Will the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft be the flip side of round one? During the first round, teams made a concerted run on offensive players.
Will the second round be an equalizer — featuring a run on defensive players?
Over 70% of the Players Selected in the First Round Were Offensive Players
In the first round, 23 offensive players were selected, while only nine defensive players were picked.
Here are the numbers, position-by-position:
- 7 Wide Receivers
- 7 Offensive Tackles
- 6 Quarterbacks
- 5 Edge Rushers
- 3 Cornerbacks
- 2 Interior Offensive Linemen
- 1 Tight End
- 1 Defensive Tackle
List of All 32 First-Round Selections
Here are the players selected in the top half of the first round:
Pick | Team | Player | Position | College |
1 | Bears | Caleb Williams | QB | USC |
2 | Commanders | Jayden Daniels | QB | LSU |
3 | Patriots | Drake Maye | QB | North Carolina |
4 | Cardinals | Marvin Harrison, Jr. | WR | Ohio State |
5 | Chargers | Joe Alt | OT | Notre Dame |
6 | Giants | Malik Nabers | WR | LSU |
7 | Titans | JC Latham | OT | Alabama |
8 | Falcons | Michael Penix, Jr. | QB | Washington |
9 | Bears | Rome Odunze | WR | Washington |
10 | Vikings | J.J. McCarthy | QB | Michigan |
11 | Jets | Olu Fashanu | OT | Penn State |
12 | Broncos | Bo Nix | QB | Oregon |
13 | Raiders | Brock Bowers | TE | Georgia |
14 | Saints | Taliese Fuaga | OT | Oregon State |
15 | Colts | Laiatu Latu | EDGE | UCLA |
16 | Seahawks | Byron Murphy II | DT | Texas |
And, here are the players selected in the bottom half of the first round:
Pick | Team | Player | Position | College |
17 | Vikings | Dallas Turner | EDGE | Alabama |
18 | Bengals | Amarius Mims | OT | Georgia |
19 | Rams | Jared Verse | EDGE | Florida State |
20 | Steelers | Troy Fautanu | OT | Washington |
21 | Dolphins | Chop Robinson | EDGE | Penn State |
22 | Eagles | Quinyon Mitchell | CB | Toledo |
23 | Jaguars | Brian Thomas, Jr. | WR | LSU |
24 | Lions | Terrion Arnold | CB | Alabama |
25 | Packers | Jordan Morgan | OT | Arizona |
26 | Buccaneers | Graham Barton | OT | Duke |
27 | Cardinals | Darius Robinson | EDGE | Missouri |
28 | Chiefs | Xavier Worthy | WR | Texas |
29 | Cowboys | Tyler Guyton | OT | Oklahoma |
30 | Ravens | Nate Wiggins | CB | Clemson |
31 | 49ers | Ricky Pearsall | WR | Florida |
32 | Panthers | Xavier Legette | WR | South Carolina |
Stand-Out Aspects of the First Round
Several interesting observations about the first-round selections are worth noting:
25% of the first-round selections are players from the now-defunct Pac-12. Only the SEC had more selections in the first round. Here’s the conference-by-conference breakdown:
- 11 — SEC
- 8 — Pac-12
- 4 — Big Ten
- 4 — ACC
- 3 — Big 12
- 2 — Other
Remarkably, six of the first twelve selections are quarterbacks.
A total of nine offensive linemen were selected in the first round.
No running backs were selected in the first round. Likewise, no linebackers and no safeties were selected in the first round.
These are just a few of the intriguing characteristics of the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
Will the Second Round Feature a Run on Defensive Players?
As in the first round, there are 32 selections in the second round.
According to ESPN, 21 of the 32 top-rated remaining players available are defensive players. Thus, the circumstances seem ripe for a run on elite defensive players in the second round.
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