2024 NFL Draft: Caleb Williams and best QBs, top prospects, trades, TV, streaming and everything else you need to know
Caleb Williams will be the undisputed star of the 2024 NFL Draft.
But the final amateur draft process will be filled with quarterback after quarterback at the top, and the Houston Texans are proof that getting a few good draft picks can change the course of an entire franchise.
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Last year, Bryce Young went to the Carolina Panthers at No. 1 overall, while CJ Stroud fell to the Texans at No. 2 and led a rebuilt team to the AFC South title. and a home playoff victory.
Here’s a behind-the-scenes look at this year’s draft, with talkSPORT telling you everything you need to know about one of the biggest events on the NFL calendar.
New stars
Expect a big race against quarterbacks early in this draft and plenty of QB hugs from NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.
There could also be a blockbuster trade that shakes up the entire project and instantly goes viral on social media.
Trades are possible at any time during the draft, and teams regularly jump or trade in hopes of landing a valuable pick or stockpiling future selections.
Last year, Young, Stroud and Anthony Richardson were in the top four.
The 2024 draft could see four QBs among the initial six picks, with Williams (USC), Jayden Daniels (LSU), Drake Maye (North Carolina) and JJ McCarthy (Michigan) lighting up the board and igniting fans across the country .
It’s worth remembering that Patrick Mahomes wasn’t taken until the 10th pick in 2017 via a trade with the Kansas City Chiefs, while Brock Purdy was Mr. Irrelevant in 2022 and lasted until the final pick of the draft ( No. 262).
This is why fans love the draft and continue to watch it for three days straight.
Tom Brady is proof that some of the NFL’s best players only get picked in the later rounds, and the TV drama never stops — just ask Aaron Rodgers, who infamously slipped all the way to 24th overall before to join Green Bay. .
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Sparkling light
The NFL Draft, which follows the Scouting Combine on the league’s annual calendar, is too big for just one day.
The process of suddenly turning college applicants into professionals became so massive that it stretched over three nights.
The 2024 draft will take place April 25-27 at Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza in downtown Detroit.
The first round is scheduled for Thursday, April 25 at 8 p.m. ET, while rounds 2 and 3 will take place Friday at 7 p.m. and rounds 4 through 7 will conclude the draft Saturday at noon.
The project was formerly associated with New York City and was held regularly at the prestigious but relatively small Radio City Music Hall.
As the NFL has gotten bigger and bigger, so has the draft.
It’s now a massive multi-day event, and the 2019 draft in Nashville, Tennessee had an overflow crowd that gathered downtown and stunned fans because the gathering in outdoors was so big.
Recent drafts have been held in Kansas City, Missouri, Las Vegas and Cleveland.
Hosting the draft has become a big deal for NFL teams’ hometowns, as the league continues to find ways to increase the size and popularity of the draft.
A single television channel is not enough for the project either.
ESPN, ABC, NFL Network and ESPN Deportes will share coverage.
YouTube TV, Hulu+ Live TV, Fubo TV, and Sling TV are expected to offer streaming options.
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On the clock
There are 32 picks in the first round, with the draft order determined by the reverse order of finish from the previous season.
Barring a trade, each round begins with the team that finished with the worst record and ends with the recent Super Bowl champions.
Each team has 10 minutes to make their first-round pick.
If a team lets its time expire without making a pick, it can make a selection later, but runs the risk of letting the next team on the clock select the former college player it was considering.
Teams have seven minutes to make second-round picks.
The draft clock then reduces to five minutes for picks in rounds 3 through 6 and to four minutes in the seventh round.
All 32 NFL teams have a table set up at the draft venue, where team representatives stay in touch with executives in the “war room” at each club’s headquarters.
When a team decides on its draft selection, it communicates the player’s name from the war room to the representatives on site.
A team representative then writes the chosen player’s name, position and college on a card and submits it to an NFL staff member.
When the runner gets the card, the selection is official and the draft clock is reset for the next pick.
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The first round
This is the official order for the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
1) Chicago Bears (from Carolina)
2) Washington Commanders
3) New England Patriots
4) Arizona Cardinals
5) Los Angeles Chargers
6) New York Giants
7) Tennessee Titans
8) Atlanta Falcons
9) Chicago Bear
10) New York Jets
11) Minnesota Vikings
12) Denver Broncos
13) The Las Vegas Raiders
14) New Orleans Saints
15) Indianapolis Colts
16) Seattle Seahawks
17) Jacksonville Jaguars
18) Cincinnati Bengals
19) Los Angeles Rams
20) Pittsburgh Steelers
21) Miami Dolphins
22) Philadelphia Eagles
23) Minnesota Vikings (Cleveland to Houston)
24) Dallas Cowboys
25) Green Bay Packers
26) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
27) Arizona Cardinals (from Houston)
28) Buffalo Bills
29) Detroit Lions
30) Baltimore Ravens
31) San Francisco 49ers
32) Kansas City Chiefs
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