NFL draft 2024: Start time, draft order, how to watch and stream

Mike Greenberg will host ESPN's coverage of the NFL Draft for the fourth straight year. Read more

The 2024 NFL draft begins Thursday at 8 p.m, and it’s a lock a quarterback is going to be taken with the top pick.

The Chicago Bears have the first overall pick, and they’re expected to take USC’s Caleb Williams. Other quarterbacks expected to go quick are LSU’s Jayden Daniels, North Carolina’s Drake Maye, and possibly Michigan’s J.J. McCarthy. There are also three highly touted wide receiver prospects — Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr., LSU’s Malik Nabers, and Washington’s Rome Odunze.

In Philadelphia, all eyes are on the Eagles, who have the No. 22 pick in the first round of the draft Thursday night. Though it’s possible the Eagles could be on the move.

The Inquirer’s Devin Jackson thinks the Eagles could move up seven spots to the No. 15 pick to take Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold, which would break a 22-year streak of not drafting a cornerback in the first round. So does beat writer Jeff McLane, who has the Eagles moving up to the No. 16 pick to select Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell.

In his final mock draft, NFL Network analyst and former Eagles scout Daniel Jeremiah predicts the Birds will move all the way up to the No. 12 pick to select explosive Oregon State offensive tackle Taliese Fuaga.

During the first round, each team has 10 minutes to make its pick. If the Birds still have the No. 22 pick, expect the Eagles to be on the clock for their selection around 10:40 p.m., based on the pace of the last few years.

Here’s everything you need to know to watch and stream this year’s NFL draft:

What time does the NFL draft begin?

The 2024 NFL draft is scheduled to begin at 8 p.m. Eastern and run through 11:30 p.m. In addition to airing on ABC, ESPN, and the NFL Network, the draft will also stream on the ABC app, the ESPN app, the NFL app, NFL+ (the league’s subscription service) and on NFL.com (cable authentication is required).

Here’s how television networks are planning to cover the draft.

For the sixth-straight year, ABC will air its own coverage of the NFL draft on Thursday and Friday focused more on the personal stories of the prospects than their specific impact on the field. Rece Davis will host ABC’s main coverage alongside analysts Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, and Field Yates. Former Alabama head coach Nick Sabban will also make his debut as an ESPN analyst.

Not returning to ABC’s coverage this year is analyst Todd McShay, who was among those laid off by ESPN in June 2023. He’s sitting this year’s draft out on TV due to “obvious contract limitations” but has been offering his analysis on social media and various podcasts, including Pardon My Take and The Ryen Russilo Podcast.

This will be ESPN’s 45th year broadcasting the NFL draft, dating back to 1980. Anchoring the network’s draft coverage for the third straight year will be Get Up! host Mike Greenberg. On Thursday and Friday he’ll be joined by analysts Louis Riddick, Booger McFarland, and Mel Kiper Jr., who is working his 41st NFL draft and still does not own a cell phone (though he does have at least four landlines).

One voice that will be missed is Chris Mortensen, the celebrated NFL reporter who died in March after a long battle with cancer. Alongside NFL insider Adam Schefter this year will be college football reporter Molly McGrath, who is making her NFL draft debut.

An added complication this year is the NBA playoffs. On Friday night, the second and third rounds of the NFL draft will air on ESPN2, since ESPN will be broadcasting NBA playoff games beginning at 5:30 p.m.

For the 18th year, NFL Network will have its own coverage, hosted by Rich Eisen. He’ll be joined by NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah, CBS analyst Charles Davis, Hall of Famer Kurt Warner, and Fox Sports lead college football analyst Joel Klatt.

Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick will join Pat McAfee in a special NFL draft version of his show tonight beginning at 8 p.m., which will stream on ESPN+ and for free on YouTube. McAfee’s regular crew will also be part of the draft coverage, which includes Conor Campbell, Ty Schmit, Tone Digs and former Green Bay Packers linebacker AJ Hawk.

For the sixth straight season, ESPN Deportes will cover every round in Spanish. The network’s broadcast will feature Monday Night Football announcers Eduardo Varela and Pablo Viruega, among others.

Where is this year’s NFL draft taking place?

After spending nearly 50 years in New York City, the NFL decided to venture out of Radio City Music Hall and hit the road with the NFL draft. Since holding the draft in Chicago in 2015, the NFL has moved from city to city, including a stop in Philadelphia in 2017.

This year’s traveling road show is taking place in downtown Detroit, with the main stage set up near Campus Martius Park. Organizers are expecting as many as 400,000 people to travel to Motown for the draft, according to the Detroit News.

Next year, the draft is scheduled to take place in Green Bay inside and around Lambeau Field and Titletown.

» READ MORE: NFL draft, Day 1: Sizing up the Eagles’ needs, a rundown of their picks, and more

What team has the most draft picks?

Three teams entered Thursday with 11 picks each in the 2024 NFL draft — the Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, and Los Angeles Rams. It’s the second straight season the Packers will enter the draft with 12 picks.

The Chicago Bears have the fewest, holding just four picks. Two of those are in the first round tonight, including the No. 1 overall pick.

How many draft picks do the Eagles have?

Overall, the Eagles have eight picks entering the 2024 NFL draft, though general manager Howie Roseman isn’t known for quiet draft days. Since Roseman took over as general manager in 2010, the Eagles have made trades and shifted picks in just about every draft (though Roseman lost his power to do so to former head coach Chip Kelly in 2015).

Last year, Roseman and the Eagles traded up to draft defensive tackle Jalen Carter with the No. 9 pick. The year before, the Eagles moved up two spots in the first round to snag fellow defensive tackle Jordan Davis with the No. 13 pick.

» READ MORE: 2024 NFL draft: Rating 15 potential first-round targets for the Eagles

Who did the Eagles draft last year?

The Chicago Bears hold the No. 1 pick in the draft for the first time since 1947, when they selected halfback Bob Fenimore, a College Football Hall of Famer know as the “Blond Bomber.” Hopefully this year’s top pick goes better for the Bears, as Fenimore only played a single season for Chicago before injuries forced him off the field.

The Bears’ more recent pick in the top five was in 2017, when they took quarterback Mitch Trubisky with the No. 2 overall pick. That pick didn’t pan out either, as Trubisky lasted just four seasons in Chicago and is now on his second stint with the Buffalo Bills as a backup.

Three teams don’t have a single first-round pick: Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, and Houston Texans.

Here’s the complete order of the first round: