NFL Draft Starts

NFL Draft Starts History

The NFL Draft Start is an annual event in American football as teams from the National Football League (NFL) select eligible players to join their ranks. With its origins rooted in the need for equality and competitive balance, the Draft has grown into a highly anticipated spectacle for fans and players alike.

The inaugural NFL Draft was in 1936, with the Philadelphia Eagles securing the first pick. It began as a closed-door meeting, but over the years, has grown into an event televised nationally, enticing hundreds of thousands of viewers. The purpose of the Draft is to give the lowest-ranked teams the opportunity to strengthen their rosters by picking the most promising college football players.

Over three days, seven rounds of selections are conducted where representatives from each of the NFL's 32 teams make picks. The order is determined by the teams' win-loss record from the previous season, with the team having the worst record getting the first pick. The NFL Draft is typically held in late April or early May, bringing a culmination of months of scouting and interviews with the league’s future stars.

Facts about NFL Draft Starts

• According to the NFL, Across the three-day event, more than 54 million fans watched the 2023 NFL Draft.
  According to the LA Times, round 1 of the 2022 NFL draft had about 10 million viewers watching live.
• In the 2023 NFL Draft, 259 players were drafted into the NFL. The first round first pick was Bryce Young, quarterback from the University of Alabama, selected by the Carolina Panthers.
  For the 2022 NFL Draft, 262 players were drafted into 32 different NFL teams. The first player to be drafted in 2022 was Aidan Hutchinson to the Detroit Lions.
• Brady was famously picked in the 6th round with the 199th pick in the 2000 draft by the New England Patriots. NFL top quarterbacks like Joe Montana, Dan Marino, Brett Favre, etc., were not number one draft picks.

In the News and Trending for NFL Draft Starts

Top things to do for NFL Draft Starts

• Watch the 2024 NFL Draft.
• Sign up for the draft experience. It is the NFL's interactive football theme park. It is open to the public and is located outside the FirstEnergy Stadium in downtown Cleveland, Ohio.