While 32 prospects saw their dreams realized Thursday night, hundreds of others are still waiting to be called by an NFL team following the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.
For several prospects, Round 1 was a bitter pill to swallow. Every year, more than a few players projected to be first-round picks don't hear their names called on Day 1. Thursday night was no different, with several top-tier prospects still available ahead of Day 2 of the draft.
Here's a look at the biggest first-round snubs who probably won't have to wait too long until their names are called on Friday night.
A lot of analysts had McConkey going to either the Bills, 49ers or Chiefs at the end of the first round. The 49ers and Chiefs picked other wideouts, though, while Buffalo traded out of the first round twice. The Bills do have the first pick in the second round and could take McConkey with the 33rd overall pick.
The former Georgia Bulldog played an integral role in the school winning back-to-back titles during his time on campus. He caught seven touchdowns in 2022 and is a threat to score every time he touches the ball.
DeJean is an interesting prospect. He came to Iowa as a safety, but quickly moved to cornerback after injuries piled up at the position. DeJean developed into a ballhawk cornerback who had a pair of pick sixes during the 2022 season.
Despite his success, some are questioning whether or not DeJean would be better suited to play safety in the NFL. To his credit, DeJean -- a highly successful multi-sport athlete who was a starting quarterback on two state championship teams in high school -- is open to playing either position.
"Really, wherever the team needs me, wherever they see me at, wherever they think I can impact the game the most," DeJean recently said in an interview with CBS Sports. "Whatever position that is, I'm willing to do that. Obviously, I played corner most of my college career, but I feel like there's multiple positions in a defense that I can play. I just want to trust the coaches that have been doing it for a long time and try to make an impact wherever they put me."
Newton's slide out of the first round was largely due to the fact that a record-14 offensive players were taken off the board before a single defensive player was picked on Thursday night. Newton shouldn't have to wait too long on Friday night, though. He filled the stat sheet during his final season at Illinois, racking up 52 tackles, 7.5 sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and four blocked kicks.
Not many people expected Mitchell to still be available at this point. Whichever team gets him will be getting a wideout who caught 11 touchdown passes during his only season at Texas. He had six grabs for 109 yards and a score during Texas' Big 12 title game win over Oklahoma State.
McKinstry is the fifth-best cornerback and 29th best player in this year's draft, according to CBS Sports' prospect rankings. His strengths include his lateral agility, ability to play press-man at a consistent basis and his tackling ability. There are some concerns regarding covering physical receivers in and out of breaks and his ability to track deep balls.
