The 2024 wide receiver class has something for everyone.

Think of any wide receiver archetype imaginable and I bet there is a top-75 prospect in this class who fits the bill.

From big to small, fast to quick, polished to physically overwhelming, this class has elite talents at the top and a deep roster of Day 2 players to fill out the rest of the group. It will be almost impossible for receiver-needy teams to walk out of draft weekend without a fresh face at the position.

Talented as they all are, it's worth exploring why they're different from each other, especially within each tier.

Take the top three receivers, for instance: Marvin Harrison Jr., Rome Odunze and Malik Nabers. They're all multi-faceted receivers worth a top-10 pick, but all of their calling cards are vastly different. One technician, one ball-winner and one YAC specialist.

That's true even in the next tier with the speedy Brian Thomas Jr. and powerful Keon Coleman. It's true again in the following tier with the dichotomy between Jalen McMillan and Roman Wilson versus Ja'Lynn Polk. Jump yet another tier and you still get vastly different skill sets right up against each other, such as the short and burly Malachi Corley versus the tall and lanky Troy Franklin.

Even when two receivers are seemingly equals in terms of quality, they couldn't be further apart in style. That's the beauty in this class. No matter one's preferences or prospect guardrails, there will be a bevy of options to choose from.

Marvin Harrison Jr.: Route-Running

It's not right to say Marvin Harrison Jr. has one standout trait. He's awesome at everything. It's why he is considered one of the best wide receiver prospects of a generation.

Maybe he isn't as dynamic with the ball in his hands as some of his contemporaries, but he's otherwise a sensational prospect.

If we have to pick a single area to define Harrison's game, though, it would be his route-running.

It's wild that the son of a Hall of Fame wide receiver knows how to run routes, right? It's so obvious when you watch Harrison on film.

At the line of scrimmage, the 21-year-old shows he can vary the speeds and presentation of his releases to keep DBs guessing. That alone gives his route-running a good foundation.

Harrison shows the same traits at the top of his routes. He understands how to throttle up and down to make DBs uncomfortable and keep them on their heels. From there, he shows ruthlessly efficient footwork to get in and out of routes, not to mention the explosiveness to create consistent separation out of those breaks.

What really dazzles about the Ohio State product's route-running is how smooth he is for his size. He is a tall, lanky player at 6'3" and 209 pounds. He doesn't move like a stiff at all. He is both quick-footed and explosive, yet smooth and flexible as he drops his hips to bend for certain routes.

There just aren't a whole lot of receivers with Harrison's size and length who move the way he does as a route-runner. Short-area quickness, burst, long speed, flexibility; you name the trait and he has put all of it on tape while running routes.

Combine that with his ability to find the ball in the air, and you've got a pretty special receiver prospect.

Potential Fits: New England Patriots, Arizona Cardinals, any of the other 30 teams

Rome Odunze: Ball Skills

Some receivers just catch the ball. Simple as that.

Think of players such as Larry Fitzgerald, Mike Evans and DeAndre Hopkins. Skilled as they may be at other aspects of the position, the foundation of their games is that the ball does not escape their grasp under any circumstance.

Like those greats, Rome Odunze is an enticing prospect for a laundry list of reasons, but it's his ball skills that stand out above the rest.

At a fraction under 6'3" and 213 pounds, the 21-year-old brings the exact type of frame you expect of a ball-winner. He's tall, long and well-built, perfectly sculpted for the task of bringing down difficult catches.

From a technical standpoint, it's hard to do it any cleaner than Odunze. He does an incredible job of tracking the ball and understanding where the earliest point of access will be. With that information in mind, he times his jumps incredibly well and almost always makes sure to secure inside positioning on the ball to box out defenders. It's nigh impossible to lodge the ball out of his grasp from that position.

The Washington product also plays with a death grip over the ball. The instant the football touches his hands, he squeezes it and tucks it tight to his frame as quickly as he can. He leaves almost no chance for defenders to pry it loose.

It's not just a matter of remembering Odunze's best moments in the air, either. He is exceptionally consistent at making tough catches.

According to Matt Harmon of Yahoo Sports and Reception Perception, about 23 percent of his charted targets were contested. That's a huge number, less a product of any separation issues and more a product of Michael Penix Jr.'s blind faith.

Odunze delivered on that blind faith. He was successful on 88.9 percent of his charted contested catch targets. Moreover, he did not drop a single pass in the games Harmon charted.

So, when we say Odunze catches everything, it's not really hyperbole. He really does haul in just about everything that comes his way. He's a vacuum of space that footballs can't escape.

