Joel Klatt: Top 5 defensive players in the 2024 NFL Draft

We are just over a month away from the 2024 NFL Draft, which I will be covering live in Detroit this year. My preparation for the three-day event is well underway, which is why I want to dive into this topic so heavily as we await the start of spring football.

This week, I went through the top defensive players in this year’s draft class and ranked them, 1-5. First off, let me say that I think the offensive players are going to dominate the first round of this draft. There’s not going to be a ton of defenders taken early on, especially in the first half of the first round. That said, I could rank the top-five players for every defensive position group, but instead, I want to combine all defenders into one category. 

These are the guys who are going to hear their names called on the opening night of the draft.

5. Alabama CB Terrion Arnold

Arnold was recruited as a five-star safety, didn’t get on the field as a freshman, and then came out and was named a freshman All-American last year and a first-team All-American this year. The dude can play.

Kool-Aid McKinstry got the bulk of the press at Alabama, but Arnold was the better player. He had five interceptions, which was tied for the SEC lead. The fact that he only played two years and didn’t get on the field as a freshman … I think it’s very easy to say that his best football is ahead of him. There’s no way that this guy has peaked. He can go and have a career with major upside and major potential. I think he has a pretty high floor and a very high ceiling.

The reason he fell to No. 5 in my rankings is, candidly, his direct comparison to a guy who ran a faster 40-yard dash. Arnold ran a 4.50, which was a bit disappointing. But then, when you watch his film, I really like him.

4. Penn State EDGE Chop Robinson

This guy lit it up at the combine. He has great size and speed, and he’s a terrific athlete. Let’s face it, that’s what we’ve come to expect from Penn State defenders. Look at what Micah [Parsons] is doing in the NFL. I don’t know if Robinson is going to do that, but his first step is impressive. You cannot block him with that first step.

Robinson ran a 4.58 40-yard dash at 254 pounds — that’s wild. Among edge rushers at the NFL Combine, he had the second-fastest 40, tied for the fastest 10-yard split, tied for the longest broad jump, and he had the second-fastest 20-yard shuttle. This dude is an athlete, and he gets after it. So, if he’s going to be that good and that unblockable, why is he No. 4 and not No. 1 on this list? It’s because I didn’t see the production at Penn State. I wanted more. Every time I called Penn State’s games and watched his film, I think to myself, ‘How does this guy not have more sacks?’ 

Now, to be fair, you can’t beat an offensive lineman faster than he beat the right tackle at Michigan in the first couple of series. He was the main reason Michigan ran the football 32 straight times against Penn State. The Wolverines couldn’t stop Robinson early in that game. They put two extra offensive linemen on the field and created a super long edge, so he couldn’t get to the quarterback. There are always two sides to every story. I was in the booth that day, and I saw it going on. Robinson was that good at rushing the passer.

3. Toledo CB Quinyon Mitchell

This is the guy I wanted to compare Arnold to. He’s the guy that I’m trying to break ties with in this whole process. These two guys are my top-two corners. I want to go with Arnold because he’s a big-conference player, he played in the SEC and saw better competition on a weekly basis. And yet, Mitchell out-tested him at the combine and showed up at the Senior Bowl and was lights out, and that’s great competition. So, that put at ease some of those concerns I had about where he played.

If Mitchell does get selected in the first 15 picks, and I think there’s a good chance he does, he will be the first Mid-American Conference defensive player to do that since Khalil Mack back in 2014. You couple the way he tested, the way he played at the Senior Bowl, and the fact we’ve seen guys like Mack and Sauce Gardner who played at Group of 5 schools, tells me it can happen.

I think it’s fair to have concerns about guys who play in the MAC. But for me, when I look at Mitchell, he’s fast, big and strong. He’s got length. That doesn’t happen all the time. Normally, when you see corners that run really fast and have some length, they are not overly strong. This guy is broad and very strong. He did 20 reps at 225. That is a ton.

2. Florida State EDGE Jared Verse

This guy starts at Albany and then goes to Florida State. He had 18 sacks at Florida State. He’s probably the safest defender you can select. Verse is more versatile than anyone. He can play with his hand in the ground or standing up. He’s very strong at the point of attack. He’s got a great first step. He’s got the production by sacking the QB and yet, he is also a excellent run defender. This guy is easily a guy that I think could be the best defender in the class. 

The thing that separates Verse and Alabama’s Dallas Turner is that Verse doesn’t have the top-line attributes from a testing perspective that Turner does. But, Verse is the safest defender on my draft board. I think this guy has the power and the speed to dominate at the next level. I’d be pretty surprised if he isn’t up there in the top five in sacks in the NFL at some point in his career.

1. Alabama EDGE Dallas Turner

Turner was a first-team All-American and had 22 sacks over the last three seasons. He ranked second in the SEC in QB pressures last year. When he gets to the QB, he arrives angry. That’s going to have to change. He’s going to find himself playing for free if he plays exactly how he did at Alabama. He’s going to run into some fine issues because he arrives at the QB in an angry fashion. He’s a great defender and a dynamic athlete. He’s 6-foot-4, 247 pounds and ran a 4.46 in the 40. That’s absurd. 

Turner played with Will Anderson at Alabama, and Turner might have a higher ceiling than Anderson. I’m not saying he’s definitely going to get there, but the attributes suggest he’s going to get there. He’s not as consistent and not as polished as Anderson, who is an alpha and a terrific player. But, as far as his ceiling, Turner’s might be even a little bit higher than Anderson’s.

Joel Klatt is FOX Sports’ lead college football game analyst and the host of the podcast “The Joel Klatt Show.” Follow him on X/Twitter at @joelklatt and subscribe to the “Joel Klatt Show” on YouTube.

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