(Photo by Chris Trotman/Getty Images)
The NFL Draft for 2024 has concluded and the class is taking their places across this country with their new teams. The Big 12 had some selected and they will leave their impact not the league. These players also left their mark at their respective universities and the Big 12.
Arizona
Jordan Morgan OL Packers round 1 pick 25
Morgan is 6’5 and 311 lbs he started his career in Arizona during the 2019 season where he played in six games. During those six games, he put up zero stats. In his second season in 2020, he played in two games and posted zero stats. In the 2021 season, he played in 11 games and has zero stats to show for those 11 games. During the 2022 season, he played in 10 games and had zero stats. In his final season, he played in 12 games and finally put up two tackles.
The Packers took an absolute gamble with this pick and CBS has him ranked as a C+ pick for the Packers. He shouldn’t have gone this early because he did so much at the PAC-12 and Arizona but didn’t produce many results and also didn’t give his best at the Pro Day. I hope the Packers knew what they were truly getting now that they have to pay him like a first-round pick.
Jacob Cowing WR 49ers round 4 pick 135
Jacob Cowing is 5’8 and 168 lbs he began his career at UTEP where he played three seasons for the Miners. Cowing then transferred to Arizona to play two seasons. During his first season as a Wildcat, he played in 12 games and had 85 receptions for 1034 yards and seven touchdowns. Last season he played in all 13 games and had 90 receptions for 848 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Cowing was a great third-day pick for the 49ers. CBS has him as an A- grade which is good and also they can pay him a lot less than what they may think because of his five-year rookie contract. This is a great pick and also one who they can keep on the roster and have him as a backup role. The 49ers ran out of players to win the Super Bowl last year and they’re wide receivers they will need a bunch of as they embark on this season.
Tanner McLachlan TE Bengals round 6 pick 194
McLachlan is 6’5 and 244 lbs and started his career at SUU where he played two years before transferring to Arizona. He then played his last two seasons at Arizona. During the 2022 season, he played in 12 games and had 34 receptions for 456 yards and two touchdowns. Last season he played in all 13 games and had 45 receptions for 528 yards and four touchdowns.
McLachlan was a good late-round pick and also was graded as a B+ by CBS Sports. He will be a great addition to the Bengals receivers and also to the Tight End room. They could use a bigger TE to block but also become a weapon downfield.
BYU
Kingsley Suamataia OT Chiefs round 2 pick 63
Kingsley Suamataia is a 6-6 315 lbs sophomore from Orem, Utah, and a transfer from Oregon. He played in 12 games for the Cougars in 2022. This past season he played in 10 games for BYU.
Suamataia was a good second-round pick for the Chiefs and got a B grade for the pick as well. He will be a great addition to the line after he rides the bench for the first season unless someone goes down with an injury.
UCF
Javon Baker WR Patriots round 4 picks 110
Javon Baker is 6’1 and 202 lbs he started at Alabama where he played from 2020-2022. He then transferred to UCF where he played his last two years of football. In his first season, he played in 14 games and had 56 receptions for 796 yards and five touchdowns. Last season he played in 13 games and had 52 receptions for 1139 yards and seven touchdowns.
Baker was an excellent pick-up for the Patriots and was given an A+ grade. He will be part of the starting offense this year as the Patriots look to rebuild their team. Baker will also get some great work with Drake Maye and a new coaching staff up there in New England.
Tylan Grable OT Bills round 6 pick 204
Grable is 6’6 and 306 lbs and spent his first three seasons at Jacksonville State. He then finished out at UCF where he suited up for the Knights for two seasons. In his first season, he played in 14 games, and then this past one he played in 13 games.
He was a great late-round pick and was given a B grade as part of the Bills 10 picks in this year’s draft. Grable will be a great backup and will give the Bills more depth on that offensive line.
Cincinnati
Jowon Briggs DT Browns pick 243
Jowon Briggs is 6’1 and 313 lbs and spent three years in Cincinnati as a Bearcat. During the 2021 season, he played in 14 games and had 42 tackles and three sacks. The next season he played 13 games and had 60 tackles, three sacks, and one pass breakup. Last season he played in 12 games and has 27 tackles and two sacks.
He was the final pick for the Browns during the draft and was given a B- grade for it. Briggs will have to work to keep his spot on the Browns and also gain a contract.
Houston
Patrick Paul T Dolphins round 2 pick 55
Paul played all his years in Houston and spent all of them on the line. He played in three games in 2019 at left tackle. The next season he played in two games and then suffered an injury ending his season. In the 2021 season, he played in all 14 games as a left tackle. During the 2022 season, he played in all 13 games at left tackle. In his final season, he played in all 12 games at left tackle.
