The NFL Draft has become one of the league’s flagship spectacles, but starting in 2026, fans can expect a slightly faster pace on opening night.
The league notified teams this week that the first-round selection window will be trimmed from 10 minutes to eight, a move designed to streamline the highly produced, nationally televised event.
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The change arrives as part of the NFL‘s ongoing effort to keep fans engaged without sacrificing the theatrics that have turned the draft into an entertainment juggernaut.
The adjustment was first shared publicly by ESPN insider Adam Schefter, who wrote on social media:
“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.” He later added, “This will shorten the length of the first round, which had been finishing around 11:45 p.m. ET. Teams were on board. Roger Goodell had first mentioned this possibility on the Friday of the Green Bay draft on Pat McAfee’s show.”
League officials have noted for years that the first round tends to stretch late into the night, often lasting well beyond the window originally planned for broadcast partners.
Reducing each team’s selection period by two minutes will shave more than an hour off the total runtime.
A growing spectacle
The draft has transformed dramatically over the last decade, evolving from a niche offseason program into one of the NFL’s most lucrative and heavily marketed live events.
Cities routinely bid to host the festival, which now attracts hundreds of thousands of visitors and produces major economic impact. Steelers president Art Rooney II said in April that Pittsburgh expects “one of the most significant sports weekends the city has hosted in years” when the 2026 draft arrives.
Because the event has grown so large, the league has experimented with various tweaks to maintain pacing and momentum. CBS Sports previously reported that executives have been reviewing different timing structures since 2023, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has acknowledged that television partners have asked for ways to keep night one moving.
The Associated Press has also noted that team decision-making has modernized to the point where front offices typically finalize most of their first-round scenarios days in advance, making a ten-minute window less necessary.
Still, the NFL emphasized that the change was not imposed on clubs without consultation. According to league officials, teams supported the move, believing it would not hinder their ability to make informed decisions while helping the broadcast run more efficiently.
The shift will debut at the 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh, marking a new chapter in how the league delivers one of its most anticipated annual events
The draft remains a cornerstone moment on the sports calendar, and the new timing format appears poised to keep the show moving without taking away from the drama.