Potential Fits: New York Giants, Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars

Malik Nabers: Yards After Catch

For my money, Malik Nabers is the third-best receiver in the class. Marvin Harrison Jr. is a cut above, and I give Rome Odunze a slight edge over Nabers.

At the same time, it's easy to understand the string of logic that gets someone to crown Nabers as the best WR in the class.

Earning yards after the catch is, arguably, the most important skill a receiver can have right now. It's certainly the most game-breaking. Just look at the San Francisco 49ers for proof of that.

To that end, the LSU product is by far the best YAC WR in the class. He's the type of receiver who turns into a natural running back the moment the ball hits his hands. The blend of vision, speed, explosiveness and balance that he brings is special.

It all starts with Nabers' transition from pass-catcher to ball-carrier. The moment the ball hits his hands, he explodes either up the field or away from the most immediate defender, whichever option fits the situation.

The 20-year-old also becomes instantly and keenly aware of his surroundings, showing off superb vision in the open field. He always finds the right path, yet he rarely gets caught wasting time pitter-pattering his feet. He's always moving and almost never in the wrong direction.

That doesn't even get to Nabers' balance. He sports an average build at 6'0" and 200 pounds, but he plays with the balance and tackle-breaking ability of a 215-pounder. The raw explosiveness and ability to find his feet no matter what is remarkable for a player his size.

To be clear, he is more than a pseudo running back. He's an explosive route-runner and a reliable deep threat. There are times when he shows he can win the ball in the air as well.

If Nabers truly becomes a star, though, it will be because of what he does when he has the ball in his hands.

Potential Fits: Los Angeles Chargers, Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars

Keon Coleman: Play Strength

Every WR class needs a bully. Just a big guy who knocks everybody around. Running routes, making contested catches, throwing blocks...it doesn't matter. Whatever that player does is done with the intent to be bigger and badder than their opponent.

Keon Coleman is that guy this year.

He is well-built at 6'3", 213 pounds, and he's not afraid to flex that muscle. As a route-runner, what he lacks in agility and quickness, he makes up for with physicality. He's difficult to corral at the line of scrimmage and slow down throughout his routes. He isn't the type of receiver who gets knocked off his stem or pushed into the boundary very often.

Likewise, Coleman does well to use his frame and strength at the top of routes. He does well to fight and push off without being so egregious as to warrant OPI calls.

The same is true when the ball is in the air. The 20-year-old's injuries throughout the 2023 season sapped him of his consistency in this department, but his best contested catches are still as overwhelming as any other receiver in the class. He leaps into the air with such power and has a frame that can't really be wrestled away from the ball.

Coleman's power and strength also converts into YAC ability. Nobody is going to mistake him for Malik Nabers in the open field, but when he needs to grind out some tough yards, he's got the goods. He is a tough, physical ball-carrier with just enough wiggle and pop to be a nightmare to bring down in the underneath area.

The Florida State product's power even extends to blocking. He can throw a mean block on the perimeter. There are plenty of instances of him completely swallowing up a defender at the goal line to open up a walk-in touchdown. He won't walk into the league as polished and mean as Puka Nacua or anything, but he sure has the foundation to be a useful blocker.

For teams that need a full-bodied X receiver with strength and ball skills, Coleman is the guy.

Potential Fits: Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots

Brian Thomas Jr.: Speed

Size and speed will always be at a premium in the NFL. They are simple guardrails, but no matter how the sport evolves, being bigger and/or faster than the opponent will always be in vogue.

That's what makes Brian Thomas Jr. an easy prospect to understand. He is a lean 6'3" and 209 pounds with a 4.33s 40-yard dash time. Both boxes checked with ease.

His 4.33 isn't "fake" track speed, either. Those burners show up on film all the time.

Thomas comes off the line with acceleration that is more good than great, but when he gets to striding, watch out. By the fourth or fifth step on any vertical route, he is rolling into top speed. He plays with a long, easy gait that allows him to glide right by defenders and create separation down the field as easily as the rest of us take a breath.

LSU made no mistakes with how it used Thomas' speed. All it asked him to do was either get vertical or run routes that play off the vertical route tree, such as deep comebacks or digs.

Everything the Tigers did with him was on the basis of how terrifying he is to defend step for step on a vertical plane. It's the reason (at least) half of his highlights are go balls and slot fades.

Thomas' speed would be scary on its own, but his frame really puts it over the top. Flying around the field the way he does at 6'3" with an 89th-percentile wingspan is just outrageous. There aren't a whole lot of those guys who exist.

All that being said, the 21-year-old will need to work on expanding his route tree in the NFL and playing the ball better in the air. The former should come with time and coaching, but the latter may be trickier to develop.

