshirt seniors, and where NFLDraftScout.com has them rated as of 2-14-24. (Current ratings here).
REDSHIRT SENIORS (194)
SENIORS (40)