He was a good pick but in the second round was a little early for him to be picked up. CBS gave this NFL draft pick a C- probably because of what else the Dolphins could have done in round two. Paul will be a great left tackle and won’t need to be moved because of the Dolphin’s need for a left tackle.
Iowa State
TJ Tampa CB Ravens round 4 pick 130
Tampa played all four years for Iowa State and at cornerback. In his first year, he played in nine games and had five tackles. In the 2021 season, he played in 13 games and had 18 tackles and three pass deflections. His next season he played in 12 games and had 39 tackles, one interception, and 10 pass deflections. In his final season, he played in 12 games and had 44 tackles, two interceptions, and nine pass deflections.
He was a great third-day pick and also an early one as well which gave the Ravens a B grade for his NFL draft pick. Tampa is a talented cornerback and with the right coach and teammates, he could pick up more interceptions and learn a lot at the Ravens.
Kansas
Dominick Puni OG 49ers round 3 pick 86
Puni is 6’5 313 lbs and he has spent time at three universities. He started at Central Missouri and then moved to Tennessee Tech, and finished up his college career at Kansas. Last season he played in all 12 games for the Jayhawks.
This was a really good pick-up for the 49ers because of his diversity in offensive schemes. CBS gave them an A- grade on this NFL draft pick which made it a great pick for the 49ers and the third round.
Austin Booker DL Bears round 5 pick 144
Austin Booker is 6’4 and 240 lbs he started his career at Minnesota before transferring to Kansas. At Kansas, he played in 12 games and had 58 tackles, eight sacks, two forced fumbles, and one pass deflection. He only played one season for the Jayhawks.
He was the final NFL draft pick for the Bears in round five and CBS gave it a B grade. Booker will be a good defensive lineman for the Bears and a great way to start rebuilding their team.
Kansas State
Ben Sinnott TE Commanders round 2 pick 53
Sinnott is 6’4 and 250 lbs and spent three years at Kansas State. In his first season, he played in 12 games and had two receptions for 15 yards. During the 2022 season, he played in 14 games and had 31 receptions for 441 yards and four touchdowns. Last season he played in 12 games and had 49 receptions for 676 yards and six touchdowns.
He was an excellent pick by the Commanders and CBS gave them an A+ grade for this NFL draft pick. Sinnott will be a great target and someone who can be an extra for Jayden Daniels for many years to come. He will also be a great leader and one day mentor to the younger guys in the league but for now, he has to learn and take advice from the veterans.
Cooper Beebe G Cowboys round 3 pick 73
Cooper Beebe is 6’3 and 322 lbs and he played for the Wildcats from 2020-2023. He played in 49 games over those three years and spent time all over the line.
Beebe was given a B+ for his day two pick and also the Cowboys got a great line upgrade to protect Dak Prescott or Trey Lance for a while.
KT Leveston OL Rams round 7 pick 254
Leveston is 6’4 and 326 lbs and he suited up in 50 career games. He too played about every position on the offensive line.
He was given a B- ranking for probably letting him drop so far in the draft. Leveston should have gone earlier and to the team that needed more than just a backup lineman. The Rams get a good pickup here and will have a good player out of Leveston.
Rematch of Big 12 Championship.
(Photo: Chandler Mixon/K-State Sports) (Kansas State Football vs. Texas Christian University, October 21, 2023. Final: KSU 41
TCU
Brandon Coleman G Commanders round 3 pick 67
Coleman is 6’4 313 lbs and played one year at Trinity Valley before transferring to TCU to play three seasons. He suited up in 41 games over his three years at TCU where he played on the left side of the line.
CBS gave this NFL draft pick an A which is amazing and also the Commanders got a great player in Coleman. He will be great to protect Daniels and join another player from the Big 12 on the line.
Jared Wiley TE Chiefs round 4 picks 131
Jared Wiley is 6’6 and 249 lbs he played two years and Texas and two at TCU. During the 2022 season, he played in all 15 games and had 24 receptions for 245 yards and four touchdowns. Last season he played in 12 games and had 47 receptions for 520 yards and eight touchdowns.
He was given a B+ by CBS Sports as the Chiefs don’t need a Tight End. They already have Kelce and yes he won’t play too many more years but he will be the starter for those years he does play. For now, Wiley can be a backup and learn from the best Tight End in the league.
Josh Newton CB Bengals round 5 pick 149
Newton is 5’11 and 190 lbs he played two years for ULM and then two for TCU. During his 2022 season, he played in all 15 games and had 35 tackles, three interceptions, and 15 pass breakups. Last season he played in 12 games and had 33 tackles, one interception, and nine pass breakups.
