NFL Free Agency Tag Deadline

NFL Free Agency Tag Deadline

Nine Players Receive Labels
Seven Defensive Players Head List

All Franchise Tags were Non-Exclusive labels
One Transitional Tag

 Offense
Wideouts
Tee Higgins – Bengals
Michael Pittman – Colts

Defense

Edge Defenders
Josh Allen – Jaguars
Brian Burns – Panthers

Interior Linemen
Justin Madubuike – Ravens

Corners
Jaylon Johnson – Bears
L’Jarious Sneed – Chiefs

Safeties
Antoine Winfield – Bucs
Kyle Dugger – Patriots (Transition Label – Top 10 at position)
 
There are three tender options: 1) Non-exclusive franchise tag; 2) Exclusive franchise tag; 3) Transition tag.

Non-exclusive Franchise tag:
The most commonly used tag. When most refer to the “franchise tag,” they generally talk about the non-exclusive version. This is a one-year tender of the average of the top five salaries at the player’s position over the last five years, or 120 percent of his previous salary, whichever is greater. The tagged player can negotiate with other teams, but his current team has the right to match any offer or receive two first-round draft picks as compensation if he signs with another club.

Exclusive Franchise tag:
Unlike the non-exclusive version, the tagging team retains the sole right to negotiate with the player. The exclusivity raises the pay scale (current average salary versus averaging of the previous five years). This is a one-year tender offer of the average of the top five salaries at the player’s position for the current year, or 120 percent of his previous salary, whichever is greater. Few receive the exclusive tag. Generally, players for whom other teams would gladly give up two first-round picks receive this version of the tag — read: quarterbacks.

Transition tag:
The transition tag is a one-year tender offer for the average of the top 10 salaries at the position — as opposed to the top five for the franchise tag. It guarantees the original club the right of first refusal to match any offer the player might receive from another club. The tagging team is awarded no compensation if it chooses not to match a deal




NFL Combine 2024 – Offensive Risers

‘Word on the Street’

Frank Coyle
www.draftinsiders.com

2024 NFL Combine

The NFL Combine 2024 concluded an excellent week-long event on Monday with the offensive linemen and special teams lifting. Most of the 321 pro prospects exited Indianapolis by the weekend after extensive testing, including the important on the field workouts.

The usual number of high prospects opted out of the workouts, including QB Caleb Williams and wideout Marvin Harrison who will compete at their school Pro days in March.

This NFL Draft 2024 class features strong groups at QB, WR, OL and CBs, the premier positions in the game. The workout results reflected those assumptions with excellent performances by numerous prospects. The talented QB class saw a few prospects sit out the drills especially the passing event, including Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Jayden Daniels. The second tier of QBs, JJ McCarthy, Bo Nix and Michael Penix did participate in the passing drills and all left strong impressions. The passing drills included all the throws with movement in the pocket and was a well-rounded workout which impressed scouts. The pro day season starts and is the final opportunity for the Big Three and other QBs to leave a lasting impression.

The wide receiver group will rival the best classes at the position especially the great 1996 class. Wideout Rome Odunze put on a terrific all-around workout which most likely keeps him in the high 5-8 selections. Wideout Xavier Worthy ran two incredible 40-yard sprints including a new record 4.21 time that established the NFL Combine mark. Worthy is blazing fast at 165 lbs. with experience both outside and inside plus return skills. He can take the top off the defense and his excellent performance probably earns him a first round late grade.

Wideouts, Roman Wilson, AD Mitchell, Ladd McConkey and Ricky Pearsall all had impressive performance including fast sprints and excellent positional workouts. They will be a run-on receivers following the top three prospects with many in the first or early second rounds. The wideout position could provide 15+ prospects in the top 100 selections. McConkey is just one prospect who continues to impress scouts. After interviewing him in Indy, he handled the environment like a pro and was focused on business and preparation. He was precise in positional drills, showing excellent routes, body control and hands with the ability to separate consistently. He should hit the ground running as a rookie in the NFL and can provide impact in three wideout and multiple sets.

A huge contingent of offensive linemen was invited to the event with arguably the best group of prospects in recent history. The line will provide at least 8 prospects for the first round. There could be as least as another 10 chosen in the top 3 rounds. This class will provide an incredibly deep tackle class with several kicking inside to guard to earn early starting time.

