Senior Bowl exec Jim Nagy reveals Top 3 SEC wideouts with first-round NFL Draft potential

The SEC has produced some of the very best wide receivers in the country over recent seasons, and Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy believes there are several future pros in the league again in 2024.

Down in Dallas at SEC Media Days, Nagy stopped by to chat with Andy Staples for a video on the On3 YouTube channel. As part of their chat, Staples asked Nagy about the wide receiver talent in the conference and which guys in particular have pro upside.

Jim Nagy began with an intra-conference transfer who he expects to emerge as one of the SEC’s top wideouts in 2024.

“Sitting here talking about Alabama, Isaiah Bond was a loss,” says Nagy. “You know, Texas had to replace AD Mitchell and Xavier Worthy, Isaiah Bond is a talented guy. So I would start there.”

Nagy also went with an obvious choice in Columbia, speaking on Missouri’s Luther Burden:

“Just the athlete. I mean, the first thing you put on the tape, I mean, he is a springy athlete,” he said of the Tiger star, noting why Burden is especially attractive to NFL teams.

“What he can do after the catch, like, if you’re looking at transferable skillsets, from college to pro, and guys that can run after the catch and are threats with the ball in their hands usually end up being good pros. That’s what Burden is.”

Jim Nagy also likes a dark horse out of the Josh Heupel offense in Bru McCoy, a talented and broad-framed pass catcher for the Volunteers who certainly has talent and showed it in 2022 but was injured for much of 2023. Nagy is eager to see his performance in ’24.

“Like Bru McCoy, we’re excited to see. We liked Bru McCoy last year, because he was different,” said Nagy. “Within that receiver group last year, he was big, he was physical, the staff loved the toughness. He was a cool, unique player. So, look forward to seeing how he bounces back.”

Big picture, Nagy says that it’s fun to guess, however, he’s certain that guys who aren’t even on the radar will emerge as NFL draft prospects, just like this past season.

“If we were sitting here a year ago, did you think Xavier Legette was going to be a first-round pick? Did you think Ricky Pearsall was going to be a first-round pick? So, there are going to be guys emerge,” says Jim Nagy.