NFL Draft watch: Nate Wiggins makes case for CB1, Vols QB’s stock plummeting

Among cornerbacks with 250 or more coverage snaps this season, Wiggins has allowed the seventh-fewest yards after the catch (32), the eighth-lowest passer rating against (39.1) and the 13th-lowest completion percentage (42.4), per Pro Football Focus. His 9.5 yards per reception allowed is lower than McKinstry’s 10.3. It’ll be a tight race that will likely go down to the wire, but it should surprise no one if Wiggins hears his name called before McKinstry next April.

Joe Milton | QB | Tennessee | PFF big board: No. 15 QB, No. 155 overall

Because of his cannon arm, many were projecting Milton to be a first-round pick before the season even started. Some even went as far as calling him the next Anthony Richardson. But 11 games in, Milton has failed to live up to those sky-high expectations, and after his performance against No. 1 Georgia over the weekend, he might not even be a Day 2 pick. Milton barely completed over 50% of his passes for 147 yards, missing wide-open receivers on more than one occasion and failing to complete any pass longer than 21 yards as the Vols lost to the Bulldogs by 28.

Milton hasn’t thrown more than two touchdowns in any game this year, and he hasn’t had a 300-yard game since he was with Michigan in 2020. The 6-foot-5 senior has trouble beating decent-to-good college defenses, and he will definitely struggle against NFL-caliber ones. Milton’s performances, especially against Georgia, show he’s not anywhere close to ready for the NFL, and because of that, he will likely slide to somewhere in the third- to fifth-round range.

Brian Thomas Jr. | WR | LSU | PFF big board: No. 15 WR, No. 71 overall

The 2024 draft class is absolutely loaded at receiver, but over the last two weeks, Thomas Jr. has arguably done more to help his draft stock than any other wideout. In a 56-14 win over Georgia State on Saturday, Thomas Jr. caught four passes for 103 yards and a touchdown. It was his second straight 100-yard game and the fifth time this season he’s averaged 20 or more yards per reception while going over 100 yards, scoring a touchdown in every one of those games.

Thomas Jr. is one of just two players in the NCAA to average 18.5 yards per catch with 10 or more touchdowns, and his 18.6 yards per reception is the sixth-highest among receivers with 40 or more receptions. While he may not be on the same level as Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers, Rome Odunze or Xavier Worthy, Thomas Jr. is one of the top deep threats in the draft, and his performances this season may have snuck him into the second-round.