RT Roger Rosengarten of Washington ran the fastest among the linemen with a 4.92 time and a fine 1.73 yard split. This follows a strong week at the Senior Bowl where he displayed core strength and consistent technique. Frank Crum of Wyoming ran an excellent 4.94 sprint with a quick 1.70 yard split. He elevated his stock showing both power and agility for a massive prospect. Christian Jones of Texas continued a strong postseason and ran a 5.05 time with a 1.78 ten. His level of play has progressed fast over the past year which will allow him to compete for early NFL starting time.

John Alt ran a 5.05 time with a 1.74 ten, Kingsley Saumataia did a 5.06 time with a 1.74 ten, Tailese Fuaga at 6-6, 330 ran a 5.14 sprint and Tyler Guyton at 6-7, 330  did 5.19 sprint. All impressive tackle sprints with early draft grades. Alt and Fuaga look like top ten selections and NFL ready starters.

Troy Fantanu, 6-4, 315   of Washington ran a 5.01 with a fast 1.71 ten. He is an amazing mover with an easy slide to adjust and strong hands and top balance to mirror defenders. He lacks great length, though could plug and play at guard as a rookie and become a fixture there for a decade. He is a highly developed blocker with toughness, savvy and intangibles to excel in the NFL.

OL Tanor Bartolini had an impressive workout with a 4.94 time and a 1.74 ten. He moved efficiently and flashed strong hands and the base to get movement on contact. He helped his cause further here after a solid Senior Bowl effort. OL Cooper Beebe ran well with a 5.03 time at 322 lbs. He utilizes great power relying on his strong base, long arms and developed technique to move defenders. He is highly developed with extensive experience to start day one in the NFL.




NFL Draft 2024 – Top 100 Pro Prospects

Top 100 Pro Prospects for the NFL Draft 2024

    February 29, 2024 –   underclassmen declared by Jan 15, 2024
Pre-NFL Combine Workout Rankings

#        Pos      Pro Prospect               School
1          QB       Caleb Williams              Southern Cal
2         WR       Marvin Harrison Jr      Ohio State
3         QB       Drake Maye                  North Carolina
4         QB       Jayden Daniels              LSU
5         TE        Brock Bowers                Georgia
6        OT        Joe Alt                     Notre Dame
7        OT        Olu Fashanu                  Penn State
8        WR       Rome Odunze               Washington
9         WR       Malik Nabers                 LSU
10        OT        Taliese Fuaga               Oregon State
11        Edge    Dallas Turner                Alabama
12        DL        Jer’Zhan Newton           Illinois
13        Edge    Laiatu Latu                    UCLA
14        CB        Terrion Arnold               Alabama
15        Edge    Jared Verse                  Florida State
16        OT        Troy Fautanu                Washington
17        CB        Quinyon Mitchell            Toledo
18         C          Jackson Powers-Johnson    Oregon
19        CB        Nate Wiggins                Clemson
20        DB       Cooper DeJean             Iowa
21        OT        Amarius Mims               Georgia
22        CB        Ennis Rakestraw           Missouri
23        OT        JC Latham                    Alabama
24        CB        Kool-Aid McKinstry        Alabama
25        OT        Tyler Guyton                 Oklahoma
26        Edge    Chop Robinson             Penn State
27        WR       Keon Coleman             Florida State
28        Edge    Bralen Trice                  Washington
29         QB       Bo Nix                         Oregon
30        OT        Patrick Paul                  Houston
31        WR       Troy Franklin                 Oregon
32        QB       JJ McCarthy                  Michigan
33        Edge    Chris Braswell               Alabama
34        WR       Roman Wilson               Michigan
35        DL        Darius Robinson            Missouri
36        CB        Kamari Lassiter             Georgia
37        S          Tyler Nubin                   Minnesota
38        WR       Brian Thomas               LSU
39        OT        Graham Barton             Duke
40        DL        T’Vondre Sweat             Texas
41        OT        Jordan Morgan             Arizona
42        WR       Adonai Mitchell             Texas
43         DL        Braden Fiske                 Florida State
44        WR       Xavier Worthy               Texas
45        DL        Byron Murphy               Texas
46        QB       Michael Penix Jr.           Washington
47         S          Kamren Kinchens          Miami (Fl)
48         WR       Malachi Corley              Western Kentucky
49        LB        Payton Wilson                 NC State
50         DL        Leonard Taylor III         Miami (Fl)

