8 Late-Round Rookies Who Could Make a Fantasy Impact in 2024

Apr 29, 2024

Caitie McMekin/News Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

The 2024 NFL Draft is over, so now it’s time for me to retreat to the rankings cave and develop the first iteration of 4for4’s official projections. But first, let’s discuss a few late-round (4th-7th) rookies who have a chance to make a fantasy impact this year.

For redraft purposes, I’m mainly interested in players who will (or could) start or play a significant part-time role this season.

I’ll add the player’s draft capital and opportunity grade in parentheses. Since these players were drafted after my draft coverage ended, I'll add the dynasty profile from our partners at Dynasty League Football, if appropriate. And when discussing receivers or quarterbacks, I’ll also refer to Matt Harmon and Derrick Klassen's excellent work at Reception Perception.

More Rookie Content: Impactful Rookies from Rounds 1-3 | 6 Steals of the 2024 NFL Draft | Rookie Player Profiles |

RB Jaylen Wright, Dolphins (4th, B)

Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel covets fast players, so of course he nabbed Wright in the fourth round. The rookie ran a 4.38 40-yard dash and was in the 95th percentile in both speed score and burst score, per Player Profiler. That said, he's likely buried on the depth chart behind Raheem Mostert and De'Von Achane. If either player were to miss time, Wright could find himself in a 10-touch, part-time role.

DLF Dynasty Profile: Wright is a player who has moved up significantly after the NFL Scouting Combine and Pro Days as he's a freak of an athlete. He was also extremely productive at Tennessee this past season, rushing for just over 1,000 yards on more than seven yards per carry. The only real knock on him is his lean frame as he comes in at 5'11" and 210 pounds–that's a significant issue NFL teams are going to need to wrap their heads around as durability could be an issue. Still, this a player to watch closely in the pre-draft process as he could easily pass other running backs as people start to marvel at his elite-level athleticism.

RB Bucky Irving, Buccaneers (4th, B-)

The Buccaneers have been discussing reducing Rachaad White's workload, and Irving could become the team's primary receiving back.

DLF Dynasty Profile: Irving is a lot different from the other running backs in this class as his home run potential can't really be denied. He's also been a productive pass catcher, increasing his reception number in each of the past three seasons, culminating in a 56/413/2 line this past season. He's adept at eluding tacklers and can get up to his top-end speed very quickly. In addition, he has solid vision, shows creativity in his runs, and has the ability to take any carry to the house. The challenge with Irving is the fact he's a poor pass blocker and comes from an offense that tends to produce some empty stats from players at times due to the unconventional nature of their system and level of competition. Still, Irving looks the part of an explosive back and if he hits on his potential, he could be a Devon Achane-like player, If he doesn't we're looking at a situational runner at best. Again, there's a lot to like but also a lot to still evaluate.