Josh Newton will be great cornerback for the Bengals. CBS gave him an A- grade which is a great grade for a cornerback who played substantial time as a Horn Frog and learned from some of the cornerbacks to come through TCU.
Texas Tech
Dadrion Taylor-Demerson S Cardinals round 4 pick 104
Demerson is 5’10 and 179 lbs and spent all five years at Texas Tech. In his first season, he played in 11 games and had 16 tackles and one fumble recovery. Demerson’s second year in the program he played in just one game. During the 2021 season, he played in 12 games and had 62 tackles, three interceptions, and 13 pass deflections. In the 2022 season, he played in all 13 games and had 73 tackles, one sack, three interceptions, eight pass deflections, and four fumbles. Last season he played in all 13 games and had 73 tackles, four interceptions, one sack, and 12 pass deflections.
He was given an A- for his NFL draft pick in the fourth round for the Cardinals. Demerson will hit the ground running this fall and not look back. The Cardinals got a great pickup and a great defender for years to come.
Myles Cole DE Jaguars round 7 pick 236
Myles Cole is 6’6 and 278 lbs and spent his first two years at LSU and then the last two at Texas Tech. During the 2022 season, he played in 13 games and had 12 tackles and one block. Last season he played in 12 games and had 32 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and one pass deflection.
He was the final Jagaurs pick and got a B grade for the NFL draft pick. The Jaguars got a good pick up but the question is can he get past a line and make a play on the quarterback?
Utah
Cole Bishop S Bills round 2 pick 60
Bishop is 6’2 and 206 lbs and played three seasons in Salt Lake City. In his first season, he played in 10 games and had 54 tackles, three sacks, five pass deflections, one forced fumble, and one block. In the 2022 season, he played in 14 games and had 83 tackles, 1.5 sacks, one interception, four pass deflections, and one fumble recovery.
He is a good pick-up for the Bills and they got an A- grade for this pick. Bishop is ready for the league and will have to put some major work in to start on this NFL roster. He is going to have a ride on the bench for a couple of seasons before making too many starts for the Bills.
Jonah Elliss DL Broncos round 3 pick 76
Elliss is 6’2 and 248 lbs and spent three years at Utah. In his first season, he played in 14 games and had 15 tackles, one sack, and two forced fumbles. During the 2022 season, he played in 11 games, and had 26 tackles, three sacks, and four fumbles. Last season he played in 10 games and had 37 tackles, 12 sacks, three pass deflections, and one fumble recovery.
Jonah Elliss is a good pick-up for the Broncos and will beef up that line. They got an A- grade for this NFL draft pick in the third round. He will most likely play right away due to the Bronco’s state of the team in general.
Sione Vaki S Lions round 4 pick 132
Sione Vaki is 5’11 and 210 lbs and played two years for the Utes. In 2022 he played in 14 games and had 41 tackles, three pass deflections, and one forced fumble. Last season he played in 12 games and had 51 tackles, two sacks, one interception, and three pass deflections.
Vaki got a C+ grade for his pick-up in round four. The Lions didn’t fair too well this draft and also didn’t get the best position players to help them go back to win the NFC North. Vaki will have his work cut out for him and will have to get used to sitting on the bench or a practice squad for this season.
Sataoa Laumea G Seahawks round 6 pick 179
Sataoa Laumea is 6’4 and 319 lbs and played in 40 games for the Utes at OL. During those 40 games, he spent all his time on the right side of the line and most of those games at right tackle.
The Seahawks got a good player and were given an A+ for this NFL draft pick. He will start this fall and adjust to the NFL level nicely.
DeVaughn Vele WR Broncos round 7 pick 235
Vele is 6’4 and 203 lbs and spent his entire career in Salt Lake City. He played in four games in his first season and posted zero stats. In the 2020 season, he played in five games and had two receptions for 12 yards. The next season he played in 14 games and had 23 receptions for 389 yards, and one touchdown. In the 2022 season, he played in 14 games and had 55 receptions for 695 yards and five touchdowns. Last season he played in 10 games and had 43 receptions for 593 yards and three touchdowns.
The Broncos picked up another Ute and got a B for this pick. Vele will have to work to be a great wide receiver but he won’t have to work to tard to get a starting spot this season. The Broncos as rebuilding and he is part of that process that Sean Payton is working on.
West Virginia
Zach Frazier C Steelers round 2 pick 51
Zach Frazier is 6’3 and 313 lbs. He played for the Mountaineers in 47 games mostly at Center. Frazier did spend a few games as and right guard due to injuries. The Steelers got an A- for this NFL draft pick and will be set at center or backup for years.