 Frank Coyle is a long-time scout with nationwide ties with NFL and college coaches, scouts and player agents. He has a new column ‘The Word on the Street’ dedicated for the NFL Draft and Free agency insight and news with unique content during January through May. He was a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He does sports radio shows for CBS and ESPN on a year-round basis related to NFL and College Football especially during the postseason team and All-star Bowl time. He has worked for CBS Sports, NBC Sports, Yahoo and Rivals sports publications and web sites

51        OL        Cooper Beebe               Kansas State
52        WR       Ladd McConkey            Georgia
53        LB        Edgerrin Cooper            Texas A&M
54        WR       Xavier Legette               South Carolina
55        CB        Kalen King                    Penn State
56        OT        Kingsley Suamataia       BYU
57         OL        Zak Zinter                     Michigan
58        Edge    Adisa Isaac                   Penn State
59         DT        Kris Jenkins                  Michigan
60        S          Javon Bullard                Georgia
61        OT        Javon Foster                 Missouri
62        CB        T.J. Tampa                   Iowa State
63        LB        Jeremiah Trotter Jr.       Clemson
64         Edge    Jonah Elliss                  Utah
65         CB        DJ James                     Auburn
66        LB        Cedric Gray                  North Carolina
67         OT        Christian Jones             Texas
68         S          Calen Bullock                Southern Cal
69         Edge    Marshawn Kneeland      Western Michigan
70         TE        Cade Stover                 Ohio State
71        S          Cole Bishop                  Utah
72        WR       Ja’Lynn Polk                 Washington
73        DL        Mekhi Wingo                 LSU
74         WR       Tez Walker                   North Carolina
75         CB        Caelen Carson              Wake Forest
76        WR       Tory Horton                   Colorado State
77         TE        Ja’Tavion Sanders         Texas
78        OL        Sedrick Van Pran          Georgia
79        RB        Jonathan Brooks           Texas
80        OL        Kiran Amegadjie            Yale
81        OL        Christian Haynes           UConn
82        CB        Kris Abrams-Draine       Missouri
83         C          Zach Frazier                  West Virginia
84        DL        Maason Smith               LSU
85        LB        Tommy Eichenberg       Ohio State
86        WR       Johnny Wilson               Florida State
87         WR       Brennen Rice                USC
88        OL        Christian Mahogany       Boston College
89        QB       Spencer Rattler             South Carolina
90        DL        Ruke Orhorhoro            Clemson
91        RB        Braelon Allen                Wisconsin
92        RB        Blake Corum                 Michigan
93        Edge    Brandon Dorlus             Oregon
94        CB        Josh Newton                 TCU
95        S          James Williams             Miami (Fl)
96        RB        Audric Estime                Notre Dame
97         LB        Junior Colson                Michigan
98         RB        Jaylin Wright                 Tennessee
99        Edge    Austin Booker               Kansas
100       CB        Nehemiah Pritchett        Auburn




NFL Draft 2024 – Two Round Mock Draft – 5.0

NFL Draft 2024 – Two Round Mock Draft

February 26, 2024 
Frank Coyle/ Head scout

All underclassmen had until Jan. 15th to declare for the NFL Draft 2024. Players had three days to rescind their decision and return to school and still retain their college eligibility. No underclassmen rescinded their decision.

Pre-NFL Combine Super Bowl winner Kansas City will draft last in every round except for any Compensatory picks at the end of Rounds 3 thru 7.

