NFL Draft: Caleb Williams, Mar...

We'll soon be approaching the 2024 NFL Draft. And it appears that the Arizona Cardinals will be the ones to kick it off.

The 2024 first-round selection of the Houston Texans was traded to the Cardinals on draft day in addition to their own pick in the draft. The Texans and Cardinals are predicted to be among the worst NFL clubs this season. Even though a season is long and a lot can happen, it makes sense to assume that the Cardinals will be selected first overall. They may also be given the second choice.

Who will the Cardinals and the other top 10 clubs be evaluating? An early ranking of the top ten players for the 2024 NFL Draft is shown below:

1. USC QB Caleb Williams

We see plenty of quarterbacks get hyped up as a Trevor Lawrence/Andrew Luck-level prospect before their final college season, then get picked apart a bit. The same could happen to Williams, but the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner looks like a special prospect. He is already getting Patrick Mahomes comparisons. We'll see what happens over the next season, but Williams is the favorite to be the first pick in next year's draft.

2. Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr.

Harrison is looking like one of the best receiver prospects in recent history. He has it all, including some famous bloodlines. Harrison had 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns last season with an endless highlight reel. He could end up being the best prospect in the draft, though it's a good bet that a quarterback or two will be drafted ahead of him.

3. North Carolina QB Drake Maye

Maye was a revelation last season as a redshirt freshman. He was the ACC player of the year and emerged as an exciting NFL prospect. The same warnings apply to Maye: Quarterbacks seem to get picked apart more than any other players their final season before the draft. It's also possible that Maye continues to rise and presents a challenge to Williams as the QB1 in the class.

4. Notre Dame OT Joe Alt

If the last name rings a bell, it's because Joe's father John Alt was a first-round draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs in 1984 and made two Pro Bowls at tackle. Joe Alt has great size and durability. He had the highest overall grade for any college football tackle by Pro Football Focus last season, the highest run-blocking grade and did not allow a sack in 406 pass blocking snaps.

5. Penn State OT Olu Fashanu

It was a big surprise when Fashanu passed on entering the NFL Draft to return for another season at Penn State. He would have been one of the first offensive linemen off the board in this year's draft. Next year, Fashanu will be a prize for teams looking for a foundational left tackle. He'll compete with Alt to be the OL1.

6. Georgia TE Brock Bowers

You won't see many tight ends drafted in the top 10, but Bowers is exceptional. He was a big part of Georgia's back-to-back national championship teams. Bowers has 1,824 receiving yards and 20 receiving touchdowns through his first two seasons, and also has four rushing touchdowns. That includes a 75-yard touchdown run on a jet sweep. This is a unique talent at the position, and he'll be drafted high.

7. Florida State DE Jared Verse

Verse started his college career at Albany, was dominant there, transferred to Florida State and had 17 tackles for loss including nine sacks last season. His pass rushing ability will get a lot of attention over the next year.

8. Alabama OLB Dallas Turner

Turner is probably the next Crimson Tide defender to be a high pick in the draft. He saw time on the Alabama defense as a freshman and had 8.5 sacks. He didn't put up huge numbers as a sophomore (four sacks) but he'll have a chance to shine this season.

9. Ohio State DE J.T. Tuimoloau

Tuimoloau showed his potential against Penn State last season. He had two sacks, two interceptions (one of which he returned for a touchdown), a forced fumble and fumble recovery. He was ranked by Rivals as No. 7 overall in the 2021 recruiting class, the highest-rated defensive prospect to sign with Ohio State since 2000. He should continue to grow.

10. Alabama CB Kool-Aid McKinstry

Given first name: Ga'Quincy. McKinstry was a starter by the end of his freshman season at Alabama, which is no small feat. He was all-SEC first team by coaches and media and got a few All-America nods as well. In addition to being an excellent cornerback, McKinstry averaged 15.8 yards on punt returns last season.