From Rice to Harrison, the bloodlines run deep in 2024 NFL Draft | National

In revenge for an elbow to the Adam’s apple in a game that season, John Lynch almost shook hands with Terrell Owens poolside in Hawaii before a Pro Bowl more than two decades ago.

Lynch was stopped by his wife that day, but the current general manager of the San Francisco 49ers may need to be dissuaded from jumping headlong into a draft class with depth in the gene pool.

Owens’ son is part of the cluster of former offspring looking to be selected in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The most famous sons of former NFL stars on this week’s hopeful list are Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt. They are expected to be drafted early in the first round. Harrison is the son of Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Marvin Harrison, perhaps best known as the primary pass-catcher for Peyton Manning with the Indianapolis Colts. Alt was in high school but transitioned to the offense after training and film study with his father, John, who happened to be an expert on OT play from his days with the Kansas City Chiefs (1984-96).

Harrison Jr. said he is still fighting to overcome the perception from peers and opponents that he is getting something he doesn’t deserve because of his father. On the other hand, he praises the 2016 Hall of Fame inductee and three-time All-Pro for setting “pure perfection” as the standard to be achieved from a very young age.

“The work ethic definitely comes from him,” Harrison said. “To always push myself to be the best player I can be.”

Lynch, a Hall of Fame safety drafted in 1993, this week publicly endorsed the idea of ​​coveting the Jr.’s.

Lynch argues that the value of a player’s pedigree can be crucial in a final grade and scouting report.

“I believe in bloodlines,” Lynch said. “Really. I mean, I think there’s evidence that you should do that. Then you have to step away from that and evaluate it. And that’s sometimes hard to do and that’s why (you need) a lot of different eyes, a lot different perspectives.

“There’s some inherent pressure on who their father is, but there’s also some good genes and I think that matters. And so it’s exciting that you have all these great – we’re talking Hall of Fame players and great players and brothers of players and it’s really fun, TO was here at the local pro day and his son Terique performed really well and that was pretty cool and I saw him running towards me and I played against TO a lot and there was something in that step very familiar. It was something about the gait. And it’s crazy how those things translate into the way they see their father running. I think it will be interesting to see how it unfolds.”

Michigan defensive lineman Kris Jenkins, the son of former Panthers and Jets defensive tackle Kris Jenkins, is another potential first-round pick. The elder Jenkins was a second-round pick in 2001 and was a two-time All-Pro. Scouts circled his name after the Maryland product ran a 5.18 40-yard dash and bench-pressed 225 pounds 33 times at the Scouting Combine at 6-4, 320 pounds.

Clemson linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. is the son of former Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, a four-time Pro Bowl selection who played in the Super Bowl for Andy Reid in Philadelphia and also had a tour with Washington before returning to Philly. Trotter Sr. was more of a straight-up stunner, a run-stuffer from a bygone era, while his son was a two-time second-team All-American with the Tigers. Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin met with Trotter Jr. at the combine and chatted with him again at Clemson’s pro day on campus.

Eagles general manager Howie Roseman mentioned Trotter Jr. not by name, but said he will fight emotions not to lean on “guys with Philly ties, who know what it’s like to play here.”

“I’m biased against our hometown players. I’m biased against the people who have a legacy with this franchise. So I think that’s tough,” Roseman said.

Besides Lynch and Owens, there are plenty of 49ers connections in the draft.

Running Back Christian McCaffrey’s brother, Luke, is the son of former Broncos receiver Ed McCaffrey. Luke McCaffrey, a wide receiver from Rice, is projected as a mid-round pick.

Brenden Rice came into the draft early after two seasons in Colorado and last season in Southern California, and embraced that “pressure” to live up to his father Jerry Rice’s legacy as one of the NFL’s all-time greats. Rice caught a total of 20 touchdown passes in three years of college football and attended the Senior Bowl in January. He said he’s excited for any opportunity to prove he’s “the total package.”

Southern Miss running back Frank Gore Jr. was the Most Valuable Player at the Shrine Bowl. Gore Sr. is third all-time in the NFL with exactly 16,000 career rushing yards, ahead of Barry Sanders and behind Walter Payton and Emmitt Smith.

“It’s a blessing,” Gore Jr. said. about following in his father’s footsteps. “I have a responsibility to move on.”

–Field-level media