After months of anticipation, the 2024 NFL Draft is finally here. The Scouting Combine, team visits, interviews, medical tests, and other pre-draft requirements are complete. Over the next few days in Detroit, 32 clubs from across the league will choose the next generation of NFL players. Find out all you need to know about the draft, including the time, TV coverage, streaming, and players to look out for on the day.
Complete Guide to the 2024 NFL Draft
The draft can be confusing for fans who haven’t been watching the NFL for a long time or who struggle to keep up over the offseason. After all, it lasts three days and involves well over 200 players, not to mention the numerous trades and shocks that no one can anticipate.
With that in mind, here’s our complete 2024 NFL Draft guide, complete with answers to all of your queries.
When and where is the draft?
The 2024 NFL Draft is a three-day event taking place from April 25 to April 27. The 2024 NFL draft will take place in Detroit.
For the first time, the NFL Draft will be held in downtown Detroit’s Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza. Of course, the timing of the 2024 NFL Draft changes each day.
-The first round will start at 8:00 p.m. EST on Thursday, April 25.
-Rounds 2 and 3 will start at 7:00 PM EST on Friday, April 26.
-Finally, the third and final day of the draft will begin at 12:00 EST on Saturday, April 27.
How Many Rounds/Picks are There?
The NFL Draft, which has been held annually since 1994, consists of seven rounds. Each round consists of at least 32 picks, with each club receiving one pick. Of course, clubs can trade those selections before the draft, so not every team will have a pick in each round.
Similarly, some teams have multiple selections in certain rounds after gaining more draft picks through deals.
The NFL has also issued 34 compensatory selections in the 2024 NFL Draft to coaches, players, and executives who have left their teams. These compensatory choices are added at the end of each round, beginning at the end of the Third Round. It’s also worth mentioning that the Miami Dolphins forfeited their third-round pick for breaking the league’s anti-tampering rules. The 2024 NFL Draft had a total of 257 selections.
Who is eligible for the draft?
To be taken in the NFL Draft, players must have graduated from high school three years ago.
This lets certain players join the draft before their four years of college eligibility expire.
Who Has the Top Pick?
The Chicago Bears have the top overall choice in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Bears obtained the pick from the Carolina Panthers after they traded the #1 overall pick from last year’s draft to Carolina.
In other words, the Bears should have chosen first last year but traded the selection to the Panthers, who should have had the top pick that year but traded it to the Bears to obtain last year’s top pick.
Who Will Be Drafted First?
There is rising speculation that the Bears will take USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall choice in the 2024 NFL draft.
Chicago traded away quarterback Justin Fields earlier this summer, indicating that they plan to pick a quarterback. While Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye are also anticipated to be taken among the top five quarterbacks, Williams is widely regarded as the best choice.
How Many Quarterbacks Will Be Selected in the First Round?
It’s a virtual lock that Williams, Daniels, and Maye will be selected early in the First Round. J.J. McCarthy is another quarterback who is a virtual lock to be selected in the First Round, possibly within the first 10 picks.
Meanwhile, there are differing opinions on whether Michael Penix and Bo Nix will be selected in the First Round. In the 2024 NFL Draft, at least four quarterbacks will be selected in the first round, with the possibility of six.
Which team has the most picks?
The Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, and Los Angeles Rams are tied for the most picks in the 2024 NFL Draft. Each team will begin the draft with eleven choices.
The Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, and San Francisco 49ers are close behind, each with ten choices. On the opposite end of the scale, the Bears have only four selections, the fewest. However, two of Chicago’s picks are in the first nine choices.