• Oregon State's Taliese Fuaga continues to improve his draft stock: The offensive tackle's 88.9 overall grade and 91.2 run-blocking grade both rank first among FBS players.
• Meet 2024's RB1, Jonathon Brooks: As things stand, the Texas running back tops the PFF big board among running backs.
• Check out PFF's 2024 NFL Draft big board: Click here to see 200 of the top draft prospects that college football has to offer.
Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes
With just a handful of weeks to go in the 2023 college football regular season, let's put a stamp on some of “our guys” that are higher on the 2024 PFF big board than we’ve seen elsewhere.
Here are eight players we’re championing on our rankings that deserve more love.
OT TALIESE FUAGA, OREGON STATE
PFF big board rank: 21
The junior right tackle for Oregon State is having one heck of a season, which is why he’s currently in the top 20 of PFF’s 2024 big board. His 88.9 overall grade and 91.2 run-blocking grade both rank first among FBS players. He is a true mauler who not only displaces his opponents but often blocks them completely out of the play.
Fuaga's pass-blocking grade is a bit lower, at 79.9, but he has yet to allow a sack this season and has yielded just three pressures. Unlike many other offensive tackles who are great at either run blocking or pass protection, Fuaga is pro-caliber in both.
OT GRAHAM BARTON, DUKE
PFF big board rank: 22
Sticking along the offensive line, Barton doesn’t seem to get the love his play deserves due to the fact that size and arm-length limitations will likely push him from his current left tackle spot to either guard or center at the next level. But this is still a fantastic offensive lineman who should be talked about in top-50 and first-round conversations ahead of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Barton moves well for a player who is 6-foot-5 and 315 pounds, and he has the grip strength to hold onto pass-rushers at a high level. His impact run-blocking percentage is lower this season, but his pass-blocking ability is still quite high.
CB NATE WIGGINS, CLEMSON
PFF big board rank: 28
Wiggins was recently elevated into the top 15 of PFF’s big board, and the reason he’s on this list isn’t because people don’t know about him or even because they don’t have him in their top 50s. It’s because we haven’t seen much talk about him as the class' potential CB1. His 2023 tape shows that he could be.
The 6-foot-2, 185-pound outside cornerback is having another very solid year in coverage, earning a 78.9 coverage grade last season and a 78.4 mark this season. But the tape is even more impressive than the numbers. He moves so well for a player of his size, bringing the explosiveness to come downhill in off coverage and fluidity to stay with receivers in press man. Wiggins has forced 17 incompletions over the past two seasons. The only real concern with Wiggins comes from some lack of natural strength at a lower body weight. But even that has improved in the middle parts of this season.
WR ADONAI MITCHELL, TEXAS
PFF big board rank: 29
Mitchell has been one of PFF’s top-rated receivers since the summer. At 6-foot-4 and 195 pounds, he brings a unique combination of size and fluidity. There aren’t many receivers at his height who can run routes as sharply as he does, and because of that, he’s been a big-time touchdown threat both for Georgia and Texas over the past two seasons.
Mitchell has eight touchdowns in his past 10 starts dating back to 2022. Injuries got in the way of him really putting together a big season production-wise at Georgia, and a stacked receiver room is doing the same for him now at Texas. But the NFL ability is there.
CB T.J. TAMPA, IOWA STATE
PFF big board rank: 43
Not many cornerbacks have the size and ball skills combination that Tampa does, helping him crack the top 50 on PFF’s 2024 big board. At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Tampa is an intimidating coverage player. His 81.4 coverage grade in 2022 was a career best, but it’s looking like 2023 will be even better, as he sits at an 88.2 mark.
He has 19 forced incompletions with those long arms over the past two seasons, as well as a sub-50% completion percentage allowed in back-to-back years. Tampa has the correct instincts to play off coverage and the body type to play press man. He brings legitimate first-round potential.
QB JAYDEN DANIELS, LSU
PFF big board rank: 48
Daniels is having his best season yet, and it just doesn’t feel like he gets talked about enough in that second or third tier of quarterbacks in the 2024 class. Daniels boasts an elite 91.2 passing grade and a 92.1 overall grade in 2023, which would make it the second straight season of an elite overall grade for him.
In 2022, Daniels was risk averse with a turnover-worthy play rate of just 0.4%. But his 2.3% big-time throw percentage was too low for him to be seen as an impact passer. This year, while the turnover-worthy play rate is up to 2.9%, that big-time throw rate is at 8.3%. That’s still a very solid ratio. His average depth of target is also up from 8.3 yards to 10.2, and his adjusted completion percentage is now 80.7% from 77.2% last season. His 65.8 passing grade under pressure is also a career high.
Daniels might not be a first-round pick, but he isn’t getting talked about enough as a top-50 player.
EDGE BRANDON DORLUS, OREGON
PFF big board rank: 54
Dorlus might be listed as a defensive end, but he doesn’t play that position in a flashy way that would get him more hype. That doesn’t make him any less of a good football player.
Dorlus isn’t a pass-rush specialist; he’s not built like that. He’s 6-foot-3 and 290 pounds, and he plays at just about every alignment on the defensive line. His bigger body comes with added strength, but he also has a good first step and is developing good counter moves to get off blocks with powerful and quick hands. He’s hovered around the top 50 on the PFF big board since this summer and remains there as a potential priority Day 2 defensive lineman.
RB JONATHON BROOKS, TEXAS
PFF big board rank: 55
Brooks was recently elevated to RB1 status on the PFF big board. The redshirt sophomore might not declare for this year’s draft, given he is just a third-year player and has been starting for only one season, but that doesn’t change his ability and how we project it.
The 6-foot, 205-pound back once rushed for more than 500 yards in a high school football playoff game, and though he wasn’t going to take many touches away from Bijan Robinson the past few years, he’s showcasing his stuff now. He currently has an 89.3 rushing grade, is forcing 0.35 missed tackles per attempt and is averaging 4.0 yards after contact. We’re not saying he’s a first-rounder, but in terms of who has the best argument for RB1 in the class, Brooks is building his case as well as anyone right now.
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