The NFL Draft is, generally, a slow process. With 10 minutes in between picks in the first round, the opening night of the event can last until nearly midnight Eastern Time despite starting almost five hours earlier.
In an attempt to allow football fans to get more sleep, the NFL reportedly reduced time between first-round picks from 10 to 8 minutes. That new mandate will go into effect during the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Two-minute warning: The NFL notified teams today that it will shorten the time between picks in the first round of the draft from 10 to 8 minutes starting with the 2026 draft in Pittsburgh.This will shorten the length of the first round, which had been finishing around 11:45p…pic.twitter.com/yMsym354PY
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter)December 10, 2025
The move should wind up being a positive for fans, as the time between the biggest action — the picks — will be much shorter. While the change also means commentators will have less time to talk about every single team when on the clock, that's probably a trade-off most fans will support.
The decision, however, could have a negative impact on one area of the draft. With the shortened time between picks, that puts more pressure on teams to complete trades quickly. It's possible the change will make it tougher to see draft trades in the first round, at least until general managers adjust to losing two minutes between each pick.
While that's a concern, it's probably not significant. Teams were reportedly on board with the decision to shorten time between picks, a sign executives feel they can still make deals and debate picks while on the clock.
It's also not the first time the NFL has cut down on time between picks during the draft. Prior to 2007, teams had 15 minutes to make their first-round selections. That number was dropped to 10 minutes for the 2008 NFL Draft.
It's unclear whether the NFL will look to shorten times in other rounds. NFL teams have seven minutes in between picks in the second round, five minutes in the third through six rounds and four minutes in the seventh round.