Regardless, his combination of size and speed alone will make him a useful pro. There's a lot of Martavis Bryant to his game. Perhaps with a little more polish, Thomas could become something even better.

Potential Fits: Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills

Jalen McMillan: Route-Running

It's easy to forget about players when they aren't on the field. Jalen McMillan is a testament to that.

A mid-September knee injury kept the Washington product out for a majority of the season, and he only returned the week before the Pac-12 Championship Game against Oregon.

McMillan was productive both before and after the injury, but the missed time did more to affect his draft stock than anything, especially with the likes of Rome Odunze and Ja'Lynn Polk holding down the fort in his absence.

Missed games be damned, though. McMillan is still one of the best receiver prospects in the class. That was the case heading into the season and nothing he put on tape in 2023 should deter us from that.

More specifically, the 22-year-old is among the most gifted route-runners in this class.

McMillan has it all athletically. He sports an average 6'1", 197-pound build and moves with exceptional grace and explosiveness. His movements both pop and flow together cohesively, like river rapids ebbing and flowing to its final destination. The ease with which he can bend and snap his body around as a route-runner is fascinating.

He is a detailed route-runner as well. He doesn't let those athletic gifts go to waste. He dresses up his routes with different releases, constantly keeping DBs scrambling. At the top of routes, he does well to not give away breaks too early, but instead "steps on the toes" of DBs and attacks them until the very last moment before snapping things off.

If necessary, McMillan will even use his body and arms to create bits of separation: a little push off here to stop a DB from breaking, or a hand swipe there to get someone off balance.

The main "concern" with McMillan is that he may be a slot-only player. That's largely where he played at Washington.

However, I'm open to the idea that this is a Justin Jefferson-LSU situation. McMillan isn't the same caliber of prospect, but like Jefferson, he was cast into the slot more as a means to accommodate his Huskies teammates, Odunze and Polk, who function better outside.

When McMillan did get chances to spell for one of the two on the outside, he acquitted himself well. You saw a lot of the same athletic traits and route-running ability from the outside that he always provides from the slot.

Maybe his slimmer frame hurt him a little more against press on the outside but not so much that it precludes him from playing out there.

Regardless, McMillan is bringing some serious route-running chops to the NFL.

Potential Fits: Los Angeles Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals, Philadelphia Eagles

Roman Wilson: Route-Running

Roman Wilson isn't built like the other receivers in this class. He is 5'11" and 185 pounds with a 12th-percentile wingspan.

In a class of outside receivers, he might be the only pure slot player of the first 10 receivers selected. His profile stands out among those around him.

When you watch the 22-year-old play, though, it's so easy to see why his game will translate. He is a smart, savvy player and an effortless mover in every sense of the phrase. There isn't any one athletic trait that pops off the tape, but he checks the box in every category and understands fully how to make the most of what he's got.

Above all, it's Wilson's body control and fluidity that makes his athleticism work. Sure, he's quick and explosive and has 4.39s speed, but it's the cohesiveness with which all of his movement flows together that make it all so dangerous. His route-running really shines a light on that.

The Michigan product is a detailed route-runner through and through. He can use his speed to tear right past defenders, but he can also use it as bait to open up other routes. He does a great job tempo-ing himself throughout routes, keeping DBs off-kilter and ill-prepared to attack his route breaks.

On top of that, Wilson comes out of his route breaks cleanly himself. He can sink his hips, turn and fire out of a break with the grace of a ballroom dancer. It's a devilish trait to have for any area of the field, but especially in the 1-15 yard range where he'll likely see most of his work.

He attacks zone coverage well, too. He shows great spatial awareness. He knows when to sit, where to sit and how to adjust his spot relative to defenders. Again, for all the work he is going to do between 1-15 yards from the slot, that's a great trait to have.

Like I said at the top, Wilson is probably more limited than his peers. The lack of size and struggles beating press coverage will relegate him to a lot of slot snaps. He can be really effective in that role, though.

Potential Fits: Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders

Ja'Lynn Polk: Ball Skills

In talking to other analysts and scouts, I've said Ja'Lynn Polk is a lot like Washington teammate Rome Odunze, only a round-and-a-half worse in terms of quality. That's most apparent when it's time to attack the ball in the air.

Polk is among the most sure-handed receivers in the class. He might have the crown, even over Odunze. It's at least a discussion. (Not hard to see why Michael Penix Jr. heaved the ball down the field so often, is it?)

Polk carries big 9¾" mitts and knows exactly how to use them. No matter how difficult, he finds a way to get both hands on the ball and secure it back into his body with incredible consistency. It's almost robotic the way he snatches and clutches the ball so reliably, as if his body is programmed to do exactly that.

