Round 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft on Thursday saw a tie for most wideouts selected -- the position-needy Buffalo Bills were not involved.
After losing Gabe Davis to the Jacksonville Jaguars in free agency and trading Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans, Buffalo traded back twice. Both the Kansas City Chiefs and Carolina Panthers grabbed wide receivers with those selections.
Buffalo is on the clock first to start Round 2, barring a trade, but it's not yet clear what the team will do following its actions on Thursday.
On the other hand, multiple teams found new weapons for their respective quarterbacks. Here's what to know about the wideouts drafted in the 2024 first round:
How many wide receivers were drafted in the first round in 2024?
The 2024 NFL Draft had seven wide receivers drafted in the first round, which tied the record for the most. The other year seven were taken in the opening round was 2004.
That class included Larry Fitzgerald (Arizona Cardinals), Roy Williams (Detroit Lions), Reggie Williams (Jacksonville Jaguars), Lee Evans (Bills), Michael Clayton (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Michael Jenkins (Atlanta Falcons) and Rashaun Woods (San Francisco 49ers).
Which wide receivers were drafted in the first round in 2024?
In the 2024 draft, here are the seven wideouts who went in the opening round:
- Marvin Harrison Jr., Arizona Cardinals (No. 4 overall out of Ohio State)
- Malik Nabers, New York Giants (No. 6 overall out of LSU)
- Rome Odunze, Chicago Bears (No. 8 overall out of Washington)
- Brian Thomas Jr., Jacksonville Jaguars (No. 23 overall out of LSU)
- Xavier Worthy, Kansas City Chiefs (No. 28 overall out of Texas)
- Ricky Pearsall, San Francisco 49ers (No. 31 overall out of Florida)
- Xavier Legette, Carolina Panthers (No. 32 out of South Carolina)
What is the record for most wide receivers taken in a single NFL draft?
The 1968 and 1976 NFL drafts each had 59 wideouts taken, via Draft History. Since 2000, though, the highest is 37, a tie shared by the 2003 and 2020 drafts.
Who are the best receivers available in Day 2 of the 2024 NFL Draft?
With Rounds 2 and 3 next up on Friday, these wide receivers are among the best available:
- Ladd McConkey, Georgia
- Keon Coleman, Florida State
- Adonai Mitchell, Georgia
- Troy Franklin, Oregon
- Roman Wilson, Michigan
- Ja'Lynn Polk, Washington
Mitchell and McConkey are likely the best two prospects, but it'll come down to where the respective players land and how their development is managed.
