• Brock Bowers → George Kittle: Both have all-around skill sets, including contested-catch ability, and bring alignment versatility.
• Rome Odunze → Courtland Sutton: Sutton was more polished and more productive than Odunze is right now, but both are big athletes with excellent agility.
• Joe Alt → Brian O'Neill: Alt seems further along than O’Neill was coming out of school, but O’Neill has since developed into a good starting offensive tackle in the league.
Estimated Reading Time: 6 minutes
Everyone loves prospect-player comparisons when evaluating prospective draftees. They can be tricky, since no player is exactly like another, but when done right they can help us visualize what a prospect could look like in the NFL when it comes to how they win.
Here are eight pre-season offensive player comps for the potential 2024 NFL Draft class.
TE BROCK BOWERS, GEORGIA
Comp: George Kittle
Georgia's Brock Bowers is one of the most complete prospects you’ll find. He’s an excellent receiver who can catch through traffic and contact. He’ll put everything he has into blocking. And he can line up inline as well as in the slot.
That is very reminiscent of San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle. Yes, it’s high praise, but that’s the type of impact Bowers could have. Kittle is a bit taller (6-foot-4 versus Bowers’ 6-foot-3) and has about five to 10 more pounds on Bowers (245 versus Bowers’ 235-240), but the impressive skill set is similar between the two uniquely talented tight ends.
WR MARVIN HARRISON JR., OHIO STATE
Comp: DeAndre Hopkins/A.J. Green
My original comp for Marvin Harrison Jr. was DeAndre Hopkins. Although Harrison is taller (Hopkins is around 6-foot-1 and Harrison Jr. is around 6-foot-4), both win in so many ways, particularly through contested catches and brilliant footwork near the sideline. Both are also incredibly productive, but less so in after-the-catch production. Harrison recorded 1,236 receiving yards in 2022, with 329 coming after the catch. Hopkins’ NFL average has been similar.
But A.J. Green brings the same similarities — route running, contested catches and great footwork on his releases — while also being much closer in size. Green measured in at 6-foot-4 and 211 pounds, and Harrison is listed at 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds. Shoutout to my good friend Jordan Reid, who brought the Green comparison to my attention.
WR ROME ODUNZE, WASHINGTON
Comp: Courtland Sutton
Big athletes. That’s what links Rome Dunze and Courtland Sutton together. Now, Sutton was more polished and more productive than Odunze is right now. But after 1,164 receiving yards as a junior in 2022, Odunze is on his way to that kind of scouting report a year from now.
Sutton showed up at the NFL Combine a shade over 6-foot-3 and 218 pounds. Odunze is currently listed at a shade under 6-foot-3 and 217 pounds. Sutton wasn’t a blazer in the 40-yard dash at 4.54 seconds, but Odunze is also likely just above or perhaps just below 4.5. Sutton also had great agility drill performances, something Odunze boasts as a unique big-bodied athlete.
WR EMEKA EGBUKA, OHIO STATE
Comp: Amon-Ra St. Brown
Ohio State doesn’t have just one stud receiver in Harrison. Emeka Egbuka is also drawing NFL comps already, and one I like right now is Amon-Ra St. Brown. This is more of a style and production comp than it is a size comp. St. Brown is 5-foot-11 and just under 200 pounds, while Egbuka is listed at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds. Truth be told, I wonder if Egbuka actually is a little closer to what Brown measured in at.
Both win with fantastic separation skills. They have quick, precise footwork, which makes them deadly quick-hit receivers with a knack for creating separation vertically without the best top speed.
WR MALACHI CORLEY, WESTERN KENTUCKY
Comp: Deebo Samuel
Corley has been one of my favorite film watches this offseason. The 5-foot-10.5, 211-pound redshirt junior is an after-the-catch machine. Western Kentucky will get him the ball in any way they can this season and let his athleticism, contact balance and tackle-breaking ability go to work.
He finished 2022 with 41 missed tackles forced, 32 explosive plays and 19 contested catches. It reminds me of how the Niners use Deebo Samuel, whose measurables are very similar to Corley’s. Samuel is a more polished receiver — and was so coming out of college compared to Corley right now — but that unique athletic ability as ball carriers links these two.
OT JOE ALT, NOTRE DAME
Comp: Brian O’Neill
Alt is getting some consideration for OT1 in this class because of how well he moves at a massive size. At 6-foot-8, he would be in the 95th percentile of NFL offensive tackles. His 318-pound weight would also be above the 50th percentile. That combination of size and speed is reminiscent of Vikings offensive tackle Brian O’Neill, who is listed at 6-foot-7 and 310 pounds.
But it’s more than just that. Alt’s scouting report reads like a potential first-rounder, but he still needs to be more disciplined and play with more power. All of that was true of O’Neill coming out of Pittsburgh in 2018, as well. Alt seems further along than O’Neill was coming out of school, but O’Neill has since refined that technique and improved his strength to develop into a good starting offensive tackle in the league.
AUDRIC ESTIME, NOTRE DAME
Comp: Shonn Greene
Estime is a big, powerful back who could gain steam (full pun intended) this draft season. He measures in at 6-foot and 227 pounds, and his style and method of production remind me of Shonn Greene. Greene measured in at 5-foot-11 and 227 pounds at the NFL Combine back in 2009. Similar to Green, once Estime gets moving, it is tough to bring him down. He boasts great leg drive and good balance through contact. I actually think Estime has even better wiggle and agility than Greene did while maintaining a lot of that power profile.
QB DEVIN LEARY, KENTUCKY
Comp: Chase Daniel
Leary will be in a new setting this season, transferring from N.C. State after four years to spend his final season of eligibility in the SEC at Kentucky. Accuracy is Leary's calling card. If you’re into him as a prospect, you’ll lean on how methodical he can be with long scoring drives to the tune of precise and quick short-to-intermediate passes.
Leary’s adjusted completion percentage over the past three seasons has been above 65%, with a high of 74.1% in 2021. The way he wins and marches down the field reminds me of Chase Daniel coming out of Missouri. Daniel himself had raw completion percentages of 68% and 72% in his final two seasons in college, numbers that would’ve both been in the 70s on the adjusted scale. Daniel has started only five games during his NFL career, but the hope is that Leary can start many more.
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