The 2024 NFL Draft is loaded with talented receivers, including Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr., LSU's Malik Nabors, Washington University's Roma Odunze, not to mention Georgia's Tight. End Brock Bowers also could be a top-10 pick.
But that doesn't mean there won't be anyone who can catch the ball in college games. The list of college football's top 10 receivers for next season, determined by a survey of reporters, includes five players who will break the 1,000-yard threshold in 2023, plus two players who missed significant time due to injury. and one player included. He made just as much of an impact at cornerback as he did as a receiver.
We asked our resident experts to rank the top 10 wide receivers/tight ends heading into the 2024 season. Points are allocated based on the votes, with 1st place being 10 points, 2nd place being 9 points, and 10th place being reduced to 1 point.
The results are as follows.
Previous top 10 list: Running Back | Quarterback
Statistics for 2023: 86 receptions, 1,212 yards, 14.1 yards average, 9 TDs
point: 92 (5 first place votes)
Baden in 2022 was a lump of clay as a dynamic athlete and a terrifying person with the ball in his hands. The talented freshman scored rushing, receiving and punt return touchdowns, but he wasn't at the level required of a true receiver. He averaged 8.3 yards per catch and finished his first year at Missouri with 375 receiving yards.
The light bulb turned on in Baden in 2023. Burden moved into the slot and racked up 375 yards by the second quarter of his fourth game. He gained 114 yards or more in five straight games, and even though he threw himself into blocking and doing the dirty work late in the year when running back Cody Schrader started to catch fire, he still ranked ninth nationally in receiving yards. The season ended. He dropped just two passes all season and was among the top five in the nation in yards after the catch (711, 3rd), missed tackles forced (30, 4th) and yards after first contact (300, 5th). Ta. He caught a desperate 4th-and-17 pass to set the game-winning field goal against Florida and the game-clinching touchdown pass in the Tigers' Cotton Bowl win over Ohio State. Schroder earned the Heisman vote for his late-season performance, but Missouri won't go 11-2 in 2023 without Burden. And now he's entering his junior season as perhaps the most accomplished receiver in the country. His potato chips are also quite tasty. — bill connelly
Statistics for 2023: 90 receptions, 1,402 yards, 15.6 yards average, 10 TDs
point: 78 (3 first place votes)
After catching 39 passes for 702 yards as a freshman in 2022, McMillan broke out as a sophomore, catching 90 passes for 1,402 yards and 10 touchdowns as Arizona He won 10 games for the second time in over 20 years. None of the returning power conference receivers had more receiving yards and caught more passes from both Noah Fifita and Jaden De Laura than last year.
Tucson saw major changes in the offseason, with head coach Jedd Fisch departing for Washington, and there was initial speculation that McMillan would join him in the Big Ten. However, McMillan and Fifita announced they would remain in Arizona to play for new head coach Brent Brennan, who arrived from San Jose State. It will be difficult for McMillan to improve on his statistical output from a year ago, but the Wildcats are likely to rely on McMillan even more now that they no longer have Jacob Cowing, who caught 90 passes as a senior. be. — Kyle Bonagura
Statistics for 2023: 41 receptions, 515 yards, 12.6 yards average, 4 TDs
point: 59
The nation's top three wide receivers usually don't have much to prove, but Egbuka is looking to accomplish more with the highest hopes in Ohio State's offense. After a breakout season in 2022, he recorded 1,151 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns on 74 receptions, adding two rushing touchdowns and 75 yards on a punt return. The Staylercombe, Wash., native looked ready to make the leap to the NFL in 2024, but things didn't go as planned last season as Egbuka went down with an ankle sprain midseason and missed three games. I did not go. He finished with just 41 receptions for 515 yards and four touchdowns, never reaching the 100-yard mark and exceeding 40 yards only once in Big Ten play.
With the departure of Marvin Harrison Jr., Egbuka is emerging as Ohio State's No. 1 receiver and Biletnikoff Award candidate. He flashed top-end speed and route running, averaging 15.7 yards per reception in 2022 and contributing to the return game his first two seasons. Egbuka will help ease the transition for Will Howard, a transfer from Kansas State, and once again lead what is considered the best receiver group in the nation. — Adam Rittenberg
Statistics for 2023: 86 receptions, 1,182 yards, 13.7 average, 10 TDs
point: 41 (1 first place vote)
Johnson played as Oregon State's No. 2 receiving target last season, finishing with 86 catches for 1,182 yards and 10 touchdowns. Those numbers are by no means second-best, as there are only five other receivers in the country, including 2023 teammate Troy Franklin, who has posted an 80-110-10 line. Johnson and Arizona's McMillan are the only two players from that group returning in 2024.
Johnson was a wizard before and after the catch. He took more than half of his contested catches, averaged more than 3 yards per catch after first contact (including 17 missed tackles), and gained 727 yards after the catch, which was the highest of last year's power That was the most among the five receivers. On the other hand, he was as reliable an option as he was in college football, completing 78.9% of his targets, third most among all FBS receivers with at least 100 targets and tops in the Power 5. David Hale
Statistics for 2023: 54 receptions, 985 yards, 18.2 yards average, 8 TDs
point: 30
Harris, one of the many transfers Ole Miss has acquired over the past few seasons, returns as one of the top pass catchers in the country. He started his career at Louisiana Tech and had a breakout season there in 2022 with 10 touchdown catches. He missed one game last season at Ole Miss due to injury, but still finished with 54 catches for 985 yards and eight touchdowns. At 6-foot-2, 205 pounds, he has the athleticism and size to win most one-on-one matches.
