This is what we’ve been waiting for, fantasy football enthusiasts. The NFL Draft is under way, and we finally get to see where the rookie prospects are going to launch their professional careers. And NFL Draft landing spots allow us to start to zero in on fantasy football and dynasty rookie draft pick values.
As the players are selected, let’s dive into what our NFL Draft expert, Thor Nystrom, has to say for each pick made. Here you can find all of Thor’s 2024 NFL Draft Rankings and player comparisons. Below we’ll dive into a few notable names expected to be selected this week.
- 2024 Dynasty Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- Dynasty Rookie Draft Simulator
- DBro’s Dynasty Rookie Draft Primers
- 2024 NFL Draft Guide
Fantasy Football Rookie Draft Outlook
Thor’s NFL Draft Profile & Player Comp
9. Keon Coleman | Florida State
6032/213 | RAS: 8.19
Comp: Courtland Sutton
Coleman is an eye-of-the-beholder evaluation. In every aspect, you can see his projection in diametrically opposite ways.
Was Keon Coleman productive?
Nope!: He never had an 800-yard season, and he left college with fewer than 1,500 career receiving yards. In 2023, while undefeated FSU was in the heart of chasing a CFP bid, Coleman’s picture was on a milk carton. He was a total non-factor.
Yep!: As a 19-year-old sophomore at Michigan State, Coleman had a 29% dominator rating. That year, he had more catches, more yards, and more TDs than second-rounder-to-be Jayden Reed, who was the veteran of that team. Last year, at FSU, in games where both Coleman and QB Jordan Travis were healthy, those were the games where Coleman looked like a star. Coleman lit up LSU (9-122-3) and Clemson (5-86-2) and ended up averaging 5.5 catches for 77 yards and 1.3 TD per game in seven contests between September-October (when you omit the Boston College game played in 30+ mph wind gusts). Things went south in November, first because of an injury that cost Coleman one game and had him playing less than 100 percent in multiple others. QB Jordan Travis’ subsequent season-ending injury made matters all the worse – FSU’s backup quarterbacks were ghastly. Coleman ended up having only eight catches over three November games. In sum, of Coleman’s 87 targets in 2023, only 55 were charted as “catchable.” Coleman caught 50-of-55, with 11 going for a TD and 28 others turning into first downs.
Is Keon Coleman athletic?
Nope!: Are you kidding? His 4.61 forty was the second-slowest of the WR group, and it came with terrible splits. That’s problematic for a guy who isn’t crisp changing directions. Coleman didn’t create separation in college and won’t at the next level. Don’t believe me? Perhaps you’ll believe last season’s 0-percentile separation rate. That’s not a typo!
Yep!: How are you going to mention the 4.61 forty without mentioning that Coleman had the fastest gauntlet time of any receiver in Indianapolis on the same day? He touched over 20 mph on the GPS while securing every catch – the only WR who could claim that. Coleman’s vertical and broad jumps were each at least 88th percentile. In the open field, hurdles defenders who try to chop out his legs and keep trucking. Lastly, let me get this straight – you’re trying to argue that a dual-sport star who played basketball for Tom Izzo at Michigan State a few years ago is… a bad athlete? Are you mad?!
Is Keon Coleman ready for the NFL?
Nope!: Far from it. He’s a contested-catch guy who can’t separate from ACC corners who only spent three years on campus. He was never going to separate in the NFL anyway, but he’s not refined enough in the other areas of his game to trust against NFL competition. He is setting himself up for failure.
Yep!: Coleman is already experienced at beating the press. And why do you keep glossing over his ball skills? They are utterly superb – you see the rebounder he was in his past life all over his tape. He’s big, and he plays bigger – a box-out artist with hops and vice-grip hands. He positions well with the rock descending and attacks it in the air. His jump-ball ability in the NFL could be exceptional.
Where do I stand?
Coleman has understandably been one of this class’ most polarizing prospects. At our company’s annual retreat a few months ago, I moderated intense friendly debates between Pat Fitzmaurice (pro-Keon camp) and Derek Brown (Keon-hater club) over the subject. I fall somewhere in-between – over the years, I’ve seen this kind of guy become an NFL difference-maker, and I’ve seen him bust.
