Will the NFL restore balance to the draft on Friday night? Will the defense strike back?

In the first round of the 89th NFL Draft on Thursday night, NFL teams chose 23 offensive players with the 32 selections – eight offensive tackles, seven wide receivers, six quarterbacks, one center and one tight end. The first defensive player didn’t get out of the green room until the 15th choice.

The draft resumes at 6 p.m. CDT Friday in Detroit with the second round. ABC, ESPN and NFL Network will televise the picks, which will include 32 second-round selections and 36 third-round choices.

Of the nine defensive players picked in the first round on Thursday night, two came from Alabama. Linebacker Dallas Turner went to the Minnesota Vikings at No. 17, and cornerback Terrion Arnold went to the Detroit Lions at No. 24. Both NFC North teams traded up to make those selections.

Also selected in the first round was their Crimson Tide teammate J.C. Latham, with the Tennessee Titans choosing the offensive tackle at No. 7.

Those picks extended Alabama’s streak of years with a first-round selection to 16, the longest in draft history. In the common-draft era (since 1967, when the NFL and AFL held their first combined draft in preparation for the leagues’ merger), Alabama also has produced a first-round offensive player in 10 consecutive drafts, another record streak. But Alabama’s streak of having more than one offensive player selected in the first round ended at five drafts.

One other player with Alabama football roots appeared in the first round. Former Pinson Valley High School and Auburn quarterback Bo Nix went from Oregon to the Denver Broncos with the 12th selection.

The SEC has had more players selected than any other conference in 17 consecutive drafts and produced 11 first-round picks on Thursday night. In addition to the Alabama trio, the SEC’s picks were:

· LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels: No. 2, Washington Commanders

· LSU wide receiver Malik Nabers: No. 6, New York Giants

· Georgia tight end Brock Bowers: No. 13, Las Vegas Raiders

· Georgia offensive tackle Amarius Mims: No. 18, Cincinnati Bengals

· LSU wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr: No. 23, Jacksonville Jaguars

· Missouri defensive end Darius Robinson: No. 27, Arizona Cardinals

· Florida wide receiver Ricky Pearsall: No. 31, San Francisco 49ers

· South Carolina wide receiver Xavier Legette: No. 32, Carolina Panthers

Auburn is expected to get in on the action on Friday night, with cornerbacks DJ James from Spanish Fort and Nehemiah Pritchett from Jackson among the available players.

Troy linebacker Javon Solomon could add to the state’s list on Friday night, too.

The Buffalo Bills are scheduled to make the first pick at No. 33 overall to kick of the second round, and it will be the team’s first selection in the 2024 draft. The Houston Texans at No. 42 and the Cleveland Browns at No. 54 also are set to make their first picks on Friday night.

That’s barring any trades, of course. On Thursday night, teams made five trades during the draft.

The Washington Commanders hold five of the picks in the second and third rounds. The Bills, Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers have four apiece.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.