Dan Graziano Ryan Clark NFL Draft Get Up Screen grab: ESPN’s ‘Get Up’
By Ben Axelrod on

As you may have heard, the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft will take place on Thursday night.

And in case you’ve somehow missed it, ESPN has you covered with wall to wall analysis of the event throughout its Thursday programming.

That included a discussion on Get Up regarding which prospects in this year’s class should be considered “can’t miss.” But while Mike Tannenbaum bestowed the designation on presumptive No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams, Ryan Clark used his turn to disagree with the segment’s entire premise.

“They all can miss. Hell, if there was can’t-miss players, Mike T wouldn’t be working for us. This job is hard. It’s hard to evaluate players,” the former NFL defensive back said. “I’m never going to give a guy a can’t miss grade. Not in this draft or any.”

Despite Clark’s objections, the segment moved forward with a focus on receivers, with Tannenbaum proclaiming LSU’s Malik Nabers his can’t-miss wideout. The show then proceeded to examine a chart displaying the hit rate on first-round picks since 2000, which prompted Dan Graziano to provide his opinion on NFL Draft analysis.

“You’re going to come out of tonight with a list of guys who went in the first round and some of them aren’t going to make it. That’s the harsh truth,” Graziano said. “The most important thing that fans never seem to understand about the draft: literally no one knows how any of these players is going to play in the NFL. Literally no one knows how any of these players is going to play in the NFL, period.”

While Graziano’s comment was directed toward fans, it wouldn’t have been surprising to hear someone shushing him from inside of ESPN’s Seaport Studios. When it comes to NFL Draft coverage, Graziano said the quiet part out loud: nobody truly knows anything, whether it be the fans watching from home, analysts talking on TV or the teams making the picks.

Look no further than a mere three years ago when the draft’s first round featured quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson, Trey Lance, Justin Fields and Mac Jones. Once considered to be a generational prospect, Lawrence has had an up and down first three seasons in Jacksonville, while Wilson, Lance, Fields and Jones have each already been traded from the teams that drafted them before the end of their rookie contracts.

While there is plenty worth examining regarding the draft, the reality is that at the end of the day, it’s all a big guessing game. Not that that will — or should — stop anyone from following it. Just don’t be surprised if most of the takes look silly three years from now, if not sooner.

[Awful Announcing on X]

About Ben Axelrod

Ben Axelrod is a veteran of the sports media landscape, having most recently worked for NBC's Cleveland affiliate, WKYC. Prior to his time in Cleveland, he covered Ohio State football and the Big Ten for outlets including Cox Media Group, Bleacher Report, Scout and Rivals.

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