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A helmet with the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit logo at the Super Bowl 58 media center. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

A brief history — and 11 fun facts — about the NFL Draft

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated 4/23/24

In a matter of days, thousands of football fans will crowd the stage at Detroit’s Campus Martius Park for the 2024 NFL Draft.

Here’s everything you need to know about the event: past, present, and future.

1. When was the first NFL Draft?

The NFL was founded in 1920 but wouldn’t hold a draft until 1936. "The Annual Player Selection Meeting,” as it was called, occurred at Philadelphia's Ritz-Carlton Hotel. Teams chose from a pool of 90 players with much information from local newspapers and word-of-mouth scouting.

2. Who was the NFL’s first draft pick?

Philadelphia selected Heisman Trophy winner Jay Berwanger as the first overall pick in 1936. Unfortunately, he never played a down for the Eagles and became a foam rubber salesman instead.

3. When was the first televised draft?

In 1980, a new all-sports cable channel called ESPN became the first network to televise the NFL Draft. It took place at the Sheraton Hotel in New York City in a dimly lit ballroom with none of the trappings NFL fans have come to expect over the years. Mel Kiper Jr. joined ESPN's draft coverage in 1984.

Classic Photo: This is Mel Kiper Jr. and Chris Berman at the 1984 NFL Draft with ESPN. pic.twitter.com/ykwApEfMSx
— Ethan Carter (@EthanCarterSW) January 11, 2017

4. How many rounds is the NFL Draft?

The first draft had nine rounds but grew to 32 rounds by the 1940s. The number of rounds dropped over the years until 1994 when the NFL adopted its current seven-round format.

5. How much time do teams get between picks?

Until 2007, teams had 15 minutes in the first round, 10 minutes in the second, and five minutes for other rounds. Today, each team gets 10 minutes for the first round, seven minutes for the second, five minutes for the third through sixth rounds and four minutes for the seventh round.

6. Where does the draft usually take place?

New York City has hosted the draft 57 times including 10 at Madison Square Garden and eight at Radio City Music Hall. After moving the draft to Chicago in 2015 and 2016, the league decided to rotate venues yearly. Philadelphia, Dallas, Nashville, Cleveland, Las Vegas and Kansas City have since hosted a draft.

7. How many people watch the draft?

According to NFL.com, the 2019 NFL Draft set a record for the highest-rated and most-watched draft ever, with 3.9 million households and more than 47.5 million viewers tuning in for the three-day event.

8. How many people attend the draft in person?

That same year, more than 600,000 fans attended the draft in Nashville to see the Arizona Cardinals take Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray first overall. Total attendance in Kansas City was around 312,000 for Kansas City last year, roughly the same as Las Vegas in 2022.

9. Why would a city want to host the NFL Draft?

For last year’s draft, a report by Kansas City's economic development organization estimated the impact of the three-day event at $164 million. Per the Kansas City Star, about $109 million came from direct spending, 60% for accommodations, 18% for food and beverage and $55 million more from indirect spending.

10. Where will next year’s draft take place?

The 2025 NFL Draft will run from April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wis., with the main portion of the event expected to take place on Lambeau Field itself.

11. When is this year’s draft?

The 2024 NFL Draft will be held on Thursday (April 25 at 8 p.m. ET), Friday (April 26 at 7 p.m. ET) and Saturday (April 27 at 12 p.m. ET) and can be seen on ABC, ESPN, NFL Network and ESPN Deportes.

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