Two Round Mock Draft – 5.0

 1st Round

#           Team              W/L       Pos       Player                          School
1 Chicago (Carolina – 2-15)        QB       Drake Maye                  North Carolina
2 Washington (4-13)                  QB       Jayden Daniels             LSU
3 New England (4-13)                QB       Caleb Williams             Southern Cal
4 Arizona (4-13)                          Edge    Dallas Turner                Alabama
5 Los Angeles Chargers (5-12)   WR       Marvin Harrison Jr         Ohio State
6 New York Giants (6-11)           OT        Olu Fashanu                 Penn State
7 Tennessee (6-11)                     WR       Rome Odunze               Washington
8 Atlanta (7-10)                          WR       Malik Nabers                 LSU
9 Chicago (7-10)                         OT        Joe Alt                         Notre Dame
10 New York Jets (7-10)            OT        Taliese Fuaga               Oregon State
11 Minnesota (7-10)                  DB       Cooper DeJean             Iowa
12 Denver (8-9)                         Edge    Laiatu Latu                    UCLA
13 Las Vegas (8-9)                    TE        Brock Bowers                Georgia
14 New Orleans (9-8)                CB        Terrion Arnold               Alabama
15 Indianapolis (9-8)                OT        Amarius Mims               Georgia
16 Seattle (9-8)                          DL        Jer’Zhan Newton           Illinois
17 Jacksonville (9-8)                  CB        Quinyon Mitchell            Toledo
18 Cincinnati (9-8)                     OT        Troy Fautanu                Washington
19 Los Angeles Rams (10-7)      CB        Nate Wiggins                Clemson
20 Pittsburgh (10-7)                   C     Jackson Powers-Johnson   Oregon
21 Miami (11-6)                            Edge    Jared Verse                        Florida State
22 Philadelphia (11-6)                CB        Kool-Aid McKinstry        Alabama
23 Houston (Cleveland – 11-6)    OT        JC Latham                    Alabama
24 Dallas (12-5)                            OT        Tyler Guyton                    Oklahoma
25 Green Bay (9-8)                     OT        Patrick Paul                     Houston
26 Tampa Bay (9-8)                    CB        Kamari Lassiter              Georgia
27 Arizona (Houston – 9-8)         WR       Troy Franklin                 Oregon
28 Buffalo (11-6)                          CB        Ennis Rakestraw             Missouri
29 Detroit (12-5)                          S          Tyler Nubin                     Minnesota
30 Baltimore (13-4)                    OT        Jordan Morgan             Arizona
31 San Francisco (12-5)             Edge    Chop Robinson              Penn State
32 Kansas City (11-6)                 WR       Keon Coleman               Florida State
 
2nd Round
33         Carolina                         WR       Adonai Mitchell             Texas
34         New England                 DL        Darius Robinson            Missouri
35         Arizona                           LB        Payton Wilson               NC State
36         Washington                   OL        Cooper Beebe               Kansas State
37         NY Giants                      Edge    Chris Braswell                Alabama
38         LA Chargers                  Edge    Bralen Trice                   Washington
39         Tennessee                        S          Kamren Kinchens           Miami (Fl)
40         Washington (Chicago)   OL        Graham Barton          Duke
41         Green Bay (NY Jets)      DT        T’Vondre Sweat           Texas
42         Minnesota                      QB       Michael Penix Jr.          Washington
43         Atlanta                            QB       Bo Nix                              Oregon
44         Las Vegas                      OT        Kingsley Suamataia       BYU
45         Denver                           QB       JJ McCarthy                   Michigan
46         Indianapolis                  DT        Kris Jenkins                  Michigan
47         NY Giants (Seattle)        S          Calen Bullock                Southern California
48         Jacksonville                  DL        Braden Fiske                 Florida State
49         Cincinnati                      WR       Brian Thomas               LSU
50         Phil (New Orleans)         S          Javon Bullard                Georgia
51         Pittsburgh                      WR       Roman Wilson               Michigan
52         LA Rams                        LB        Edgerrin Cooper            Texas A&M
53         Philadelphia                  DL        Leonard Taylor III          Miami (Fl)
54         Cleveland                      WR       Xavier Worthy               Texas
55         Miami                            CB        Kalen King                    Penn State
56         Dallas                            LB        Jeremiah Trotter Jr.       Clemson
57         Tampa Bay                   WR       Ladd McConkey            Georgia
58         Green Bay                    Edge    Jonah Elliss                  Utah
59         Houston                        OT        Javon Foster                 Missouri
60         Buffalo                          WR       Malachi Corley              Western Kentucky
61         Detroit                           OL        Zak Zinter                     Michigan
62         Baltimore                      WR       Tez Walker                   North Carolina
63         San Francisco               DL        Byron Murphy               Texas
64         Kansas City                   S          Cole Bishop                  Utah




NFL Combine 2024 Event Schedule

NFL Combine 2024 Event Schedule
‘Word on the Street’

Frank Coyle
www.draftinsiders.com

2024 NFL Combine 

The NFL Combine 2024 has opened with the arrival of 321 pro prospects over the next few days for the week-long event. It will be an active week of evaluation of pro prospects who will be broken down to four groups who will stay for 5 days of medical and interview evaluation before measurements, on field drills and bench presses complete their workout. DraftInsiders.com will have several scouts at the event and provide in-depth coverage.  

