The NFL Draft gets underway tonight as each of the league’s 32 franchises look to snap up the college game’s best talent.
The draft provides an opportunity for every team to improve their roster and is one of the key events of the offseason.
Here is a look at how it all works.
What is the NFL Draft?
Simply put, the NFL Draft sees each of the 32 NFL teams take turns selecting the best college football prospects.
The draft consists of seven rounds of picks, with each round containing 32 selections, meaning each team has one pick per round - although that can, and frequently does, change.
How is the draft order decided?
Parity is a key concept in the NFL and never is this on display more than during the draft.
The team that finishes the previous season with the worst record will have the first choice in each round, with the second-worst going second and so on, climaxing each round with the Super Bowl champions having the 32nd pick of each round.
This is done to give the worst team the chance to draft the best player, which, in theory, keeps the league more competitive.
How can the draft order change?
However, teams are permitted to trade their picks, either for players or other draft selections, so this draft order is not set in stone.
This means that teams will sometimes have multiple picks in the same round, or perhaps no selections in a single round. This comes when teams either look to gamble and make aggressive moves to ensure they can select a particular prospect, or on the flipside, increase their number of overall picks by trading away one of their higher picks.
Why do some rounds have more than 32 picks?
While the first two rounds will have 32 picks in each, more players are selected from the third round onwards.
This is due to the NFL awarding compensatory picks for teams that lose a significant number of free agents and also franchises that lose a minority coach or executive to a head coach or general manager position with a different club.
Who has the first pick in the 2024 Draft?
The Chicago Bears hold the first selection in 2024, despite finishing with the ninth-worst record in 2023. This is because the Bears were involved in a blockbuster trade last year when they gave up their 2023 first overall pick to the Carolina Panthers. Part of that deal saw the Bears land the Panthers’ first pick in 2024 and after Carolina limped to a league-worst 2-15 record, it means the Bears have the first overall selection.
How are players picked in the NFL Draft?
When the first round starts, the team sitting at the top of the draft will be officially on the clock and will have 10 minutes to make their selection and communicate this to the league. It will then be announced on stage, usually by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
This ten-minute period between picks gives teams time to finalise any last-minute trades but goes down in subsequent rounds.
What about players who aren’t drafted?
Players who are not selected in any of the seven rounds still have the chance to be signed by an NFL team, as they will become undrafted free agents.
The likes of Kurt Warner, Warren Moon, Dick ‘Night Train’ Lane, Antonio Gates and John Randle all made the Hall of Fame despite going undrafted.
When is the 2024 NFL Draft?
The draft takes place over three days.
- Round 1: Thursday, April 25 (8 p.m. ET / 1 a.m. UK)
- Rounds 2-3: Friday, April 26 (7 p.m. ET / 12 a.m. UK)
- Rounds 4-7: Saturday, April 27 (12 p.m. ET / 5 p.m. UK)
2024 NFL Draft: How to watch
Other regions not listed above will need to check their respective local schedules.