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With the NFL offseason rolling on and the draft quickly approaching, most fans could benefit from a 2024 NFL Draft guide. That way, everything you’ll need to know about the draft will be in one place. When is it? Where is it? Who are the players to watch?
Complete 2024 NFL Draft Guide
For fans who haven’t been following the NFL for long or have a hard time keeping up with things during the offseason, the draft can be confusing. After all, it lasts three days and involves well over 200 players, not to mention all of the trades and surprises that take place that nobody can predict.
With that in mind, here is our 2024 NFL Draft guide with answers to your questions and everything you need to know.
When and Where is the Draft?
The 2024 NFL Draft is a three-day event that runs from April 25 to April 27. Detroit is the location of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza in the heart of downtown Detroit will serve as the venue of the NFL Draft for the first time. Of course, the time of the 2024 NFL Draft varies on each day.
- The First Round will start at 8:00 PM EST on Thursday, April 25.
- Rounds 2 and 3 will begin at 7:00 PM EST on Friday, April 26.
- Finally, the third and final day of the draft begins at noon EST on Saturday, April 27.
How Many Rounds/Picks Are There?
As has been the case every year since 1994, the NFL Draft consists of seven rounds. Each round has a minimum of 32 selections with each team being given one pick per round. Of course, teams can trade away those picks before the draft, so not every team has a pick in every round.
Likewise, some teams have multiple picks in some rounds after acquiring extra draft picks in trades.
The NFL has also awarded 34 compensatory picks in the 2024 NFL Draft for coaches, players, and executives who have left teams. These compensatory picks are added at the end of a particular round starting with the end of the Third Round. It’s also worth noting that the Miami Dolphins have forfeited their third-round pick for violating the league’s anti-tampering policy. When you add it all up, there are 257 total selections in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Who is Eligible for the Draft?
According to NFL Draft eligibility rules, players must be three years removed from their high school graduation to be selected in the NFL Draft.
This allows some players to enter the draft before their four years of college eligibility have been used up.
Who Has the Top Pick?
The Chicago Bears have the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. The Bears acquired the pick from the Carolina Panthers when they traded the top-overall pick in last year’s pick to Carolina.
In other words, the Bears should have selected first last year but traded the pick to the Panthers, who should have had the top pick his year but traded it to the Bears to get last year’s top pick.
Who Will be Drafted First?
There is a growing consensus that the Bears will select USC quarterback Caleb Williams with the first overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Chicago traded away quarterback Justin Fields earlier this offseason, making it obvious that they intend to draft a quarterback. While Jayden Daniels and Drake Maye are also quarterbacks expected to be selected within the top five picks, Williams is the assumed top pick.
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. Ultimately, there will be at least four quarterbacks and as many as six drafted in the First Round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
What Team Has the Most Picks?
The Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, and Los Angeles Rams are tied for the most selections heading into the 2024 NFL Draft. Each team will enter the draft with 11 picks.
The Buffalo Bills, Cincinnati Bengals, and San Francisco 49ers are close behind with 10 picks each. On the other side of the spectrum, the Bears have just four picks, which is the fewest. However, two of Chicago’s picks are in the first nine selections.