2024 NFL Scouting Combine Workout and Measurement Schedule

Thursday – 2/29/24
Measurements and On field Drills  – Edge Rushers, Defensive Line and Linebackers
         3 pm – 8 pm – NFL Network
 
Friday – 3/1/24
Measurements & On field Drills – Cornerbacks, Safeties and Tight Ends
  Bench Press – DL & TE
     3 pm – 8 pm – NFL Network
 
Saturday – 3/2/24
Measurements & On field Drills – Quarterbacks, Running Backs and Wide Receivers 
  Bench Press – Defensive Backs
     1 pm – 8 pm – NFL Network
 
Sunday – 3/3/24
Measurements & On field Drills – Running Backs, Offensive Tackles and Interior Offensive Linemen
  Bench Press – QB, RB, & WR
   1 pm – 7 pm – NFL Network
 
Monday, May 4th
Bench Press – Offensive Linemen & Special Teams
 




NFL Sets New Salary Cap

      NFL Free Agency 2024
NFL Sets New Salary Cap at $255.4 Million
Huge $30 Million Cap Increase Per Team

Frank Coyle / Head scout
www.draftinsiders.com

The NFL has surprisingly set the new salary cap for 2024 at $255.4M, an incredible $30.6 million increase from the 2023 team cap. That is the biggest cap increase since the salary cap started in 1994 when the original salary cap was only $34.6 million. This increase was a surprise to most NFL executives who expected an estimate in the $20 million dollar area. The announcement was also earlier than any year with the annual new cap always at the end of February. The recent caps since the Covid years have been held down by the paybacks.

This huge increase reflects the new television money where the NFL has expanded on multiple TV streaming platforms. The salary cap has grown at a steady pace until the Covid pandemic occurred. Future increases will probably be in the expected $25M range.

Teams over the salary cap will get some relief this year with 8 clubs in the red currently. They must be in positive cap money for the March 13th Free agency opening day. This offseason may see the biggest turnover of veteran releases on high contracts for teams to operate in the early FA period which starts March 13th. Tender offers will increase over expectations, in addition to proven performance escalators and rookie contracts.

DraftInsiders.com will have an extensive 2024 NFL Free Agency report in March
   Free for Full subscribers

We are in the Franchise and Transitional tag period which numbers of veterans could increase with the enormous higher cap in place. Teams are diligently combing their roster to restructure veteran contracts to create more salary cap space. The Saints restructured QB Derek Carr’s contract saving $23M for the new cap period.

The upcoming free agency period will be a pivotal time for NFL teams to reload for the 2024 season. The increased cap and restructured veteran contracts can make an amazing new makeover for clubs to compete for the NFL playoffs. The early negotiating window allows teams to speak to free agents and sign them within the first days of the free agency period. It will change the NFL landscape tremendously along with the Trading period which begins the same day. Those additions and losses will be the foundation of rosters entering the important NFL Draft.

Visit – Overthecap.com

2024 Salary Cap Space

Cap Space = (Team Salary Cap) – (Active Cap Spending) – (Dead Money)
Team Salary Cap = (Base Salary Cap) + (Carryover) ± (Adjustments) 
Effective Cap Space: the cap space a team will have after signing at least 51 players and its projected           rookie class to its roster.   

Base Salary Cap: $255,400,000     Statistics from Overthecap.com

Team              Cap Space     Effective Cap Space       #       Active Cap Spending   Dead Money

Commanders   $79,614,671      $67,806,345            49         $171,582,086                $11,933,514

Titans             $78,655,381      $72,565,839                  51         $152,102,981                 $31,850,988

Bears               $78,335,157      $66,248,878                  51         $170,014,987                 $10,539,071

Patriots            $77,955,006      $69,213,592                 55         $165,759,423                 $11,707,888

Colts                $72,337,573      $68,132,343                  62         $181,109,345                 $8,363,623

Texans             $67,583,290      $64,174,292                 54         $174,969,614                 $13,778,652

Lions               $57,614,821      $49,803,411                  45         $177,167,136                 $23,054,507

Cardinals         $53,054,463      $41,905,110                62         $198,221,670                 $14,151,579

Bengals           $51,020,373      $45,584,242                  49         $211,931,359                 $1,775,689

Bucs                 $43,682,067      $40,566,748                52         $192,531,646                 $21,888,078

Rams               $43,110,695      $39,225,710                  51         $212,388,824                 $3,902,765

Raiders            $42,936,109      $38,343,993                  56         $204,052,911                 $15,002,160

