Quarterbacks are the talk of the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft, and rightfully so, considering five different signal-callers could easily come off the board in the first round. But wide receivers may be just as plentiful, with three pass catchers in the top 10 of CBS Sports' 2024 prospect rankings, and seven in the top 32. By those metrics, 20% of Day 1 picks could come at receiver.
Two schools, in particular, have a heavy hand in the rich class of pass catchers: LSU and Ohio State. The latter produced Marvin Harrison Jr., son of Indianapolis Colts Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison and CBS Sports' top-ranked overall prospect, widely expected to be a top-five pick. LSU, meanwhile, has not one but two different wideouts projected to be first-round picks in Malik Nabers and Brian Thomas Jr.
Obviously past prospects can't fully predict how individual players with individual landing spots will develop at the pro level. Take Alabama, for example: The Crimson Tide appeared to have a historical edge over Ohio State in terms of quarterback prospects ahead of 2023, only for C.J. Stroud to outshine Bryce Young as a rookie. Or Oregon, which had a prominent history of quarterback busts, only for Justin Herbert to burst onto the NFL scene.
But if you're wondering which of this year's top wideouts -- Harrison, Nabers, Thomas -- hails from a more proven line of recent college-turned-NFL pass catchers, we've surveyed the last 30 years of LSU and Ohio State receivers to enter the league. More specifically, any Tigers or Buckeyes product to be picked in the first three rounds of the draft, since the hit rate on post-Round 3 receiver picks is particularly gloomy.
Here's a look:
LSUNote: Statistics are for a player's entire NFL career
3 2021 Terrace Marshall Jr. 2 (59) Panthers 3+ 767 1 0 2020 Justin Jefferson 1 (22) Vikings 4+ 5,899
30
3 2018 D.J. Chark 2 (61) Jaguars
6+
3,069
23 1
2014 Odell Beckham Jr. 1 (12) Giants 10+
7,932
59 3 2014 Jarvis Landry 2 (63) Dolphins 9
7,870 38 5 2012 Rueben Randle 2 (63) Giants 4
2,644
20 0 2010 Brandon LaFell 3 (78) Panthers 9 5,398 11 0 2008 Early Doucet 3 (81) Cardinals 5 1,491
7 0 2007 Dwayne Bowe 1 (23) Chiefs 9
7,208
44 1
2007 Craig Davis 1 (30) Chargers 4 558
2 0 2004 Michael Clayton 1 (15) Buccaneers 8 2,955 10 0
2004 Devery Henderson
2 (50) Saints 9 4,377 20
0 2002 Josh Reed 2 (36)
Bills 8 3,575
10 0 1996 Eddie Kennison 1 (18) Rams 13 8,345
42 0
The final tally for LSU:
Total picks: 15 Active in NFL: 5 (2 unsigned) Total Pro Bowlers: 6 Total Pro Bowl selections: 16 Total yards: 65,805 Total TDs: 346 Ohio StateNote: Statistics are for a player's entire NFL career
Seahawks 1+ 628 4 0 2022 Garrett Wilson
1 (10) Jets 2+ 2,145 7 0 2022 Chris Olave 1 (11) Saints 2+ 2,165 9
0
2019 Parris Campbell 2 (59)
Colts 5+ 1,087
5 0 2019 Terry McLaurin 3 (76) Commanders 5+ 5,283 25
1
2017 Curtis Samuel 2 (40) Panthers 7+ 3,383 22
0
2016 Michael Thomas 2 (47) Saints 8+ 6,569
36 3 2016 Braxton Miller 3 (85) Texans 2
261
2 0 2015 Devin Smith 2 (37) Jets 4 248
2 0 2012 DeVier Posey 3 (68)
Texans
3
272 0
0 2009 Brian Robiskie 2 (36) Browns 5 485
4 0 2007 Ted Ginn Jr. 1 (9)
Dolphins 14 5,742 33 0
2007 Anthony Gonzalez 1 (32) Colts 5
1,307
7 0 2006 Santonio Holmes 1 (25) Steelers 9
6,030 36 0 2004 Michael Jenkins 1 (29) Falcons 9 4,427
25 0 1999 David Boston 1 (8) Cardinals 7 4,699 25
1
1996 Terry Glenn 1 (7) Patriots
12
8,828
44
1 1995 Joey Galloway 1 (8)
Seahawks 16 10,950
77 0 1995 Chris Sanders 3 (67) Texans
8 3,285
17 0
The final tally for Ohio State:
Total picks: 19 Active in NFL: 7 (1 unsigned) Total Pro Bowlers: 4 Total Pro Bowl selections: 6 Total yards: 67,794 Total TDs: 380 TakeawaysSo how do the two schools stack up over the last three decades?
Let's start with quantity: Since 1994, Ohio State has produced slightly more NFL wideouts through the top of the draft, with 19 picks to LSU's 15. This helps explain why the Buckeyes are superior in the combined yardage and touchdown departments, which would be inflated even more if, say, special-teams scores by career return man Ted Ginn Jr. were included. All in all, though, you can see how close this really is; both programs have had a remarkable run of turning college standouts to effective pros, with each school seeing five different players top 5,000 career receiving yards on the NFL stage during this span.
The disparity in Pro Bowl nods is also a bit misleading; those marks could easily be closer, reinforcing the closeness of this comparison, when considering the ageless Galloway somehow never managed a single all-star appearance. But there are some factors that do suggest a lean in LSU's favor: Galloway and Glenn, for example, account for almost 20,000 of Ohio State's combined 67,000+ yards -- or 29% -- while the Tigers have been steadier across the board; just two LSU wideouts have fewer than 1,000 career yards (and one just started his NFL career in 2023), while OSU has seen five with that distinction.
It's hard to fully unshackle recency bias when it comes to LSU's current stars; Justin Jefferson and Ja'Marr Chase have been the class of the position at such a young age, setting the standard for contemporary playmakers. Certainly Ohio State has been nearly, if not just as reliable of late, with four of its
