Evaluating the depth of the NFL Draft wide receiver class, finding 2024's Puka Nacua

The 2024 NFL Draft features a number of talent at wide receiver expected to hear their names by the end of April’s three-day even. But how many of them are ready-made NFL wideouts?

Players like Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze and Keon Coleman are just a few names that can be thrown into the mix of players no one would be surprised to see succeed early and often during their career. In the same breath — who’s this year’s sleeper pick?

Reese’s Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy threw in his two cents during a recent conversation with On3’s Andy Staples.

“Think about this — the Rams got Puka Nacua in the fifth round last year. And they hit. Puka was a great fit, he and Matthew Stafford clicked from the get-go,” Nagy told Staples. “But I really do think like fourth round, you’re getting guys that are going to be able to step on the field and contribute right away. Everyone’s playing three wides, four wides. Can you get a guy that can come in and do that in the fourth round of this draft? I think you probably can.”

Nacua ended up hauling in nearly 1,500 yards for the Los Angeles Rams during the 2023-24 NFL season — the most receiving yards caught in a single season by a rookie. But which players does Nagy believe could be the next wideout to shine above the rest this cycle?

“Everyone is testing well,” Nagy continued. “We talked about Xavier Worthy, just broke the combine record, so that helps him. Brian Thomas ran like we thought he was gonna run. The LSU strength staff went on and on and on when I was there in August about how he would test and he did that. I’m sure [Malik] Nabers is gonna test well.

“So all these guys that we thought were going to test well showed up and performed. … People have talked about Tez Walker since the Senior Bowl, and yes, he dropped some balls [at the Senior Bowl] in Mobile, but he also got deep every time he wanted to get deep. And then he goes to the combine and runs a 4.38, he vertical jumps 40-plus inches, broad jumps 11.4.”

With multiple players on Nagy’s radar — he told Staples that he doesn’t believe a team needs to spend their first-round pick to find a wideout that will play right away. With the need for multiple rotating wide receivers in basically every NFL team’s lineup, Nagy expects a late-rounder or two to be given the opportunity to showcase their skills next season.