Vikings            $35,807,132      $30,682,041                  54         $222,260,496                 $3,508,541

Panthers          $34,572,274      $32,520,236                  55         $215,359,328                 $9,230,998

Falcons            $33,004,013      $27,228,994                  57         $223,994,196                 $3,023,102

Giants             $30,801,691      $22,999,424                  51         $209,557,237                 $17,542,850

Eagles             $27,354,811      $23,244,756                  64         $222,789,618                 $7,278,900

Jaguars           $24,683,167      $20,520,846                52         $237,026,468                 $806,259

Chiefs             $18,194,240      $15,451,427                  54         $234,875,275                 $3,857,097

Ravens            $16,631,328      $12,871,589                  50         $231,810,045                 $9,096,530

Seahawks        $12,969,647      $7,910,407                  49         $247,867,087                 $237,492

Jets                  $12,756,122      $8,169,238                    52         $229,058,404                 $18,331,968

Steelers           $9,005,846        $5,304,852                 63         $239,194,713                 $9,539,633

Packers           $2,340,288        ($2,179,969)               60         $244,695,581                 $15,118,132

Teams currently over the cap

49ers               ($5,066,251)      ($8,344,657)                  56         $287,715,903                 $9,145,613

Browns            ($7,458,897)      ($8,634,913)                57         $279,131,620               $14,972,782

Cowboys         ($9,933,127)      ($12,985,490)              58         $255,464,019               $14,771,496

Broncos           ($16,811,078)    ($20,573,431)                61         $263,994,831                 $9,693,124

Chargers          ($25,607,797)    ($35,160,383)             49         $263,988,882                $24,556,666

Dolphins          ($27,919,894)    ($36,468,784)            44         $267,655,998                $16,809,238

Saints             ($42,089,497)    ($46,149,348)                55         $297,076,846                 $2,840,956

Bills                 ($43,815,909)    ($47,064,828)                53         $288,533,131                 $12,221,717

Frank Coyle is a long-time scout with nationwide ties with NFL and college coaches, scouts and player agents. He is a member of the FWAA and voter in major college player awards – Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Lombardi, Thorpe, Biletnikoff etc. for the past 30 years. He writes College Football Mondays weekly during the season.

 He has a new column ‘The Word on the Street’ dedicated for the NFL Draft and Free agency insight and news with unique content during January through May. He was a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He does sports radio shows for CBS and ESPN on a year-round basis related to NFL and College Football especially during the postseason team and All-star Bowl time. He has worked for CBS Sports, NBC Sports, Yahoo and Rivals sports publications and web sites

 

 




New College Football Playoff Format

‘Word on the Street’

Frank Coyle
www.draftinsiders.com

College Football Playoffs 2024
Format Confirmed For 12-Team Playoff

The College Football Playoff (CFP) Board of Managers today unanimously revised the qualifying criteria for the 12-team event to now include the five highest-ranked conference champions, plus the next seven highest-ranked teams as determined by the CFP Selection Committee.

“This is a very logical adjustment for the College Football Playoff based on the evolution of our conference structures since the board first adopted this new format in September 2022,” said Dr. Mark Keenum, President of Mississippi State University and Chair of the CFP Board of Managers. “I know this change will also be well received by student-athletes, coaches and fans. We all will be pleased to see this new format come to life on the field this postseason.”

This change modifies the original plan, which called for the bracket each year to include the six highest-ranked conference champions, plus the next six highest-ranked teams.

Under the 12-team playoff format that begins this fall, the four highest-ranked conference champions will be seeded one through four and each will receive a first-round bye, while teams seeded five through 12 will play each other in the first round on the home field of the higher-ranked team. (The team ranked #5 will host #12; team #6 will meet team #11; team #7 will play team #10; and team #8 will meet #9.) The quarterfinals and semifinals will be played in the New Year’s Six bowl games, the national championship game will continue to be at a neutral site. No conference will qualify automatically and there will be no limit on the number of participants from a conference.

About the College Football Playoff

The College Football Playoff (CFP) is the event that crowns the national champion in college football. The CFP Selection Committee ranks the top 25 teams at the end of the season, and the 12 playoff participants consist of the six highest ranked conference champions, plus the next six highest ranked teams. The four highest ranked conference champions will be seeded one through four and receive a first-round bye. The schools seeded five through eight will host those seeded nine through 12 in first-round games. The quarterfinals and semifinals rotate annually among six bowl games – the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic, Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, Capital One Orange Bowl, Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Rose Bowl Game presented by Prudential and the Allstate Sugar Bowl. This year’s quarterfinals will take place on Dec. 31, 2024 and January 1, 2025, while the semifinals will be January 9-10, 2025. The College Football Playoff National Championship will be Monday, January 20, 2025, at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. For additional information on the College Football Playoff, visit  CollegeFootballPlayoff.com

Members of the CFP board of managers include many conference Presidents.  

