The top 2024 NFL draft prospects among winter, spring transfers

Of the top transfers during this 2022-23 cycle, a good amount either won’t eligible to leave for the NFL until at least the 2025 draft (like Travis Hunter) or haven’t reached a point yet where scouts are ready to declare them as high-end draft prospects (like new Oregon offensive tackle Ajani Cornelius).

Nevertheless, there were still several players with early-round 2024 draft grades that did land at new schools this winter and spring.

Based on feedback from Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy and other NFL scouting sources, here are 10 of the top 2024 NFL draft prospects among players that entered the transfer portal during the 2022-23 cycle.

1. Florida State junior WR Keon Coleman

Previous school: Michigan State

2022 stats: 58 catches, 798 yards, seven TDs

Shortly after news broke of Coleman’s decision to leave Michigan State and enter the portal, a staffer from one of the Big Ten’s top teams texted On3 with a question about Coleman’s potential next stop before adding, “Glad he’s leaving there!” Feeling like that is understandable. The 6-foot-4, 210-pound Coleman was one of the top overall players to enter the transfer portal this cycle.

“I think he’s in the potential first-round conversation,” an NFL scouting source said. “Obviously he plays now with another receiver that’s on people’s radar, Johnny Wilson, but yeah, I could easily see Keon ascending to late first-rounder type of buzz.”

2. Texas junior WR AD Mitchell

Previous school:Georgia

2022 stats: Nine catches, 134 yards, three TDs

Mitchell missed much of last season due to injury but posted 65 yards and a touchdown in Georgia’s season-opening win over Oregon and then had touchdowns in each of the Bulldogs’ two College Football Playoff games. In Texas’ spring game in April, the 6-foot-4, 195-pound Texas native had a highlight-reel one-handed catch for a touchdown. Even with just 38 total catches through his first two college seasons, Mitchell is already on the NFL radar as an early-round prospect for the 2024 draft.

“Obviously he’s got to stay healthy and and stuff, but he’s really freaky talented,” an NFL scouting source said.

3. LSU senior LB Omar Speights

Previous school: Oregon State

2022 stats: 83 tackles, eight tackles for loss

Speights, a 2021 first-team All-Pac 12 selection, accumulated totals of 304 tackles, 25 tackles for loss, five sacks and three interceptions the last four years at Oregon State. One NFL scouting source said he views Speights as being “firmly” a Day 2 prospect for the 2024 draft.

“They seem to be high on him (at LSU),” an NFL scouting source said. “They think Omar is going to come in and provide a veteran presence. Plays with a lot of urgency. Can make the calls. They like him a lot there. I’m high on him, too. I think he’s going to have a boatload of tackles and end up being one of the better guys in the SEC.”

4. Miami fourth-year junior OL Javion Cohen

Previous school: Alabama

There are at least some in the NFL personnel world that view Cohen as one of the better guard prospects for next year’s draft. There are others, however, that view him as having tape that’s more worthy of an early Day 3 type of label right now and that point out that he’s “way better in pass pro than he is in the run game.” Either way, he’ll have a good shot at being the first offensive lineman selected in next year’s draft among winter and spring transfers. He was a starter at Alabama the last two years and was a second-team All-SEC selection last season.

“When he’s playing and playing well, he looks like a starting guard in the NFL,” an NFL scouting source said.

5. Miami senior OL Matt Lee

Previous school: UCF

Cohen wasn’t the only big transfer addition along the offensive line for Miami. Lee, who will be the Hurricanes’ starting center, was another. He was a three-year starter at UCF and finished last year with the third-highest grade nationally among centers from Pro Football Focus.

“I went down to Miami in the spring and spoke to the team and everyone on the staff loves what this guy brings to the building, just his intangibles and makes everybody around him better,” Nagy said. “And then you put on the tape and he’s just a really strong dude in there. Not the biggest guy, but he plays bigger. He’s got really strong hands. When he gets his hands on you, it’s over. He can anchor the pocket. He can play at the second level.

“Just a really good all-around player. To me, he looks like a guy who’s going to start at center in the league.”

6. Maryland senior OL Gottlieb Ayedze

Previous school: Frostburg State

Despite being at the Division II level before the transfer to Maryland, Ayedze was so impressive at Frostburg that he actually received a Senior Bowl invite last year before deciding to return to college for another year. The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Ayedze was a Division II first-team All-American at Frostburg last season. He’s a legitimate possibility to go in the first three rounds of next year’s draft.

“He’s the type of small school player that we want to have in the Senior Bowl,” Nagy said. “He jumps off the tape. He was a dominant level player at that level. He just looked different. He’s big. He’s twitchy. He’s physical. He made it look easy at that level. We did not labor over that decision whether to pull the trigger and give him a Senior Bowl invite. It was a no-brainer.

“From the minute you pop on the tape, the guy was way different than everybody else. It’ll obviously be interesting to see how he transitions into the Big Ten and puts together a whole season of tape against much better competition, but the guy’s super talented. Guys that big and twitchy don’t grow on trees.”

7. LSU junior RB Logan Diggs

Previous school: Notre Dame

2022 stats: 820 rushing yards, six total TDs

Diggs could end up being among the more important transfer additions of this offseason on a national level. The Louisiana native posted at least 85 scrimmage yards in seven of Notre Dame’s final 10 games last season despite being part of a rotation at running back.

“He split time at Notre Dame, but I felt like he was one of Notre Dame’s better draft prospects coming back,” an NFL scouting source said. “He reminds me of Kendre Miller from TCU (who was an early third-round pick of the New Orleans Saints in this year’s NFL draft).”

8. Indiana senior EDGE Andre Carter

Previous school: Western Michigan

2022 stats: 68 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, seven sacks

Carter broke out at Western Michigan last season, earning second-team All-MAC recognition after posting 29 tackles or less and 2.5 sacks or fewer each of his previous four seasons at Western Michigan.

“He’s a good sleeper,” an NFL scouting source said. “He’s got a lot of ability. I’m not saying he’s Keion White (who was a second-round pick of the New England Patriots this year), but we could maybe see that kind of rise. I don’t think he’ll go as high as Keion because it’s a much better d-line class. Keion had the luxury of it being kind of a thinner year, but I see a similar type of player, kind of a big defensive end, can play inside. It’s a good pickup for Indiana.”

9. Iowa senior TE Erick All

Previous school: Michigan

2022 stats: Three catches, 36 yards

While it was a another Michigan tight end that ended up going in the second round of this year’s NFL draft, Luke Schoonmaker, there were many in the NFL personnel world that viewed All as the better prospect out of those two prior to a back issue that caused All to miss most of last season. Now, All is at a different Big Ten school but still solidly on the NFL radar as a potential Day 2 prospect. The 6-foot-5, 255-pound All recorded 38 catches for 437 yards and three touchdowns for Michigan in 2021.

“He’s a really good player,” an NFL scouting source said. “I like him better than I liked Schoonmaker and Sam LaPorta and those guys went in the second round.” Iowa also has another tight end on the NFL radar, Luke Lachey.

10. Michigan senior OL Ladarius Henderson

Previous school: Arizona State

Henderson brings some versatility, having made 19 college starts at guard and another 10 at left tackle. He was a team captain for Arizona State last season. Scouts seem to view him as an early Day 3, potential Day 2 type of prospect.

“Really like the player,” Nagy said. “Like the athlete. Can really move his feet. Has left tackle athleticism. You see him get out in space and get downfield. It’s hard to find guys that can do the things he can do once he gets out there.”