6 NFL Draft prospects who may not be live up to the hype, from Ladd McConkey to Michael Penix Jr.
There’s no such thing as a sure thing at the NFL Draft. Every prospect, from the most hyped star to the seventh-round lottery ticket, carries the risk of falling flat on their face when it comes to pro football.
Of course, it’s more damaging to a franchise’s Super Bowl hopes when it happens to the former. The 2024 NFL Draft will play host to a number of prospects who fail to pan out, endangering playoff odds and their general manager’s job security along the way. Figuring out exactly who will fail is an impossible science experts have been unable to crack.
But we do have an idea of which players may struggle to live up to the expectations placed on them after three-plus seasons of college ball and the breathless over-analyzation of the pre-draft process. Let’s talk about those guys; the players who’ll be drafted to play big roles for hopeful teams despite some red flags that could ultimately derail their pro careers. Here are six, in no particular order.