Everything you need to know about the 2024 NFL Draft
If the Patriots keep their No. 3 pick, it’ll be their highest selection since taking Drew Bledsoe at No. 1 in 1993.
The 2024 NFL Draft will kick off Thursday from Detroit, and the Patriots find themselves with a top-five pick for the first time since 1994.
The Bears hold the No. 1 pick, which they acquired from the Panthers, and all signs point to Southern Cal’s Caleb Williams coming off the board first.
The Patriots have eight picks, including No. 3. If they stay there, it’ll be their highest selection since taking Drew Bledsoe at No. 1 in 1993. The last time they used a top-10 pick was in 2008, when they drafted none other than first-year head coach Jerod Mayo.
Here’s everything you need to know.
NFL Draft 2024: Dates, times and schedule
Dates: Thursday, April 25 to Saturday, April 27
Location: Detroit
How to watch: NFL Network, NFL+, ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes
Schedule
Round 1: Thursday, April 25 at 8 p.m.
Rounds 2-3: Friday, April 26 at 7 p.m.
Rounds 4-7: Saturday, April 27 at 12 p.m.
Format and time limits
There are seven rounds, with a total of 259 selections. In addition, 34 compensatory choices were awarded.
The amount of time teams have to make their choice:
• Round 1: 10 minutes per selection
• Round 2: 7 minutes per selection
• Rounds 3-6: 5 minutes per selection
• Round 7: 4 minutes per selection
First-round order
1. Chicago Bears (from Carolina)
2. Washington Commanders
3. New England Patriots
4. Arizona Cardinals
5. Los Angeles Chargers
6. New York Giants
7. Tennessee Titans
8. Atlanta Falcons
9. Chicago Bears
10. New York Jets
11. Minnesota Vikings
12. Denver Broncos
13. Las Vegas Raiders
14. New Orleans Saints
15. Indianapolis Colts
16. Seattle Seahawks
17. Jacksonville Jaguars
18. Cincinnati Bengals
19. Los Angeles Rams
20. Pittsburgh Steelers
21. Miami Dolphins
22. Philadelphia Eagles
23. Minnesota Vikings (from Cleveland through Houston)
24. Dallas Cowboys
25. Green Bay Packers
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
27. Arizona Cardinals (from Houston)
28. Buffalo Bills
29. Detroit Lions
30. Baltimore Ravens
31. San Francisco 49ers
32. Kansas City Chiefs
Of note
• The Cardinals, Bears, and Vikings all hold two first-round picks. Teams with no first-round picks: Panthers (Bryce Young trade), Browns (Deshaun Watson trade), and Texans (pick trades with Cardinals and Vikings). Their first picks: Panthers at No. 33, Texans at No. 42, and the Browns at No. 54. The Commanders and Cardinals each have six picks in the top 100 (and the Cardinals also have pick No. 104).
• The Dolphins forfeited their third-round pick (No. 86) because of the Tom Brady tampering incident.
• Offense is king in this year’s draft class. There could be as many as six quarterbacks, eight receivers and tight ends, and eight offensive tackles taken in the first round. The most offensive players taken in the first round in any year is 19, and that number at this year’s draft could reach the mid-20s.
• The Patriots appear to be on the hunt for a quarterback, but they’re not the only team in that camp. Other teams looking for a signal caller include the Bears (No. 1), Commanders (No. 2), Vikings (No. 11), Broncos (No. 12), and Raiders (No. 13).
• The Patriots are open to all possibilities when it comes to trading their No. 3 pick, according to de facto general manager Eliot Wolf. That includes swapping with a team like the Vikings, who are in need of a quarterback and seem to be high on Drake Maye. Wolf said Thursday the Patriots have yet to receive a formal trade offer, noting that a deal could come together at any time between now and when the team is on the clock.
• Utah receiver Devaughn Vele is the oldest prospect at nearly 26½, but he took three years off from football for a Mormon mission. Six quarterback prospects, including Kentucky’s Devin Leary and Notre Dame’s Sam Hartman, are older than Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who is entering his fourth NFL season and doesn’t turn 25 until October.
When do the Patriots pick?
What have the Patriots done in the first round in the past?
The Patriots have never had the No. 3 pick. If they stay there, it will mark the fifth time since 1980 that they used a top-five pick.
The Patriots drafted defensive tackle Kenneth Sims with the No. 1 pick in the 1982 draft. The defensive rookie of the year that season, Sims played 74 games across eight seasons for the Patriots and totaled 17 sacks.
Two years later, they had the No. 1 pick again and used it on wide receiver Irving Fryar, who played nine seasons with New England and 17 total in the NFL, earning five Pro Bowl selections.
Next came quarterback Drew Bledsoe, the No. 1 pick in the 1993 draft, and we all know that story. Bledsoe was the Patriots’ golden boy, leading New England to four playoff berths and a Super Bowl appearance, until he got injured in 2001, paving the way for an unknown backup named Tom Brady.
The Patriots’ most recent top-5 pick came in 1994, when they used the No. 4 pick on Willie McGinest. The linebacker played 12 seasons in New England, where he made two Pro Bowls and won three Super Bowls. He also holds the record for postseason sacks and was inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame in 2015.
This year could also mark the fifth time the Patriots draft a quarterback in the first round. The others: Jim Plunkett (No. 1 in 1971), Tony Eason (No. 15 in 1983), Bledsoe, Mac Jones (No. 15 in 2021).
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