The 21-year-old's work before getting his hands on the ball is uber-impressive as well. Beyond just having the ball tracking and strong hands to reel throws in, he does an excellent job putting himself in the right positions. He knows how and when to use his body to shield the ball, making it tougher for DBs to get a hand in.

Polk also understands when to time his jumps to find the ball at its earliest point. He's almost never too early or too late attacking it. It doesn't hurt that he cleared the 75th percentile in both jump drills at the NFL combine, either. The guy can get airtime.

Given his average speed and agility, he's going to need to win with short-area burst and contested catch ability in the NFL. Luckily his ability to find and fight for the ball is up to the task of making up for the rest of his game.

There's a clear role for Polk in the NFL as a ball-winning No.2.

Potential Fits: Carolina Panthers, New York Giants, Jacksonville Jaguars

Best of the Rest

Xavier Worthy: Speed/Explosion

There's not much explanation needed for someone who breaks the 40-yard dash record. Small as he may be, Xavier Worthy is speed personified and plenty explosive to boot. There's something to him as a route-runner, too. He falls somewhere along the Mecole Hardman to Jameson Williams spectrum.

Potential Fits: Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, Dallas Cowboys

Ladd McConkey: Route-Running

Ladd McConkey is as polished and explosive a route-runner as you'll find outside the top 10 in this class. But make no mistake: He is not a slot-only player. His best routes are comebacks, outs and post routes from an outside alignment, routes that highlight his burst and snappy route transitions. He is more of a vertical Z than a pure slot player.

Potential Fits: Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots

Adonai Mitchell: Athleticism

Adonai Mitchell is the ultimate dice roll in this class. He checks every box athletically. At 6'2" and 205 pounds, he blazed a 4.34s 40-yard dash and hit at least the 89th percentile in both jumps. All of that explosiveness pops off the film, as does his strikingly smooth stride and flexibility. He just hasn't put all those tools together into a cohesive product yet.

Potential Fits: Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills, New York Giants

Jermaine Burton: Ball Skills

Jermaine Burton checks a lot of boxes. He's a clean route-runner with good speed down the field. He's a tough, smart player overall. Where he really shines, though, is in finding the ball in the air. Though he sports a modest build, he shows incredible ability to pluck the ball from the air at its earliest point. He can contort his body to the ball from any angle, all while maintaining awareness of the sideline to keep his feet in bounds. He has a lot of skills that suggest he will outplay his draft slot.

Potential Fits: Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars, Dallas Cowboys

Xavier Legette: Size/Speed

Big man run fast. Sometimes it's that simple. That's certainly the gist of things with Xavier Legette. A fifth-year breakout, he brings outrageous speed and explosion for a 6'1", 221-pounder. That athleticism shows up best when he has the ball in his hands. Once he's a ball-carrier, he turns into a hulking mass of man barrelling through defenses with serious speed. Legette is a human Bullet Bill.

Potential Fits: New York Giants, Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams

Malachi Corley: YAC

Everyone loves a short, stocky receiver with a mean streak, hence everyone loves Malachi Corley. A sturdy 5'11" and 215 pounds, he is more running back than wide receiver. He's not yet a polished, expansive route-runner, but my word can he bring the pain with the ball in his hands. He's an explosive, violent ball-carrier with the natural vision and balance to squeeze out extra yards in any scenario. At the very least, he is going to be a nice screen and underneath YAC threat in the NFL.

Potential Fits: San Francisco 49ers, Miami Dolphins, New Orleans Saints

Troy Franklin: Speed

Troy Franklin is about as wiry as receivers come. At the NFL combine, he measured in a hair under 6'2" and 176 pounds. Thankfully, he runs exactly as fast as you would expect for someone that slight. He's a true downfield burner, complete with explosive lateral ability to work himself free early in routes in order to stride out later. If anything, he might be faster than his 4.41s 40-yard dash, seeing as he had flu ahead of the combine.

Potential Fits: Las Vegas Raiders, Carolina Panthers

Ricky Pearsall: Ball Skills

Ricky Pearsall clears a lot of bars. He's a solid route-runner with ample speed and agility. Ball skills are what really kick his game up a notch, though. He made some of the wildest highlight catches of any prospect this year, including his viral one-hander versus Charlotte. Not every catch is that spectacular, but he generally shows good ball-tracking and concentration in traffic. Those are great traits to have for someone who will likely play both inside and outside in the NFL.

Potential Fits: Atlanta Falcons, Cincinnati Bengals