2024 NFL Draft in Detroit. Who did the Lions draft?
(CBS DETROIT) — One of the biggest events in the NFL year kicked off Thursday in downtown Detroit. Aside from community events happening in the area, many people are here to see who the teams will select in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Detroit Lions, who finished their 2023 season with a 12-5 record, selected Alabama cornerback Terrion Arnold with the 24th overall pick in the first found Thursday.
On Friday night, the Lions selected Missouri cornerback Ennis Rakestraw Jr. with the 61st overall pick in the second round.
On Saturday, the Lions traded up twice in the fourth round. Detroit opened the day by drafting Giovanni Manu, a 6-foot-7, 350-pound senior offensive lineman from the University of British Columbia. Manu, who was taken 126th overall and with the 26th pick in the fourth round, is the first player from the University of British Columbia to be drafted.
The Lions later drafted Utah sophomore running back Sione Vaki with the 132nd overall pick and 32nd of the fourth round. The 5-foot-11, 210-pound running back earned first-team All-Pac 12 Conference honors in 2023 and was a finalist for the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year and the Paul Hornung awards.
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Detroit traded up again in the sixth round and selected LSU junior defensive tackle Mekhi Wingo 189th overall pick and 13th in the sixth round. The 6-foot, 284-pound Wingo played in eight games and made seven starts, totaling 25 tackles and 4.5 sacks. He missed time due to a lower-body injury and had surgery, but returned for LSU's bowl win over Wisconsin.
Detroit concluded the draft by selecting Boston College senior guard Christian Mahogany with the 210th overall pick and the 34th pick in the sixth round. The 6-foot-3, 314-pounder was a first-team All-ACC player in 2023 and started 12 games at right guard.
Here's what to know about this year's draft and the Lions' picks:
When will the NFL Draft start?
The 2024 NFL Draft is a three-day event scheduled from Thursday through Saturday.
Round 1 began at 8 p.m. on Thursday. The second day of the draft began at 7 p.m. on Friday and included the second and third rounds. The final four rounds closed out the final day of the draft and began at noon Saturday.
According to the NFL, there are a total of seven rounds in the draft, and each of the 32 teams is given a pick for every round. However, the teams have the option to trade their picks before and during the draft.
Each team has 10 minutes to make their selection in the first round, seven minutes for the second round, five minutes for the third, fourth, fifth and sixth rounds, and just four minutes for the seventh round.
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What is the Lions' 2024 pick order?
The Detroit Lions will have one pick in the first and second rounds and traded up on Saturday to receive two picks in the fourth round. The Lions also had two picks in the sixth round.
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In a quick turn of events on Thursday, the Detroit Lions traded their No. 29 pick in the first round to obtain the 24th pick from the Dallas Cowboys. In exchange, the Lions gave up their third-round pick (73rd overall) in the 2024 draft and obtained a seventh-round pick in the 2025 draft.
Here is the Lions draft schedule:
Thursday, April 25
- Round 1: Pick 24 (trade with Cowboys)
Friday, April 26
- Round 2: Pick 29 (No. 61 overall)
Saturday, April 27
- Round 4: Pick 26 (No. 126 overall)
- Round 4: Pick 32 (No. 132 overall)
- Round 6: Pick 13 (No. 189 overall)
- Round 6: Pick 34 (No. 210 overall)
How are draft picks decided?
The picks are given based on success from the most recent season, starting with the team with the worst record. The first 32 picks are based on whether the team made it to the playoffs.
Teams that didn't advance are given overall pick Nos. 1 through 20. The teams that went on to the playoffs will get overall picks 21-32, based on where they finished in the playoffs.
The two teams that lost in the conference championship round will get picks 29 and 30. Thus, the Lions received the No. 29 pick because they lost in the NFC Championship.
Some teams may also receive a compensatory pick, which goes to teams that lost free agents. This year, the Lions did not receive a compensatory pick.
