Defense wins championships, yet it took a while until a defensive player was first selected in Kareem Jackson Jersey the 2024 NFL Draft.The top of the draft was praised as being top heavy with offensive players, but many still expected a run on defensive players would happen at some point. Instead, players helping teams score points kept going off the board.It wasn't until pick No. 15, when the Colts selected UCLA EDGE Laiatu Latu, that the first defensive player was drafted.It's rare for teams to wait too long before picking at least one defensive player. There have often been years where a dynamic EDGE goes first overall. But this year, it certainly appears as if a run on offense will open the draft, forcing fans to wait a while before seeing a defensive player taken.Will it set a record? Here DeMarcus Ware Jersey 's what you need to know about the latest the first defensive player has been picked in the NFL Draft.MORE NFL DRAFT: | | What's the latest the first defensive player has been picked in the NFL Draft?Since the NFL merger in 1970, only once has it taken until No. 8 for a defensive player to be drafted: 2021, when the Panthers took Jaycee Horn eighth overall.There was an early run on quarterbacks in that draft, with Trevor Lawrence (Jaguars), Zach Wilson (Jets), and Trey Lance (49ers) going 1-2-3. From there, the Falcons took tight end Kyle Pitts, the Bengals took wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase, the Dolphins took wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, and the Lions took John Brown Jersey offensive tackle Penei Sewell.That changed in 2024. It wasn't until pick No. 15, when the Colts selected Latu that the first defensive player was drafted. That was the lowest the first defensive player was selected in a draft since 1946, when it took until pick No. 18. That was a much different type of football played back then, however.In the early days of the NFL draft, it wasn't uncommon for players to play both sides of the ball despite being primarily listed at offensive positions. For example, in the 1936 and 1938 NFL Drafts, there were no listed defensive players drafted. However, Len Barnum, listed as a back, rushed for 590 yards, hauled in 11 receptions, and intercepted five pa ses in his career, playing acro s the field after going 12th overall to the Pirates.There have been other drafts in recent years that have featured a wait for defensive players. In the 1999 draft, it wasn't until No. 7 that a defensive player was finally selected. It was a good pick, as Washington selected future Hall-of-Famer Champ Bailey out of Georgia.In 2005 and 2012, respectively, it took until the sixth pick for the first defensive Justin Simmons Jersey player to go off the board, with corner Adam "Pac-Man" Jones and corner Morris Claiborne being the first defensive players in their respective drafts.2024 NFL DRAFT TOP 10 LISTS: | | | | Fewest first-round defensive players in a draftThere is likely still going to be a decent amount of defensive players selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, though it might take a bit of time for the first player to come off the board, there should be a host of cornerbacks, several EDGE rushers, and at least one defensive tackle drafted.It would have to be a really quiet first round for the 2024 NFL Draft to reach record lows for defensive players. That mark is shared by the 1973 and Garett Bolles Jersey 1982 NFL Drafts, both of which only had nine defensive players taken in the first round. Of course, at those points, there were only 26 and 28 teams in the league, respectively, meaning there were fewer opportunities for first-round defensive guys to be taken.The 32-team record is shared between 2004 and 2009 when 13 defensive players were taken in each respective first round.