The Rebels have deep receiver depth with the return of slot man Jordan Watkins and tight end Caden Preeskorn and the addition of South Carolina transfer Antwon “Juice” Wells, allowing opponents to double-team Harris. It's going to be difficult to do. Not only is Harris a target for Jackson Dart on key third downs, but he's also one of the most dangerous big-play receivers in college football. He averaged 18.2 yards per catch last season, and his 21 catches of 20 yards or more ranked third nationally among returning FBS players. — chris lowe
Statistics for 2023: 85 receptions, 1,092 yards, 12.8 yards average, 6 TDs
point: 28
Restrepo had three relatively quiet seasons in Miami until 2023, when he finished as the best receiver in school history. The South Florida native set a school record with 85 catches and became the sixth Hurricanes receiver (1,092) to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark in a season. Restrepo, a first-team All-ACC selection, came into his own in the loss to Louisville and ended the year catching eight passes for 193 yards and a touchdown.
He had a strong connection with quarterback Tyler Van Dyke, but will now catch passes from former Washington State quarterback Cam Ward. Cam Ward briefly announced he would enter the NFL Draft before changing direction and transferring to Miami. — Bonagra
2023 Statistics (South Alabama): 91 receptions, 1,316 yards, average of 14.5 yards, 7 TDs
point: 27
Find a slot receiver who can do it all. At the 2023 South Alabama Conference, Lacy was first in the nation in receiving yards from screens, shallows and hook routes (606 of 60 catches), and first in yards after the catch and yards after first contact. He was also an A+ deep threat, ranking him 18th in receiving yards on passes he threw 20 or more yards downfield, per season receiving despite all routes being short. He averaged 14.5 yards.he was there of No. 1 in the Jaguars' passing attack, he was targeted on 30% of routes and accounted for 38% of the team's receiving yards, yet no one could stop him. He topped 100 yards in eight of 12 games.
Lacy showed significant improvement in each of his four seasons, jumping from 11 catches in 2020 to 41 catches in 2021, 64 catches in 2022, and 91 catches in 2023. He was one of the best return men in the nation in 2022 as well. And now he's taking the next logical step in his career. It's about seeing what Power 5 schools can do. As Jeff Brohm looks to make his second ACC Championship Game appearance in two seasons, he will serve as the most proven pass catcher in Louisville's heavily revamped receiving corps. — connelly
Statistics for 2023: 45 receptions, 649 yards, 14.4 yards average, 4 TDs
point: twenty three
Michigan lost a lot of star power to its national championship offense, but Loveland, along with running back Donovan Edwards, will be in the spotlight in 2024. Loveland has emerged as an elite-level tight end in his first two seasons in college and should continue to be a force to be reckoned with. One of the top prospects at his position in the 2025 NFL Draft. Michigan doesn't have many recruits from Idaho, but Loveland arrived as a three-star recruit in 2022 after making the long journey from Gooding in the southern part of the state. He broke out in the second half of his freshman season, starting five games. He had 16 receptions for 235 yards while excelling on special teams.
Loveland took a bigger role in Michigan's passing game last fall, ranking third on the team in receptions (45) and second in receiving yards (649) and receiving touchdowns (4). He had multiple receptions in each of the Wolverines' last nine games, including three receptions for 64 yards in the national championship win over Washington. The 6-foot-5, 245-pound Loveland earned first-team All-Big Ten honors and was named Michigan's Offensive Player of the Week five times. Loveland will have even more responsibility on his very capable shoulders this fall as the Wolverines play quarterback and wide receiver. — rittenberg
Statistics for 2023: 57 receptions, 721 yards, 12.6 yards average, 5 TDs
point: 21 (1 first place vote)
Hunter's position here is like Michael Jordan being ranked as one of the top prospects for the White Sox in 1994. He doesn't need to be this good at what is essentially a part-time job. Hunter excelled last year as one of college football's elite cover corners, but his impact on the offense was just as big, catching 57 balls for 721 yards and five touchdowns in nine games. To put that in perspective, the last time a Colorado receiver hit all three of those marks was Laviska Shenault in 2018 — and Hunter did it while also playing defense and missing three games. did.
How Hunter's role will evolve in 2024 will be one of the most interesting questions this offseason, and will he be able to withstand the rigors of playing both ways for the second straight full season? It's anyone's guess. But what is unquestionable is Hunter's rare talent, which makes him dangerous everywhere on the field, and perhaps most importantly at receiver. — Hale
2023 Statistics (Alabama): 48 receptions, 668 yards, 13.9 yards average, 4 touchdowns
point: 19
Texas coach Steve Sarkisian hopes Bonds can do what Georgia transfer Adonai Mitchell did for the Longhorns' offense in 2023. Bonds had 48 catches for 668 yards and four touchdowns at Alabama last season. He is most famous for scoring the game-winning touchdown on fourth-and-31 with 32 seconds left in a 27-24 win over Auburn, leading the Crimson Tide to the SEC Championship Game.
A former Georgia high school sprint champion in the 100 and 200 meters, Bond has tremendous speed and should develop into a reliable deep threat for the Longhorns. — mark schlabach
Also accepting votes: Brant Kais, Utah (17). Kevin Concepcion, North Carolina (16) Ricky White, UNLV (14); Juice Wells, Ole Miss (12); USC Zacharias (11); Brennan Pressley, Oklahoma State (11); Colorado State Tory Horton (10); Evan Stewart, Oregon (10); Eric Ayomanar, Stanford (8), Dion Burks, Oklahoma (6). Chris Mitchell, Notre Dame (6); Oscar Delp, Georgia (5); Moose Muhammad, Texas A&M (5); Benjamin Yurosek, Georgia (1)
