Last week, football fans of all 32 NFL teams gathered in Detroit and at home for the 2024 NFL draft to watch college football’s biggest stars make the transition to the professional stage. With an average viewership of 12.1 million and a peak of 34.3 million, this was the highest viewed draft since 2021.

In the early half of the first round, defensive players were nowhere to be found. With a record-breaking 23 offensive players taken in the first round out of 32, it was clear that teams were prioritizing perfecting their woes on that side of the ball. The first defensive player was not picked until the 15th pick when the Indianapolis Colts selected defensive end Laiatu Latu out of UCLA.

Quarterback Caleb Williams out of USC was the first name off the board as the Chicago Bears selected him with the first overall pick. Williams, who has earned a ton of media attention for his Patrick Mahomes-esque play style, as well as his frequently perceived cocky personality, will face the most pressure of any prospect this upcoming season, since Bears fans are hoping he is Chicago’s savior and the answer to the franchise’s ongoing struggles at the quarterback position.

Five other teams sought quarterbacks in the first round as six of them were selected within the first 12 picks. One of those names called off the board was Michael Penix Jr. out of Washington whom the Atlanta Falcons took with the eighth pick. This pick was undeniably an unusual decision by the Falcons as they had just signed quarterback Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million dollar deal. Penix, already 23 years old, might not get to start an NFL game until he is 27, which makes this move by Atlanta seem even more questionable.

Other controversial picks of the first round were the Denver Broncos selecting quarterback Bo Nix out of Oregon at number 12 and the Las Vegas Raiders selecting tight end Brock Bowers out of Georgia at number 13. Nix was widely considered to be a late first or early second round prospect, so hearing his name selected as early as number 12 was unexpected. The Raiders, having just taken a tight end in the first round of the draft last year, should have gone in another direction with their first round pick as they need to fill other holes in their team to be competitive in the star-studded AFC West division.

Per usual, the typical college powershouses were on full display during the draft. This year, national champion Michigan led the way as the college with the most players drafted with 13, closely followed by Texas with 11 and Alabama, Florida State and Washington all with 10.

From the 1st all the way to the 257th pick (commonly referred to as Mr. Irrelevant), the 2024 NFL draft is in the books and the newest members of the league will be looking to take the football world by storm during their rookie seasons.

Rookies may be young but they have potential to positively restructure their teams, so do not be surprised when members of the 2024 draft class put the league on notice next year.