The college football bowl season is nearing its end already. On Monday at noon ET, the Wisconsin Tigers take on the LSU Tigers on ESPN.
The ReliaQuest Bowl will showcase a few key 2024 NFL Draft prospects. Which players in the bowl game will be drafted this year?
Top NFL Draft Prospects in ReliaQuest Bowl
The ReliaQuest Bowl won’t have the best players for each team on the field due to opt-outs. According to College Football Network’s bowl game opt-out tracker, 25 players are slated to miss this game. That includes Heisman Trophy-winning QB Jayden Daniels and Wisconsin RB Braelon Allen.
Wisconsin Badgers Prospects
Braelon Allen, RB
There’s not a more interesting back in the 2024 class than Braelon Allen. The massive 6’2″, 238-pounder is physically menacing, but he has the movement ability you’d expect from such a mammoth player. Allen can’t move laterally, but guys like Brandon Jacobs still had NFL success in the past.
Allen’s going to be either a tremendously underrated NFL prospect or will be a nice role player due to his build. He’s not as explosive as Derrick Henry was, so we’re less bullish on his outlook. Still, he’s a hammer when moving downhill, and his career 3,494 yards and 35 touchdowns speak to his effectiveness when shedding blockers and churning out every yard possible.
We have a Day 3 grade on Allen, but he projects as an effective role player with a clear list of strengths that will lead to some sort of opportunity at the next level.
Jack Nelson, OT
With experience at guard and tackle, Jack Nelson might be a little underrated in this offensive line class. But at 6’7″, Nelson has the leverage and strength issues you’d expect for someone so upright. Nelson is a solid run blocker and a better pass-blocker due to his great length and good technique, but he’s not a terrific athlete compared to NFL peers.
With a Day 3 grade, Nelson is more of a swing tackle prospect than a projected starter. He’ll have to develop a perfect technique to overcome his average quickness and strength.
LSU Tigers Prospects
Jayden Daniels, QB
Daniels isn’t playing in this game, but he’s still worth mentioning because he might be the QB3 in this class.
His explosive downfield throwing and running ability are reminiscent of Kyler Murray, except Daniels is taller and more reliable as a prospect than Murray was in his breakout year with Oklahoma. Daniels’ floor should be no lower than the 10th overall pick since so many teams need a new QB.
Malik Nabers, WR
One of the two surprising players who will participate in this matchup may not be on the field for long. Malik Nabers is only playing so he can produce at least 22 yards as he sets out to set the school record for the most receiving yards in one season. Nabers is an awesome talent who could be taken in the top-10 picks.
He’d certainly be the WR1 in most classes, but Marvin Harrison Jr.’s presence complicates things. Nabers has electric speed and quickness and will quickly be a top playmaker in the NFL.
Brian Thomas Jr., WR
Another first-round receiver participating in this one is Brian Thomas Jr. The 6’5″, 200-pound vertical threat is great at creating separation with his long strides, and he has great fluidity and flexibility on routes for his size. Thomas isn’t an experienced route-runner due to the nature of the offense, but he projects well for a big-bodied threat because of his ability to quickly stop and start.
As with most tall, explosive, but raw receivers, Thomas has to win where big-bodied threats have to make their mark. That means being dominant at the catch point consistently. Thomas flashes those talents, so he’ll be projected as a top-40 pick in the spring.
Mekhi Wingo and Maason Smith, DTs
I’m lumping these two defensive tackles together because neither should declare for the 2024 draft. Mekhi Wingo is an undersized 3-technique in a 4-3 front, lacking the length to stand out, and his production dropped to a level that makes him a Day 3 prospect. His speed, pad level, and play strength must improve next year.
Maason Smith had top-five potential entering the year, but he failed to bounce back from a torn ACL that wiped out his 2022 season. Smith’s physical traits simply didn’t look the same in 2023, so he’d be little more than a flier if he declared for this year’s draft.
Zy Alexander, CB
Only a junior who was in his first season with LSU, Zy Alexander had a nice season as he established himself as a legitimate prospect. He produced 44 tackles, two picks, and seven pass breakups but wasn’t someone who stood out with great athleticism, speed, or short-area burst.
Still, any 6’2″, 188-pound corner will draw evaluator’s attention. Alexander is competitive and active in run defense, so he’d earn a Day 3 grade and would very likely be drafted as a developmental backup in zone-heavy schemes.
Omar Speights, LB
After four productive seasons at Oregon State, the addition of linebacker Omar Speights was supposed to be a meaningful one for LSU. Speights was solid but unspectacular for the Tigers, notching 66 tackles but zero sacks, tackles for loss, pass breakups, or forced fumbles. This year cratered his draft grade, which peaked as a top-100 player in the preseason.
Speights has never produced overly well beyond tackles, so the downhill thumper will likely be a late-round or UDFA prospect.