These teams could benefit from deep position classes in 2024 NFL Draft

NFL Draft season heats up next week with the combine kicking off in Indianapolis on Monday, Feb. 26. While we're still in the beginning stages of the offseason's premiere event, a few position groups have emerged as the year's deepest.

Here are three positions that have a lot of prospects receiving buzz, plus the teams that will benefit most from the stacked classes.

Cornerback

While there's no consensus on who the best corner in the 2024 class is, one thing everyone can agree on is this year's class is stacked. Iowa's Cooper DeJean is the top-ranked CB prospect according to Pro Football Focus, Clemson's Nate Wiggins is ESPN's No. 1 at the position, Kool-Aid McKinstry is favored by The 33rd Team, while The Athletic and Tankathon lean toward his Alabama teammate, Terrion Arnold.

Toledo corner Quinyon Mitchell's star is ascending (rightfully so), and Kamari Lassiter is another consensus top-50 prospect based on those five big boards.

Good for... Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Philadelphia Eagles

The Jags, Chargers and Eagles were arguably the three most disappointing teams in 2023, and all could place some of the blame on porous secondaries. NFL draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah has Jacksonville selecting Mitchell at No. 17 overall and the Eagles following suit by drafting Missouri's Ennis Rakestraw Jr. at No. 22. Because of this year's depth, Los Angeles could use its No. 5 pick to address another need and use either No. 37 or No. 69 on a corner.

Offensive tackle

Notre Dame's Joe Alt and Penn State's Olu Fashanu are the headliners, and Taliese Fuaga (Oregon State) and Tyler Guyton (Oklahoma) have rising stocks. Fuaga ranks 11th on PFF's most recent big board, one spot below Fashanu, while Guyton was among the biggest risers in The Athletic's consensus big board published on Wednesday. 

A pair of SEC standouts, Amarius Mims (Georgia) and 2023 All-SEC First Team JC Latham (Alabama), are also potential first-rounders. Kingsley Suamataia is No. 22 on ESPN's big board and Graham Barton is No. 27 according to The Athletic's Dane Brugler, making the class as deep as it is strong.

Good for... Dallas Cowboys, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets

The Jets (No. 10 overall), Saints (No. 14) and Cowboys (No. 24) could all have plug-and-play starters available to them when they're on the clock. New York ranked 30th in ESPN's pass-block win-rate metric and must bolster its line to get the most out of quarterback Aaron Rodgers. New Orleans was only slightly better in pass-block win-rate (28th) and has questions at both tackle positions. After whiffing on the Trevor Penning at No. 19 in 2022, the Saints should have the opportunity to correct their mistake.

Cowboys tackle Tyron Smith is a 2024 free agent, and with multiple Cowboys due for a raise, Dallas could allow Smith to walk and use its first-rounder on a cheaper alternative.

Wide receiver

Twelve wideouts are consensus top 100 prospects on big boards from The 33rd Team, The Athletic, ESPN, PFF and Tankathon, the most of any position. Per The 33rd Team, five (Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze, Keon Coleman, Brian Thomas Jr.) are considered strong or immediate starters, also the most by position in the upcoming draft.

Players in the second tier include Troy Franklin, Xavier Legette and Xavier Worthy, who were No. 1 options in college and possess traits that make them intriguing prospects at the next level.

Good for... Buffalo Bills, Carolina Panthers, Kansas City Chiefs

The 2024 wide receiver class might be more top-heavy than the offensive tackle and corner classes, but that could still work out to the benefit of teams drafting near the end of Round 1, such as the Bills and Chiefs, or the Panthers, which have the first pick of the second round.

In Jeremiah's mock draft, for example, Coleman falls out of the first round, which would make him highly coveted at the top of Round 2. If the Bills and Chiefs pass on receivers early, prospects including Devontez Walker, Malachi Corley and Brendan Rice, the son of all-time great Jerry Rice, could be options later in the draft.