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.”
ESPN's Ryan Clark on which quarterback is a can't miss prospect: "They all can miss. Hell, if there was can't miss players, [Mike Tannenbaum] wouldn't be working for us. This job is hard… I'm never going to give a guy a can't miss grade. Not in this draft or any." pic.twitter.com/4pL17Yvjel
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 25, 2024
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.”
ESPN's Dan Graziano: "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." pic.twitter.com/etJVec0SMc
— Awful Announcing (@awfulannouncing) April 25, 2024
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.
