Gorney’s Takeaways From NFL Draft

After three days of picks, the 2024 NFL Draft is finally over and now it’s time for some reactions coming out of the event. Here is the latest from Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney.

MORE NFL DRAFT: Remembering the first-round picks as high school prospects

Always Be Closing. That’s a motto in sales and no one knows it better than Penn State coach James Franklin, who had two former Nittany Lions – OL Olu Fashanu and edge rusher Chop Robinson – go in the first round of Thursday’s NFL Draft.

It was a heartwarming television moment that Franklin made it to both draft parties to show support as there was a lot to celebrate but it was a perfect recruiting moment as well on night one as top prospects from around the country were glued to their phones and televisions.

Penn State’s coach made the short drive from the Washington, D.C. area (Fashanu’s hometown) to the Gaithersburg, Md., where Robinson is from, to congratulate both of his players.

Other coaches tweeted. Graphics were sent out. But Franklin was on the road celebrating with his former players but also never missing an opportunity to recruit and promote his program, this time in front of a national audience.

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On the Yahoo Sports draft show, former five-star and NFL running back Damien Harris said that the SEC is basically like an NFL training league – and by the pick breakdown from the first round, Harris is right.

The SEC had 11 first-round selections followed by schools previously from the Pac-12 with seven as it was one of the best years in recent memory for that conference. The ACC, Big Ten and Big 12 had four each, so those three conferences combined had only one more first-round pick than the SEC.

LSU led the way with three first-round selections in QB Jayden Daniels and WR Malik Nabers going off in the first six picks and then WR Brian Thomas being picked No. 23 overall.

Maybe it’s a one-year anomaly and it definitely deserves some more research but the position groups that have been devalued in recruiting rankings did themselves no favors during the first round of the NFL Draft.

There were no running backs, linebackers or safeties among the first 32 picks and it was a poor draft at least at running back but to have none taken is certainly something to consider when we look at five-star prospects.

Texas’ Jonathan Brooks was also the only second-round running back selected. Texas A&M’s Edgerrin Cooper and Alabama’s Chris Braswell were the second-round linebackers. Utah’s Cole Bishop was the lone second-round safety.

If it’s true that South Carolina quarterback Spencer Rattler fell to the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round because NFL decision-makers were turned off by his attitude in the QB1 Netflix documentary then that’s so incredibly short-sighted it’s beyond belief. It’s so unfathomable that it should be dismissed immediately, although it might be true.

There’s no question the former five-star quarterback from Phoenix (Ariz.) Pinnacle was a cocksure teenager, sure of himself maybe a little too much, but what quarterback with oodles of talent and college coaches praising him every second isn’t?

Rattler went to Oklahoma and had his best collegiate season as a redshirt freshman throwing for 28 touchdowns and seven interceptions and when he struggled the next year, Caleb Williams – the No. 1 overall pick in this draft – was waiting in the wings.

Rattler transferred to South Carolina – probably best for both sides – and had an admirable finish to his career. The word, too, is that once he got a cold dish of reality and had to find a new home in Columbia that a lot of the cockiness dissipated and he was a better teammate.

Imagine all the dumb stuff you did at 17, 18 years old. To hold a documentary against Rattler from his high school days when it comes to NFL Draft positioning is just beyond belief.

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Here is a look at Day 3 steals I think will perform well in the NFL and surprise in the coming years:

Sedrick Van Pran: The former four-star has been the picture of consistency on Georgia’s offensive line. He’s been great since high school, posted impressive Pro Football Focus grades for years, especially in 2023, and has the strength and pedigree coming from Georgia to excel in the NFL. A lot of third- and fourth-round grades came on Van Pran but he didn’t get selected in the firth. That’s a steal.

*****

Audric Estime: Known as a powerful, physical player and not necessarily a burner, the Notre Dame running back, Estime ran less than one-tenth of a second slower than Michigan’s Blake Corum and Oregon’s Bucky Irving at the combine. The former four-star had two phenomenal seasons at Notre Dame and finished with 2,321 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns during his time in South Bend. He feels like a steal in the fifth round.

*****

Malik Washington: Virginia did not have great quarterback play this season but that did not stop Washington from having a phenomenal season with 110 catches for 1,426 yards and nine touchdowns. He had nearly half of all receptions for the Cavaliers. A sixth-round pick? With that production, that feels like a steal.

*****

Jawhar Jordan: Running back is not a premium position in the draft and the former speedy running back from Chandler (Ariz.) Hamilton ran a surprisingly slow 40 time at the combine but on the field Jordan is a playmaker. After transferring to Louisville from Syracuse, Jordan’s college career really blossomed the last two seasons where he had nearly 2,000 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns with only 381 career carries so there’s still lots of tread on the tires.

*****

Tahj Washington: The USC receiver was quarterback Caleb Williams’ favorite target as he had 59 catches for 1,062 yards and eight touchdowns on a loaded Trojans receiving corps this season. Brenden Rice, Duce Robinson, Zachariah Branch and others were in the USC passing game, but Washington led the way as he had 50 or more catches in all three of his seasons in LA.