The 2024 NFL Draft is here.
The first round of this year’s draft begins tonight at 8 p.m. on ESPN and NFL Network, and 32 players will hear their names called in Detroit where thousands of fans are expected to attend.
READ: Florida State’s Braden Fiske motivated by ‘huge impact’ leading up to NFL Draft
Check out five takeaways from the 2024 Scouting Combine in Indianapolis where 321 players were invited to take part in workouts and measurements in front of NFL personnel.
The Chicago Bears will select first, and many reports have indicated USC quarterback and 2022 Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams will be taken with the No. 1 overall selection.
Alabama’s Terrion Arnold drafted by Detroit Lions: “I’m going to help them win a Super Bowl”
Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold, who was a First Team All-American last season, was picked No. 23 by the Detroit Lions, who traded up with the Dallas Cowboys.
Arnold tied atop the Southeastern Conference with 17 passes defended and five interceptions. The Tallahassee, Florida, native had 63 tackles to finish fifth on the Crimson Tide in 2023.
UCLA’s Laiatu Latu is first defensive player picked; record 14 offensive players taken to start draft
A record-breaking 14 offensive players were taken to start the draft. The previous record was seven in 2021.
UCLA defensive end Laiatu Latu became the first player on defense to be drafted when he was chosen No. 15 by the Indianapolis Colts.
Latu won the 2023 Lombardi Trophy given to the top offensive lineman/tight end or defensive lineman/linebacker in college football. He led the NCAA with an average of 1.8 tackles for loss per game and fourth with 1.08 sacks per game. Latu had 13 sacks last season, most by a Bruin since Anthony Barr in 2012.
Five quarterbacks picked in top 10 for first time in NFL history
Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy went No. 10 overall to the Minnesota Vikings, who traded up one spot with the New York Jets according to multiple reports.
According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, this year marks the first time in NFL history that five quarterbacks were picked in the top-10 selections of the draft.
And according to Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, it’s the first time since 1983 that the first round has featured six quarterbacks taken by teams.
Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. goes No. 8 to Atlanta; Daniels and Nabers make history
Four quarterbacks were selected among the top-eight picks.
Washington gunslinger Michael Penix Jr. heard his name called at No. 8 by the Atlanta Falcons, who signed former Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins to a four-year contract this offseason.
Penix led college football with 4,903 passing yards and finished second in the Heisman voting.
According to the SEC Network, Daniels and Nabers are the first quarterback-wide receiver duo to be selected in the top-10 picks of the NFL Draft.
Jim Harbaugh takes Notre Dame’s Joe Alt with first pick with Los Angeles Chargers
Amid plenty of rumors about trading back, former Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh and the Los Angeles Chargers selected Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt with the No. 5 pick.
Alt was a captain at Notre Dame and consensus All-American in 2023. He departs the Fighting Irish with over two dozen starts in his career.
Quarterbacks go Nos. 1-2-3
The last time quarterbacks were chosen with the first three picks of the draft was 2021.
Williams, LSU‘s Jayden Daniels and North Carolina‘s Drake Maye were picked Nos. 1, 2 and 3 to begin the 2024 NFL Draft.
On stage, Harrison said he aims to “work as hard as I can to be the best player I can be” in the NFL. Cardinals quarterback Kyle Murray posted on X “LET’S ROCK!”
Heisman Trophy winners go No. 1-2
The Chicago Bears chose Williams at No. 1 overall and the Washington Commanders took Daniels, who won the Heisman in 2023, with the second pick of the first round.
Daniels said on stage at the draft after he was selected that he was “pretty confident” the Commanders would pick him at No. 2, and he said “Washington is going to get everything out of me.”
Marvin Harrison Jr. will soon realize his childhood dream
The 2023 Biletnikoff Award winner and Ohio State wide receiver capped a decorated college career last fall, and now Marvin Harrison Jr. is ready to make a name for himself.
He’s grown up as the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison Sr. After catching 2,613 yards and 31 touchdowns across three seasons with the Buckeyes, Marvin Harrison Jr. will likely follow in his father’s footsteps as a first round NFL Draft pick.
Marvin Harrison Jr. is the only two-time All-American receiver in Ohio State history.
More than 150K fans are in Detroit
The crowd in Detroit is full of blue, and many in attendance are wearing jerseys from teams like the hometown Lions or rival Minnesota Vikings including some who are donning their college swag.
Maye is attending the draft. He’s reportedly expected to be among the first several gunslingers selected, perhaps as early as No. 3 to New England.
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2024 NFL Draft results
1: Chicago Bears (from Carolina): QB Caleb Williams — USC
2: Washington Commanders: QB Jayden Daniels — LSU
3: New England Patriots: QB Drake Maye — North Carolina
4: Arizona Cardinals: WR Marvin Harrison Jr. — Ohio State
5: Los Angeles Chargers: OT Joe Alt — Notre Dame
6: New York Giants: WR Malik Nabers — LSU
7: Tennessee Titans: OT JC Latham — Alabama
8: Atlanta Falcons: QB Michael Penix Jr. — Washington
9: Chicago Bears: WR Rome Odunze — Washington
10: Minnesota Vikings via trade with New York Jets: QB J.J. McCarthy — Michigan
11: New York Jets via trade with Minnesota Vikings: OT Olu Fashanu — Penn State
12: Denver Broncos: QB Bo Nix — Oregon
13: Las Vegas Raiders: TE Brock Bowers — Georgia
14: New Orleans Saints: OT Taliese Fuaga — Oregon State
15: Indianapolis Colts: DE Laiatu Latu — UCLA
16: Seattle Seahawks: DL Byron Murphy II — Texas
17: Minnesota Vikings via trade with Jacksonville Jaguars: EDGE Dallas Turner — Alabama
18: Cincinnati Bengals: OT Amarius Mims — Georgia
19: Los Angeles Rams: DE Jared Verse — Florida State
20: Pittsburgh Steelers: OT Troy Fautanu — Washington
21: Miami Dolphins: EDGE Chop Robinson — Penn State
22: Philadelphia Eagles: CB Quinyon Mitchell — Toledo
23: Jacksonville Jaguars via trade with Minnesota Vikings (from Cleveland through Houston): WR Brian Thomas Jr. — LSU
24: Detroit Lions via trade with Dallas Cowboys: CB Terrion Arnold — Alabama
25: Green Bay Packers: OT Jordan Morgan — Arizona
26: Tampa Bay Buccaneers: C Graham Barton — Duke
27: Arizona Cardinals (from Houston): EDGE Darius Robinson — Missouri
28: Kansas City Chiefs via trade with Buffalo Bills: WR Xavier Worthy — Texas
29: Dallas Cowboys via trade with Detroit Lions: OT Tyler Guyton — Oklahoma
30: Baltimore Ravens: CB Nate Wiggins — Clemson
31: San Francisco 49ers: WR Ricky Pearsall — Florida
32: Carolina Panthers via trade with Buffalo Bills via trade with Kansas City Chiefs: WR Xavier Legette — South Carolina
