Defense wins championships, yet it could be a while until a defensive player hears his name called during the 2024 NFL Draft.
The top of the 2024 NFL Draft features several standout quarterbacks, some star wide receivers, and a few ground-shaking offensive tackles. Overshadowed from the clear crop of offensive talents are the defensive players who are tasked with sacking quarterbacks, covering receivers, and getting past tackles.
That’s not to say those players don’t completely exist. Alabama EDGE Dallas Turner, FSU pass-rusher Jared Verse, and Clemson corner Nate Wiggins have turned heads and are certainly poising themselves to be early draft picks in 2024. However, it’s not going to surprise anyone if they don’t hear their names called until later in the top 10, if not later.
It’s rare for teams to wait too long before picking at least one defensive player There have often been years where a dynamic EDGE goes first overall. But this year, it certainly appears as if a run on offense will open the draft, forcing fans to wait a while before seeing a defensive player taken.
Will it set a record? Here’s what you need to know about the latest the first defensive player has been picked in the NFL Draft.
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What’s the latest the first defensive player has been picked in the NFL Draft?
Since the NFL merger in 1970, only once has it taken until No. 8 for a defensive player to be drafted: 2021, when the Panthers took Jaycee Horn eighth overall.
There was an early run on quarterbacks in that draft, with Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars), Zach Wilson (Jets), and Trey Lance (49ers) going 1-2-3. From there, the Falcons took tight end Kyle Pitts, the Bengals took wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase, the Dolphins took wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, and the Lions took offensive tackle Penei Sewell.
This year’s draft is expected to follow a similar pattern, with most mock drafts projecting the first defensive player to be selected by the Falcons at No. 8 overall. Alabama EDGE Dallas Turner is the consensus pick there, with at least three QBs (Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye), three WRs (Marvin Harrison Jr., Rome Odunze, Malik Nabers), and an OT (Joe Alt) going ahead of him. It’s possible QB J.J. McCarthy sneaks in there, too, but he would likely replace one of the WRs or Alt, prompting Atlanta to still go defense unless it trades down or shocks everyone with an OL or WR pick.
In the early days of the NFL draft, it wasn’t uncommon for players to play both sides of the ball despite being primarily listed at offensive positions. For example, in the 1936 and 1938 NFL Drafts, there were no listed defensive players drafted. However, Len Barnum, listed as a back, rushed for 590 yards, hauled in 11 receptions, and intercepted five passes in his career, playing across the field after going 12th overall to the Pirates.
There have been other drafts in recent years that have featured a wait for defensive players. In the 1999 draft, it wasn’t until No. 7 that a defensive player was finally selected. It was a good pick, as Washington selected future Hall-of-Famer Champ Bailey out of Georgia.
In 2005 and 2012, respectively, it took until the sixth pick for the first defensive player to go off the board, with corner Adam “Pac-Man” Jones and corner Morris Claiborne being the first defensive players in their respective drafts.
2024 NFL DRAFT TOP 10 LISTS: QBs | RBs | WRs | TEs | EDGE
Fewest first-round defensive players in a draft
There is likely still going to be a decent amount of defensive players selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, though it might take a bit of time for the first player to come off the board, there should be a host of cornerbacks, several EDGE rushers, and at least one defensive tackle drafted.
It would have to be a really quiet first round for the 2024 NFL Draft to reach record lows for defensive players. That mark is shared by the 1973 and 1982 NFL Drafts, both of which only had nine defensive players taken in the first round. Of course, at those points, there were only 26 and 28 teams in the league, respectively, meaning there were fewer opportunities for first-round defensive guys to be taken.
The 32-team record is shared between 2004 and 2009 when 13 defensive players were taken in each respective first round.
