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.