 Frank Coyle is a long-time scout with nationwide ties with NFL and college coaches, scouts and player agents. He is a member of the FWAA and voter in major college player awards – Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Lombardi, Thorpe, Biletnikoff etc. for the past 30 years. He writes College Football Mondays weekly during the season.

 He has a new column ‘The Word on the Street’ dedicated for the NFL Draft and Free agency insight and news with unique content during January through May. He was a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He does sports radio shows for CBS and ESPN on a year-round basis related to NFL and College Football especially during the postseason team and All-star Bowl time. He has worked for CBS Sports, NBC Sports, Yahoo and Rivals sports publications and web sites




NFL Dates 2024 – Postseason Schedule

NFL Dates 2024

Feb. 20 – Beginning today through 4:00 p.m., New York time on March 5, clubs may designate Franchise or Transition Players.

Feb. 26 –March 4
NFL Scouting Combine, Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis

March
March 5 Prior to 4:00 p.m., New York time, deadline for clubs to designate Franchise or Transition Players.

March 11-13 – During the period beginning at 12:00 noon, New York time, on March 11 and ending at 3:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 13, clubs are permitted to contact, and enter into contract negotiations with the certified agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents upon the expiration of their 2023 player contracts at 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 13.

During the above two-day negotiating period, a prospective UFA who is not represented by an NFLPA Certified Contract Advisor (“Unrepresented Player”) is permitted to communicate directly with a new club’s front office officials (excluding the head coach and other members of the club’s coaching staff) regarding contract negotiations. The club is responsible for confirming the player’s status as an Unrepresented Player.

No prospective unrestricted free agent is permitted to execute a contract with a new club until 4:00 p.m., New York time, on March 13.

March 13
The 2024 League Year and Free Agency signing period begin at 4:00 p.m., New York time.
Trading period for 2024 begins at 4:00 p.m., New York time, after expiration of all 2023 contracts.

The first day of the 2024 League Year will end at 11:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 13. Clubs will receive a Personnel Notice that will include all transactions submitted to the League office during the period between 4:00 p.m., New York time, and 11:59:59 p.m., New York time, on March 13.

March 24-27 – Annual League Meeting, Orlando, FL

April
April 1 – Clubs that hired a new head coach after the end of the 2023 regular season may begin offseason workout programs.

April 15 – Clubs with returning head coaches may begin offseason workout programs.

April 17 – Deadline for clubs to time, test, visit, interview or conduct a physical examination with a draft- eligible player at its club facility.

April 19 – Deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets.

April 24 – Deadline for prior club to exercise Right of First Refusal to restricted free agents who signed offer sheets.
Deadline for clubs to time, test, visit, interview (including video and phone calls) or conduct a physical examination with a draft-eligible player at any location.

April 25-27 – NFL Draft, Detroit

May
May 2 – Deadline for Clubs to exercise Fifth-Year Option for players selected in the first round of the 2021 Draft.
May 3-6 or May 10-13 – Clubs may elect to hold their one three-day post-Draft rookie minicamp from Friday through Sunday or Saturday through Monday on one of the two weekends following the Draft.

May 13 – Rookie Football Development Programs begin.

May 20-22 – Spring League Meeting/Coach Accelerator, Nashville, TN




NFL Draft 2024 – Positional Rankings

NFL Draft 2024 – Positional Rankings

Offensive Linemen – Top Ten Prospects

Prospect Rankings – NFL Draft 2024 – Feb Rankings
Pre-NFL Combine 2024

Photo – Joe Alt – Notre Dame
(Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

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Prospect Rankings – Feb Rankings Report includes Top 500+ Prospects – available now