This prospect type goes in Round 2 of every process. There are myriad examples of successes that Coleman closely resembles (Courtland Sutton and Tee Higgins being two). There are also plenty of busts you could comp him to (like JJ Arcega-Whiteside, or former first-rounder Kevin White). At the end of the day, if I need a starting receiver, and I’m on the clock in Round 2, and sure things are already off the board – I’m happily rolling the dice.
Prepare for your dynasty rookie draft using our FREE mock draft simulator 
10. Troy Franklin | Oregon
6017/176 | RAS: 9.02
Comp: Marvin Mims Jr.
I’ve found Franklin to be one of the hardest receivers to rank – even harder than the intensely polarizing guys like Keon Coleman. Franklin’s closest recent athletic comps are Marvin Mims and Jameson Williams. Williams went 1.12 in 2022, while Mims went 2.63 last spring. Franklin is almost assuredly going to go somewhere between those slots. But toggling for a comp between two guys who have 47 catches combined across three total NFL seasons probably isn’t the endorsement his evaluation is looking for.
What I like: Extremely productive with a 3.32 YPRR last year. Was the focal point of a machine-like Oregon offense. Has proven he has the tools to win at all three levels. On manufactured touches, Franklin’s tackle-breaking offers the possibility of freebie YAC yardage off guaranteed completions. Route-running improvement led to improved dividends in the intermediate area in 2023. Franklin also has a knack for stacking his man and picking up steam for advantageous downtown deep shots that he converted at a high rate in college, a good ball-tracker with trampoline hops.
What concerns me: Franklin is rail-thin. Play strength is not in his profile’s dictionary. His 10.0% drop rate last year is a red flag (8.0% career) – particularly for a prospect of his type. Franklin’s hand size is tied for the second-smallest (with Xavier Worthy) of my top-20 WR. He needs space to make the catch – Franklin struggles in contested situations. That concerns me because Franklin doesn’t generate the separation in the intermediate area as much as I wanted – he loses momentum in route breaks, opening the door for corners to recover. Franklin’s 4.41 speed wasn’t terrible, but he failed to meet expectations (the sportsbooks set his number in the 4.3s). His 19th-percentile 10-yard split was the truly problematic result.
Bottom line: If Franklin’s tackle-breaking and long-ball skills both translate, he’s going to be an NFL starter. He’s going to need to improve his route-running plan in the intermediate sector to offset his lack of burst out of route breaks – fine-tuning his footwork efficiency while adjusting tempos more often would greatly help. Since Franklin will likely not be an NFL star, he really needs to cut down on the drops.
Check out more NFL Draft profiles and player comps from Thor in our 2024 NFL Draft Guide
11. Xavier Legette | South Carolina
6010/221 | RAS: 9.9
Comp: David Boston
Big, well-built receiver with inside/outside versatility. Longtime special-teamer who broke out in 2023 with a 71-1,255-7 line – he’d never posted more than 167 receiving yards in his four seasons previous to that on campus. This means he’s about to become the first WR since Velus Jones to go in the top three rounds despite never topping 500 receiving yards over the first four years in college.
Legette, fortunately, is blessed with very good hands – he spears balls outside his frame and will fish worm-burners off the turf. Last season, Legette dropped only two balls on 97 targets. He’s a springy athlete for his size with solid feet. Acrobatic high-point jump-ball guy. Has a good feel for working the sidelines and keeping his feet inside the chalk while going high for balls.
He has a knack for not losing momentum while turning upfield after a catch, which helps maximize YAC opportunities. This is key, because Legette is surprisingly not a tackle-breaking machine, despite his muscular frame. This is because he’s an easy target as a north-south athlete who doesn’t easily change directions.
Another odd part of his profile, for a worker bee-type: Legette is a disinterested run blocker. With even a dollop of effort, he should be at minimum passable in this phase considering his frame. But it’s worth mentioning that he didn’t give it last year.
Legette profiles as a solid NFL No. 2 boundary WR. He brings with him a wealth of experience on various special teams units from his first four years on campus, so he’ll give you a core special-teamer from Day 1.
Dynasty Rookie Draft Rankings
Our analysts provide their latest rookie draft rankings below. And also check out our expert consensus dynasty rookie draft rankings!
More Dynasty Rookie Draft Advice
- DBro’s Dynasty Rookie Draft Primers
- DBro’s Top 50 Rankings & Player Notes
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