NFL Draft: Fans flock to second day of NFL Draft as Detroit nears attendance record
By Thomas Schlachter, CNN
(CNN) — The NFL draft continued Friday with the second and third rounds and hundreds of thousands of fans watched the big event in Detroit.
“We watched 32 amazing players join the NFL family in front of a record 275,000 people,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said to those in attendance.
“Guess what? Another 230,000 are already here tonight.”
Detroit had already broken the attendance record for day one of an NFL Draft, Goodell announced, and the city is now nearing Nashville’s cumulative 600,000 record set during the 2019 NFL draft.
“Detroit, you’re within 100,000 of breaking the all-time record,” the commissioner added.
How to watch
The 2024 NFL Draft is being held in Detroit across three days in the downtown area surrounding the Campus Martius Park and Hart Plaza.
The second and third rounds were held Friday and the final four rounds are on Saturday.
Fans can stay across all the action on NFL Network, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, as well as following all the selections on the NFL+ app.
Day of defenders
After an opening round dominated by offensive talent, day two was defense heavy.
Twenty defensive players came off the board in the second round, including seven defensive tackles and seven cornerbacks.
However, the first pick of the second round was a wide receiver.
Keon Coleman, No. 33 overall, was drafted by the Buffalo Bills and adds to a depleted offensive arsenal in Buffalo.
After trading Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans, Bills fans and quarterback Josh Allen will be excited to see a new offensive option land their way.
While Coleman’s 4.61-second 40-yard dash from the combine certainly doesn’t stand out, Bills fans can be excited that his top speed of 20.36 mph during the gauntlet drill was the fastest out of any receiver, per Next Gen Stats.
Cornerbacks were in demand with Iowa’s Cooper DeJean, Alabama’s Kool-Aid McKinstry, Georgia’s Kamari Lassiter and Rutgers’ Max Melton taken in consecutive picks, 40 to 43.
DeJean was picked by the Eagles and Philadelphia should be excited about the speedy defender arriving in “The City of Brotherly Love.”
The former Hawkeye will help bolster a defense that faltered last season as the Eagles failed to capitalize on an excellent start to the year.
Kool-Aid McKinstry had become well known for his name during his time at Alabama, but his defensive skills are just as worthy of being talked about.
McKinstry was a standout with the Crimson Tide and will now star for the New Orleans Saints.
The Texans selected Lassiter, while Melton will head to Arizona.
Mr. Irrelevant
“Mr. Irrelevant” – the playful name given to the final player selected each year in the NFL Draft – became relevant when the 2022 recipient of the title, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy, went 5-0 in the regular season and led his team to the NFC Championship game in his rookie season.
On day three of the draft we will find out who will be this year’s “Mr. Irrelevant.”
The-CNN-Wire
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