How does the NFL draft work?

The BBC website will have live text coverage of the 2024 NFL Draft

The NFL features more than 2,200 players across the league's 32 teams and most are recruited via the NFL Draft each April.

Every year thousands of players in the US collegiate system become eligible for the draft but the total number of selections is limited to about 250.

Although players who go undrafted can still be signed later, most future stars are picked up during the three-day event.

But early draft picks can often flop in the NFL while some chosen late become greats - Tom Brady was selected 199th overall in 2000 yet went on to win a record seven Super Bowls.

The draft is divided into seven rounds - the first taking place on a Thursday, rounds two and three on Friday and four to seven on Saturday.

All 32 teams have one pick in each round, going in the reverse order of the previous season's standings - so the team with the worst record goes first and the Super Bowl winners last - but previous trades mean that is not strictly the case.

This year's draft started on Thursday, with the Chicago Bears making 22-year-old quarterback Caleb Williams the first pick.

Travis Kelce (left) was selected 63rd overall in 2013 and Patrick Mahomes (right) 10th in 2017, and they have helped the Chiefs win three Super Bowls in the last five years

How do trades affect the draft?

Instead of paying transfer fees, NFL teams trade future draft picks to acquire players from other teams or move up in the draft.

The Kansas City Chiefs, for example, traded away three picks in 2017 to climb into position to select current star Patrick Mahomes.

And previous trades mean that the Chicago Bears have two picks in the first nine this year while the Cleveland Browns' first pick is the 54th overall.

How do teams choose players?

Former Texas wide receiver Xavier Worthy set a new record at the 2024 NFL Combine, running the 40-yard dash in 4.21 seconds

NFL teams scout players at college and then assess them during the NFL Combine, a week-long event in February featuring physical and mental tests where teams can also interview prospects.

Each college/university holds a Pro Day, where draft hopefuls have another chance to showcase their skills, and they may also visit teams for more tests and interviews.

Then comes the draft.

Each pick will not necessarily be the best player still available, they may be the player that team feels best suits their needs.

This year 257 players will be selected. The figure varies each year as teams are awarded compensatory picks for players they lost in free agency and rewarded with picks for developing minority candidates for head coach/general manager positions, while teams may also have to forfeit picks for breaching NFL rules.