The 2024 NFL Draft got off to a record-breaking start Thursday night and things never slowed down after that.
The Chicago Bears kicked things off by taking Caleb Williams, who ended up being one of six quarterbacks taken in the first round, which tied the NFL record for most quarterbacks taken in the first round. first round. It was one of several draft records that were tied or set in the first round.
With that in mind, let’s take a look at a few more records from the NFL’s historic night:
- Quarterback dominance. A total of four quarterbacks – Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and Michael Penix Jr. – were selected in the top eight picks, representing the most quarterbacks ever taken in the top eight in the modern draft era , which debuted in 1967. If you add JJ McCarthy to the mix, this year marked the first time in the modern draft era that five quarterbacks were selected in the top 10.
- Six quarterbacks leave in the first round. Bo Nix ended up being the sixth QB drafted in the first round when the Broncos selected him with the 12th overall pick. This tied the record for the most quarterbacks ever drafted in the first round. The only other draft to produce six quarterbacks was in 1983, but it took 27 picks for all six quarterbacks to be drafted that year. Of the six quarterbacks in the class of 1983, three of them – Jim Kelly, John Elway and Dan Marino – ended up entering the Hall of Fame.
- The draft begins with three consecutive quarters. This year was the second time since 2000 that the draft began with the selection of three consecutive quarterbacks. Before this year, the only other time this has happened this century was in 2021, when Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson and Trey Lance were taken with the first three picks.
- USC sets record. With Caleb Williams going first overall to the Bears, USC has now produced six players who were taken with the first pick, which is a new record. Before the 2024 draft, USC was tied with Auburn, Notre Dame and Oklahoma.
- LSU has a lot to brag about. With Jayden Daniels (Commanders) selected with the second overall pick and Malik Nabers (Giants) eighth overall, LSU became the first school in the common draft era (since 1967) to have a quarterback and a leading wide receiver. -10 the same year.
- Heisman winners are taken with the first two picks. Caleb Williams and Jayden Daniels both won a Heisman Trophy while in college, making this year’s draft the second where two Heisman-winning quarterbacks were selected among the first two picks. The only other time this happened was in 2015, when Jameis Winston was selected first overall, followed by Marcus Mariota.
- The offensive players take over in the first round, part I. The draft began with the selection of 14 consecutive offensive players, which is the longest streak in draft history for one side of the ball. The No. 1 defensive player didn’t come off the board until 15th overall when the Colts selected Laiatu Latu. Before this year, the record for the most offensive players selected to start in a draft was seven, which happened in 2021. This was the first draft in NFL history where a defensive player n was not selected in the top 10.
- The offensive players take over in the first round, part II. A total of 23 offensive players were selected in the first round, which broke the old record of 19 recorded three times (1968, 2004, 2009).
- The wide receiver race reaches the first round. There have been a total of seven receivers selected in the first round, which is tied with the 2004 draft for the most in history. The receiver race began with Marvin Harrison Jr. going to the Cardinals at four, followed by Malik Nabers (Giants), Rome Odunze (Bears), Brian Thomas Jr. (Jaguars), Xavier Worthy (Chiefs), Ricky Pearsall (49ers ) and Xavier. Legette (Panthers).
- Christian reflection 2.0. JJ McCarthy didn’t throw for 3,000 yards or run for 500 yards once in college, making him the first QB since Christian Ponder to be drafted in the first round despite not reaching at least one of these numbers. Coincidentally, Ponder was also drafted by the Vikings.
- The Falcons are building a high-flying offense. With their selection of Michael Penix Jr., the Falcons have now drafted a top-10 offensive player in four straight drafts, marking only the second time in draft history we’ve seen this happen. The only other team to use their picks this way was the Lions, who placed four talented players in the top 10 between 2002 and 2005.
- The Raiders love tight ends. With their selection of Brock Bowers, the Raiders became only the second team since 1967 to take a tight end with a top-35 pick in consecutive drafts (they added Michael Mayer last year). The only other team to take two tight ends in the top 35 in consecutive drafts was the 1973-74 Bills.
- The rams went to see Jared. The Rams have only made two first-round picks since 2016 and both players were named Jared. Eight years ago they took Jared Goff and followed that up on Thursday by taking Jared Verse.
- Saint Toledo. Former Toledo corner Quinyon Mitchell ended up joining the Eagles with the 22nd overall pick, making him just the second player in Toledo history to be selected in the first round. Mitchell joins Dan Williams, the Broncos’ 11th overall pick in 1993.
- In the footsteps of their father. Marvin Harrison Jr. and Joe Alt were selected in the first round, which is notable because both of their fathers were also selected in the first round. The Alts and Harrisons are now the 10th and 11th families since 1967 to have a father and son both selected in the first round.
Our last drive of the evening goes to the city of Detroit. According to the NFL, a in total, 275,000 fans showed up in Detroit for Thursday’s draft, which set the record for largest first-round participation. The previous record was set in 2019 when 200,000 fans showed up in Nashville.
