• Carson Beck is the top quarterback who rejected the draft: Beck would’ve likely been at least a second round pick but decided to return to Georgia for another season.
• Emeka Egbuka is the top receiver: The Ohio State junior surprised many by returning for the 2024 season.
• Barrett Carter is the top linebacker: After entering the season as the top linebacker prospect, the Clemson star will instead return to school for another year.
Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
The 2024 NFL Draft declaration deadline for underclassmen was this past Monday. While many top prospects — such as Caleb Williams and Marvin Harrison Jr. — declared for the draft, many decided to return to school for another year.
Here’s the top prospect at every position who rejected the 2024 draft in favor of running it back for another year.
Quarterback: Carson Beck, Georgia Bulldogs
While Beck didn’t win a national championship like his predecessor Stetson Bennett IV, one can certainly argue that Georgia upgraded under center this season. Beck’s 91.6 overall PFF grade and 90.9 PFF passing grade trailed only Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix among FBS quarterbacks this season. He’s a quick decision-maker who’s supremely accurate to all levels of the field, as his 80.6% adjusted completion rate trailed only Nix among Power Five signal-callers.
While Beck likely would’ve been a second-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, he’ll return to the Bulldogs as one of the early favorites for the No. 1 overall pick in 2025.
Running Back: TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State Buckeyes
Despite being projected as one of the top running backs in the draft, Henderson surprised many by returning for his senior season. He bounced back in a big way as a junior after an injury-riddled sophomore campaign. Henderson’s 89.9 PFF rushing grade this year was a top-20 mark among Power Five running backs. He’s a home-run threat every time he touches the ball and is a competent receiver, leading all Big Ten backs with a 73.6 PFF receiving grade this year.
With Ole Miss’ Quinshon Judkins also transferring in, Ohio State will have the best backfield in college football next season.
Wide Receiver: Emeka Egbuka, Ohio State Buckeyes
Egbuka entered the season as a projected first-round pick and my No. 2 receiver in the country, trailing only his teammate Marvin Harrison Jr. While Harrison continued to shine, Egbuka dealt with a nagging ankle injury that forced him to miss three games. Egbuka is still a smooth receiver with elite route-running chops. Over the last two seasons, his 86.1% open-target rate places him in the 95th percentile for receivers.
Tight End: Mitchell Evans, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Evans was filling in Michael Mayer’s shoes nicely before a torn ACL ended his season after nine games. Before he went down, his 422 receiving yards ranked fourth among FBS tight ends. Evans is a monster after the catch, as his 10 forced missed tackles on receptions trailed only Brock Bowers through the first nine weeks.
Once he fully recovers from his knee injury, Evans should establish himself as one of the nation’s best tight ends and one of the top ones in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Offensive Tackle: Aireontae Ersery, Minnesota Golden Gophers
Ersery was a people-mover this season. His 86.7 PFF run-blocking grade trailed only Taliese Fuaga among FBS offensive tackles this season. For reference, Fuaga is currently a top-15 prospect on PFF’s 2024 NFL Draft big board.
While inconsistent, Ersery has shown flashes in pass protection as well. In particular, he only allowed one pressure on 23 pass-blocking snaps against Ohio State and its two future NFL edge defenders: Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau.
Interior Offensive Lineman: Luke Kandra, Cincinnati Bearcats
Kandra excelled at Louisville in 2022. He was one of 11 Power Five guards that year who didn’t allow a sack or hit on at least 160 pass-blocking snaps. That success carried over to Cincinnati this season as his 81.9 overall PFF grade stood third among Power Five guards this season.
Interior Defensive Lineman: Howard Cross III, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
Cross owned both the third-best overall PFF grade (90.1) and third-best PFF pass-rushing grade (89.8) among FBS interior defensive linemen this season. His 29 run-defense stops tied for second among all defensive tackles in the country this year as well.
Edge Defender: Jack Sawyer, Ohio State Buckeyes
This spot could’ve gone to either Ohio State edge defender as both Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau are returning to Columbus next season. Sawyer gets the nod because he was the only edge in the country with 85-plus PFF grades as both a pass-rusher and run defender this year. He finished the season as the third-most valuable Power Five edge, behind only Bralen Trice and Laiatu Latu.
Linebacker: Barrett Carter, Clemson Tigers
Carter entered the season as the top linebacker prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft according to PFF’s lead draft analyst Trevor Sikkema. While his PFF grade took a step back as a junior (70.6 compared to 81.4 in 2022), he still has elite athleticism and an all-around game that’ll make him one of the top linebackers in the 2025 draft as well.
Cornerback: Jabbar Muhammad, Undecided
Muhammad is currently in the transfer portal and will decide between Alabama, Texas and Oregon this week according to Ducks Digest. While at Washington this year, he led all corners in the nation with 19 forced incompletions. In nine of his 15 games this season, he allowed fewer than 20 yards into his primary coverage.
Safety: Rod Moore, Michigan Wolverines
Moore was the fourth-ranked safety on PFF’s 2024 NFL Draft big board before opting to return to Ann Arbor for his senior season. He’s one of 11 Power Five safeties over the last two seasons with 80-plus PFF coverage and run-defense grades.
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