Record Crowd, Historic Quarterback Draft: NFL’s Three-Day Extravaganza Breaks Attendance and Selection Records

The 2024 NFL Draft came to a close with an impressive turnout of over 700,00 people attending the event in Detroit, Michigan, breaking the previous record set five years ago during the draft held in Nashville. The three-day extravaganza saw quarterbacks and offensive players dominate proceedings on Thursday as six out of twelve picks were signal callers – a first for NFL history. Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy, Bo Nix, Spencer Rattler, Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels (the Heisman Trophy winner) and Drake Maye all found new homes during the draft’s opening day. The interest in quarterbacks was particularly unprecedented, as four out of eight selections on Thursday went to these players alone – a record for any single NFL Draft event. Michael Penix Jr.’s selection by Atlanta Falcons at No.8 also came unexpectedly; his agent Mike McCartney revealed that they had no idea this move was coming even after Kirk Cousins received a four-year, $180 million contract from the same team just last month.
The draft’s second day saw more teams focus on strengthening their defenses with new recruits as 20 defensive players were selected in round two alone – an increase compared to previous years. The Philadelphia Eagles also opted for cornerbacks Quinyon Mitchell and Cooper DeJean, outside linebacker Jalyx Hunt during the first three rounds of draft picks on Friday.
The interest in wide receivers was equally high as 35 players were selected throughout the event – a record number that surpasses last year’s total by eight selections. Marvin Harrison Jr., son of NFL Hall-of Famer, kickstarted this trend with his No.4 pick from Arizona Cardinals while Xavier Worthy’s speed proved attractive to Kansas City Chiefs at the Combine where he recorded a record time for 40-yard dash in history (4.21 seconds).
Oregon was also celebrating after setting new records – eight selections and five of them during round four alone, thanks largely to Troy Franklin’s No.102 overall pick by Denver Broncos that reunited him with Nix. The eventful weekend drew proceedings in style as New York Jets ended the draft selecting Jaylen Key at No. 257 – earning himself a “Mr Irrelevant” title, which has gained more attention since Brock Purdy led San Francisco 49ers to Super Bowl two years ago after being picked last during the event’s previous edition in 2016.
Overall, this year’s NFL Draft saw an impressive record of 55 linemen selected over three days – a new high for the seven-round draft era with 28 out of those picks coming from the position that requires players to protect or block opposing teams in pursuit of their quarterbacks.