The NFL draft has gone through numerous changes throughout its 90-year history. Another will adjust how much time teams have to make picks come April.
Rather than the usual 10-minute time limit for teams to make their first-round selections, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports there will be an eight-minute limit in 2026. This is being framed as a TV-geared adjustment, as last year’s first round ended at around 11:45pm on the east coast. Teams were on board with the change, per Schefter. Roger Goodell had mentioned this as a possibility in April.
This represents a second notable trim in pick time for teams’ top selections. In 2009, the league reduced teams’ time on the clock in Round 1 from 15 minutes to 10 minutes. That change came about because the league tried a two-day setup in which the first and second rounds unfolded on the draft’s first day and then Rounds 3-7 commenced on Day 2.
Even the 15-minute period brought memorable hiccups, as the 2003 draft showed when the Vikings missed their first-round pick. The Jaguars and Panthers jumped them in line, though Minnesota regrouped and chose tackle Bryant McKinnie at No. 9 following the snafu. In 2011, the Ravens — who had been negotiating a trade with the Bears — missed their first-round pick, which went to the Chiefs after Baltimore’s 10-minute clock expired. The Ravens ended up OK after that, drafting long-serving cornerback Jimmy Smith one pick later (No. 27).
This change to eight minutes will truncate teams’ time to pull off trades. Although trade parameters are regularly worked out before draft night — with some being agreed to before a team goes on the clock — they only represent framework due to clubs not knowing if coveted players will actually be on the board at the time their pick goes live. As more intel on teams’ processes while on the clock surfaces each year, it will be interesting to know if the new time limit will make an impact.
This change is less significant than the 15-minute to 10-minute switch 16 years ago, and the 2010 draft broke up the format for TV purposes by dividing the draft into a three-day event — rather than the two-day run that had been in place for many years. The draft has also seen its place on the calendar fluctuate, with the event not settling into its April slot until 1976. It had previously been held in January and then during the season in prior years.
Should be 5 mins max. Every team should know who their picks are well in advance and change on the fly. The only scenario that should take longer than 2 mins is a trade.
They should incentivize teams to pick quicker.
You mean like offer a team two trip to Europe during the season? 🙂
In 2003 the Vikings drafted Kevin Williams, not Bryant McKinnie, after being skipped twice. And it worked out just fine for them as he was a 5x First Team All Pro and a 6x Pro Bowler.
I’m fine with changing from 10 to 8, moving to 5 might pinch some trades being settled as it’s like dealing with car salesmen that think they’re offering ‘gold’ instead of an ‘oil burner’.
Yet some teams can’t make good picks if you gave them 8 days for each choice!!
You know who I’m thinking about.
Normally I’d say Cleveland, but they seem to have nailed it this year!
It should be 5 minutes. Most of the time is spent shaking hands bc they know who they’re likely to pick, and the rest of the time is spent staring at the phone just in case some crazy trade offer comes in, and never comes in.
I’m not necessarily in favor of the reduction, however I could see that the time for picks in Round 1 might vary by where in the draft order the pick is.
As pointed out by others, a team should have a good plan for who or what position they want. This is more likely true for early picks. Let’s say picks 1-8 get 6 minutes. As a number of players/positions come off of the board teams may have more to contemplate. Let’s say picks 9-16 get 7 minutes. Continuing with this line of thinking picks 17-24 get 8 minutes and picks 25-32 remain at 10 minutes.
Yes I know later rounds get less time and can have more trades involved so maybe the reduction to 8 minutes does make sense. The entity with the greatest impact on this change might be the crew that makes the draft jersey, but they won’t necessarily get less time, they’ll just be presented even later in the draft.
You’re not good with the change and then you go on to lay out a plan that incorporates not only the eight minutes but less for the majority of the draft. The top picks would actually need more time as that is where trades tend to happen. The latter picks you want to give more time to are less often traded and should be quicker since you are not dealing with trades.
Cut it to 5. Too much nonsense anyway. Pick your guy and move on.
The draft is still going to end around the same time, this just adds 2 minutes of commercials during each pick to make the NFL even more $.
I mean, it’s either more commercials or more dead time where teams don’t make picks. Neither is particularly preferable to the viewer IMO
they could get away with keeping it to 10 mins if they just allowed the first few picks to be rattled off sooner. The first overall pick does not need a timer.
The only person who can’t make a decision in less than 10 minutes is my wife when she’s shopping at the mall.
They could reduce the number of commercials…
Goodell might have you arrested for making a suggestion like that 🙂
So they make the draft so much longer than it needs to be so that it’ll be viewed as a primteime event on TV.
Then they say its too long.
Cut it to 5 and have the draft on 1 or 2 days, back in the weekend. It doesn’t need to be a 3 day event.
To late to make adjustments in 26. People already made there reservations to be at the bid ball