By Reese McBride

Draft Week is officially over. This year in college football, there was so much to see. Quarterbacks were particularly popular this year, with six of them going in the first round. Media pages were also alight with fans who were either happy or confused about their team’s picks. However, not a lot of people were upset about the draft as a whole. 

Along with quarterbacks, offensive tackles were also popular. Seven of them went, going into the first round. It seemed most of the teams felt the need to improve their offensive lines this year. This could be because of all of the quarterback injuries this past season. Aaron Rodgers, Justin Herbert, and Kirk Cousins all sustained season-ending injuries. In total, seven starting quarterbacks were injured in 2023 and they all missed the rest of the season. 

Something else that stuck out this year was the amount of draft picks that came from the University of Michigan. UofM is the number one NCAA college football team according to the NCAA website. Because of that, and a few other reasons such as winning the college football playoff national championship this past year against the Washington Huskies, they had a multitude of players in high demand. 

However, Michigan and Washington were not the only teams to produce star players this college season. Powerhouse colleges like Alabama, Clemson, and Louisiana State helped to make up a bulk of the draft. Players like Keon Coleman, drafted to the Buffalo Bills, could have the potential to make an almost immediate impact on their new teams.

There was also a substantial number of lesser known universities that also produced athletes like Christian Haynes from Connecticut University, Max Melton from Rutgers, and Elijah Jones from Boston College. 

The defensive side of most professional teams wasn’t as bad as past years and that contributed to the choices made this April. When teams did pick defensive players, it was usually a cornerback or a defensive lineman. There weren’t many special team players selected this year and that is due to a lack of retirement from any NFL kickers, punters, long snappers, or other special team positions.

With the new players meeting coaches, teammates, they still have to adjust to the rhythm of the NFL and properly prepare themselves for the upcoming season. As the 2024 kickoff happens between the Ravens and the Chiefs on Thursday, September 5, we as viewers will get to see just how effective this draft was.