2024 NFL Draft order: who picks first and last?

The victorious Kansas City Chiefs may still be with a hangover from their Super Bowl LVIII success celebration, but front offices across the country are already ready for the 2024 season.

In the cutthroat world of professional sports, standing still is not an option, and every team in the NFL will be eyeing up their options for the 2024 NFL Draft. The 89th annual meeting of NFL franchises will be held from 25 to 27 April in Detroit, Michigan, where 256 college players will realize their NFL dreams.

2024 NFL Draft Order

The NFL Draft is arranged in a strict order, with the weaker teams given the earlier picks in each round and the stronger teams given later picks. As you would expect, Super Bowl LVIII winners, the Kansas City Chiefs, are left with the final pick in each round.

There have, however, been some trades that shake up the order slightly. The Chicago Bears gained the No. 1 overall pick after trading it with the Carolina Panthers in 2023. Here’s the full order for the 2024 NFL Draft...

The selection order remains the same for each round, except for the teams with identical records from 2023. Those teams will rotate between themselves each round, i.e., the Giants and the Titans will alternate the 6th and 7th picks.

Who are the top prospects for the 2024 NFL Draft?

Ranking college prospects is always a thankless task, one that ignores the myriad factors that can affect a player’s development and efficacy in the professional league.

Brock Purdy sneaked into the NFL as the final pick in 2022 and, just two years later, led the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl. Tom Brady, the most decorated player in the history of the game, was a near-irrelevance before getting drafted as the 199th pick by the New England Patriots.

But with all that being said, there are some stand-out candidates in 2024. Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is a two-time All-Big Ten first-teamer, and he recorded 1,211 yards for 14 touchdowns in 2023. He starred at the 2023 NFL Draft pro day despite not being eligible for the draft until the following year.

Caleb Williams, a 22-year-old from USC, is the top-ranked quarterback in 2024. He was named the winner of the Heisman Trophy in 2022 after a stellar season with the Trojans and recorded an astonishing 120 total touchdowns over the course of his three-year college career.

Rounding out the top three is Rome Odunze of the University of Washington. He was a consensus All-American in 2023 and helped the Huskies to the national final in 2023, where they were beaten by the Michigan Wolverines.

Although there might not be any exceptional defensive talent in this upcoming draft, there are still some impressive players who are worth keeping an eye on. Specifically, there is a group of highly skilled cornerbacks that have the potential to make a significant impact on their respective teams. Moreover, there are a couple of pass-rushers, namely Dallas Turner and Jared Verse, who could become game-changers on defense and even lead their teams to success. Teams that are looking to strengthen their defense will have plenty of talented players to choose from in the first round of the draft.