The 2024 NFL Draft is fast approaching. Although the early rounds will always get more fanfare than the later rounds, we’ve seen stars emerge from all over the draft board. Just years ago, the player dubbed “Mr. Irrelevant,” for being the final player selected, was Brock Purdy — all he did was lead the San Francisco 49ers to the Super Bowl in his first full year as a starter in 2023.
While teams no longer have to sift through 20 or 30 rounds as they did in the middle of the 20th century, there are still plenty of potential selections. How many picks are in the NFL Draft?
How Many Picks Are in the 2024 NFL Draft?
There will be 257 picks made in the 2024 NFL Draft. In a role reversal from last year, the Chicago Bears have the No. 1 overall after acquiring it via trade from the Carolina Panthers. The year before, it was the Bears who earned the top selection but traded it to Carolina. Currently, the New York Jets own the final pick in the draft.
All 32 NFL clubs are allotted seven draft picks each year. As you might have guessed, each team gets one selection per round, which is determined by the reverse order of the final standings of the previous season. Of course, all seven rounds don’t ever look the same.
Teams are allowed to trade picks, which occurs numerous times throughout each draft. That results in teams ending up with an unequal number of picks.
GET DRAFTING: Free NFL Mock Draft Simulator With Trades
There is also the matter of compensatory picks. The NFL awards teams what are essentially bonus picks at the end of Rounds 3-7 if their free agents are signed by other franchises or if their minority front office/coaching candidates are hired by other organizations. This year, 34 compensatory picks have been awarded.
In terms of total picks in 2024, the Arizona Cardinals, Green Bay Packers, and Los Angeles Rams have the most selections with 11. The Bears have the fewest with only four.
Sometimes, teams have fewer picks because of penalties imposed by the league. Last year, there were only 31 picks in the first round after the Miami Dolphins were stripped of their first-round pick for tampering with Tom Brady and Sean Payton from 2019-2021. As part of their punishment, they have also had their 2024 third-round pick taken away.
How Many Picks Are in Each Round?
Compensatory picks are slotted at the end of the third through seventh rounds, so those rounds will naturally be longer than the first two. Here’s how many picks will occur in each round.
- Round 1: 32 picks
- Round 2: 32 picks
- Round 3: 37 picks
- Round 4: 35 picks
- Round 5: 40 picks
- Round 6: 43 picks
- Round 7: 37 picks
How Long Does Each Team Have To Pick?
The time between picks gets progressively lower as the draft wears on. In the first round, teams have 10 minutes to make their selections. That drops to seven minutes in the second round. In Rounds 3-6, clubs receive five minutes to make their pick. Then, in the seventh round, teams get just four minutes.
If a team doesn’t make its pick or agrees to a trade before its time expires, the next team is on the clock as normal. However, running out of time for a pick doesn’t preclude a team from making a pick. Rather, that team just no longer has the exclusive right to make a pick. They can still submit their draft card whenever they are ready.
In 2011, the Ravens missed their pick at No. 26 overall before eventually taking Colorado cornerback Jimmy Smith at No. 27.
Complete Round 1 Draft Order
For more on the 2024 NFL draft order, check out PFN’s list of 2024 NFL Draft picks by team.
1. Chicago Bears (From CAR)
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 CLE)
24. Dallas Cowboys
25. Green Bay Packers
26. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
27. Arizona Cardinals (From HOU)
28. Buffalo Bills
29. Detroit Lions
30. Baltimore Ravens
31. San Francisco 49ers
32. Kansas City Chiefs
Draft with your friends today! PFN’s Mock Draft Simulator now supports multiple drafters during the same draft! Ensure your player rankings are up to date on the 2024 NFL Draft Big Board and you know what every NFL team needs before drafting.