Offensive Players – Tackles, Guards & Centers
Frank Coyle / Head scout

Top Ten Linemen

Offensive Tackles
# Player                         Ht/Wt      College
1 Olu Fashanu                6-5, 325    Penn State
2 Joe Alt                          6-7, 315    Notre Dame
3 Tailese Fuaga              6-6, 330  Oregon State
4 Tyler Guyton               6-7, 330  Oklahoma
5 Amarius Mims            6-6, 320   Georgia
6 JC Latham                   6-5, 335   Alabama
7 Jordan Morgan           6-5, 315    Arizona
8 Christian Jones          6-5, 320   Texas
9 Patrick Paul                 6-7, 330   Houston
10 Kingsley Saumaala   6-5, 330   BYU

Guards
# Player                          Ht/Wt       College
1 Troy Fantanu                  6-4, 315     Washington
2 Cooper Beebe                 6-3, 335     Kansas State
3 Graham Barton              6-5, 310     Duke
4 Zak Zinter                        6-5, 315     Michigan
5 Christian Mahogany      6-3, 330    Boston College
6 Christian Haynes           6-3, 320    UConn
7 Javion Cohen                  6-4, 320   Miami
8 Tanor Bortolini              6-4, 305   Wisconsin
9 Sataoa Laumea               6-4, 320   Utah
10 Beaux Limmer              6-5, 300   Arkansas

Centers
# Player                                 Ht/Wt      College
1 Jackson Powers-Johnson   6-3, 335     Oregon
2 Sedrick Van Pran                6-4, 310      Georgia
3 Zach Frazier                         6-3, 315      West Virginia
4 Drake Nugent                      6-1, 300      Michigan
5 Kingsley Equakun               6-3, 300     Florida
6 Matthew Lee                        6-3, 295      Miami
7 Dylan McMahon                 6-3, 305      NC State
8 Nick Samac                          6-4, 300     Michigan State
9 Will Putnam                        6-4, 315      Clemson
10 Bryan Hudson                   6-3, 305     Louisville




NFL Draft 2024 – Positional Rankings

Prospect Rankings – NFL Draft 2024 – Feb Rankings

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Offensive Players – Skill Positions
Frank Coyle / Head scout

Quarterbacks
# Player              Ht/Wt        College
1 Caleb Williams 6-1, 215 Southern Cal
2 Drake May 6-3, 220 North Carolina
3 Jayden Daniels 6-3, 205      LSU
4 Bo Nix 6-2, 220 Oregon
5 Michael Penix 6-3, 215 Washington
6 JJ McCarthy 6-2, 200 Michigan
7 Spencer Rattler 6-1, 220 South Carolina
8 Michael Pratt 6-3, 215 Tulane
9 Jordan Travis 6-1, 215 Florida State
10 Devin Leary 6-1, 215 Kentucky

Running Backs
# Player                 Ht/Wt    College
1 Jonathan Brooks 6-0, 210 Texas
2 Trey Benson 6-0, 215 Florida State
3 Audric Estime 5-11, 225 Notre Dame
4 Blake Corum 5-8, 210 Michigan
5 Braelon Allen 6-2, 240 Wisconsin
6 Will Shipley 5-10, 205 Clemson
7 Jaylen Wright 5-11, 210 Tennessee
8 Dillon Johnson 5-11, 220 Washington
9 Cody Schrader 5-8, 210 Missouri
10 MarShawn Lloyd 5-9, 210 Southern Cal

Tight Ends
# Player         Ht/Wt      College
1 Brock Bowers 6-3, 235 Georgia
2 Ja’Tavion Sanders 6-4, 250 Texas
3 Cade Stover 6-4, 255 Ohio State
4 Theo Johnson 6-6, 255 Penn State
5 Jaheim Bell 6-2, 245 Florida State
6 Brevyn Spann-Ford 6-7, 265 Minnesota
7 Ben Sinnott 6-4, 255 Kansas State
8 Jared Wiley 6-6, 255 TCU
9 AJ Barner 6-6, 250 Michigan
10 Dallin Holker 6-3, 245 Colorado State

Wide Receivers
# Player                    Ht/Wt       College
1 Marvin Harrison 6-4, 205 Ohio State
2 Rome Odunze 6-2, 210 Washington
3 Malik Nabers 6-0, 195 LSU
4 Brian Thomas 6-4, 210 LSU
5 Keon Coleman 6-3, 210 Florida State
6 Troy Franklin 6-2, 185 Oregon
7 Xavier Worthy 6-0, 170 Texas
8 Roman Wilson 5-11, 185 Michigan
9 AD Mitchell 6-4, 200 Texas
10 Ladd McConkey 5-11, 190 Georgia

Frank Coyle has published Draft Insiders’ Digest for 33 years
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