NRL SuperCoach Draft 2024: Our experts rank top first round picks

As SuperCoach Draft players prepare for the big day, they will be sweating over who to take in the first round. Our experts reveal the best choices for who to take with your early picks.

As the NRL season draws closer and closer, SuperCoach Draft players are preparing and bracing for their big day.

The early rounds of the drafts should be reserved only for taking the best of the best and, if possible, filling the key low depth spine slots with the few guns at their position. It definitely is no time to be playing silly buggers and grabbing your favourite player, or someone you think is in for a big year. Make sure you play it safe and grab the guys who have proven themselves as SuperCoach guns.

One thing to keep in mind in the 2024 season is the introduction of an optional flex position. For the first time in Draft, SuperCoaches have one extra slot in their lineup that can be filled with ANY position … you may just find some gun positions (like fullback for example) being drafted much earlier than usual.

SuperCoach NRL Draft: Experts top picks ranked for 2024

Our experts reveal their top picks for the first round of the draft, and the order they’d take them in.

It may be boring, but Nicho Hynes is the player I’d take with the first overall draft pick because he simply ticks all the boxes. Goal kicking, consistency, arguably the highest ceiling in the game, he covers one of the low depth positions and plays for a team with a solid offence.... I could go on. Nathan Cleary also ticks a lot of these boxes, but from what we saw last year he doesn't quite have the same consistency, plays Origin and has missed more games through injury than Nicho over the past two years … so for me he drops down to third picked.

Hooker is by far the position with the lowest depth and there is just one standout first round contender at the position in Harry Grant so he would be my number two taken. I would understand anyone who opted to take him first overall given the scarcity of other options, but there are some decent value picks later in the draft at hooker if the dominoes fall your way, while I don't think there is much value to be had at halfback in the later rounds.

Other than hooker I think five-eighth is the most dire position in terms of depth, so I would be targeting Dylan Brown over any fullback, while I’d take Cameron Munster over every fullback.

CHECK OUT WILSON’S DRAFT RANKINGS HERE AND HIS SLEEPER PICKS HERE

Fullback is hands down the position with the most locked in guns, so there is no shortage of first round contenders there. I would however be prioritising Kalyn Ponga the most, then Drinkwater, Turbo, Walsh and Latrell, while Clint Gutherson and James Tedesco are solid second round options.

And while there are five fullbacks in my top 12 players picked, I’m still not valuing them as high as past seasons just because of how stacked that position is in terms of depth this year. In saying all that however, if your league has a flex position enabled I would be trying to grab two fullbacks very early.

Tino is the only forward I’d really consider taking in the first round, with Payne Haas and Addin Fonua-Blake are not far off the top 12. Not only was he the highest averaging forward, but unlike most guns here, he has dual position status which makes him even more valuable.

David Fifita’s stocks have plummeted for mine with news he’d likely miss the opening four games, but he could be a good value pick in the third or fourth rounds. But if anyone in your league is on autodraft he could be someone they end up with early.

While some people may be tempted to take a gun CTW in the early rounds I am firmly of the opinion that this is a horrible idea. The likes of Greg Marzhew and Jamayne Isaako might be high up on the draft board, but I think the better strategy is to let your foolish league mates take these guys early, while you focus on filling the key spine positions.

—Wilson Smith

Hooker is the thinnest spot IMO. Grant is clearly the top contender so while others will go the halves I’d grab Harry.

But then you have to respect the two year production of Cleary and Hynes. The highest of ceilings and excellent floors thanks to the GK duties.

Most might pivot to fullbacks next but I hold Dylan Brown heads (and almost shoulders) above other 5/8s thanks to his massive base and attacking upside. Will love having Shaun Lane back off his hip.

It’s a fullback-a-thon after that. I do think Ponga is a little expensive in Classic but would invest an early pick on him in draft. After Ponga I have Turbo (6), Drinky (7), Walsh (9) and Latrell (10) and that still leaves the likes of Teddy and Paps on the board. Thing is I would hate to not get one of these elite FLBs so am prepared to perhaps pick one a round early as opposed to leave it a round too late.

Tino at 8 may be an outlier - I mean the likes of Haas and Tapine are still available at FRF and 2RF runs deeeep. But I rate Tino the best forward in the game, he’s young, durable and DPP.

Munster and DCE fill out the 12, veteran playmakers who almost never let you down.

CTW and 2RF are easily the deepest spots, Tino aside I wait there.

—Robert Sutherland

Hooker has the least depth of any position and Harry Grant is therefore my No. 1. But the other gibberers probably locked in Grant too so I’m not telling you anything new.

But here’s where I may differ. From Grant onwards, I’ve prioritised durability over average.

Nicho Hynes has played 10 more games than Nathan Cleary in the past two seasons. Hynes has also finished first for total points for two seasons in a row and is therefore considerably more important than Cleary.

As Mastermind points out, Dylan Brown would have played every game in the last two years if not for last season’s disciplinary suspension. In other words, he basically never gets injured and should be very high on lists, especially given five-eighth rivals hooker for lack of depth this year.

If you miss out on Brown, it’s extremely important to get on Munster ASAP given how the No. 6 position falls away.

I’m almost certain to have Clint Gutherson ranked well above the other lads. He has missed just two games in the past four seasons (90/92) and has been among the top three overall scoring fullbacks since 2019.

Likewise, Scott Drinkwater has played 90 per cent of available games in the last three seasons and that means plenty to me.

The other big thing to take into consideration is the introduction of a new flex player. This allows SuperCoaches to add an extra starting player from any position.

In other words, with fullback the hottest position, you can play two fullbacks in your starting side (just double check you league settings first).

I’ve therefore gone very deep at fullback and not even touched the back row and front row, which have great depth.

—Tom Sangster

Originally published as NRL SuperCoach Draft 2024: Our experts rank top first round picks