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The 2026 NFL Draft will start in Pittsburgh on Thursday, with each team's first-round selection limited to eight minutes. This new rule aims to conclude the draft before 11 p.m. ET, improving the viewing experience.
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NFL Draft picks schedule 2026: What time to expect every team's selection in Round 1 originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
On Thursday, the 2026 NFL Draft will begin in Pittsburgh. Roger Goodell and his league have looked to improve how long the first round takes after changing the time limit for the first time since 2008.
This year, the maximum time per first round selection is eight minutes, which is two minutes shorter than in previous years. A first draft night that often ended after 11:30 p.m. ET will look to end prior to 11 p.m. to the delight of viewers.
However, it remains to be seen if teams will take the full duration of their pick limit in this rule's inception, due to not being used to a shortened maximum. There may be some adjustments needed to be made, but it is acceptable to predict that each pick this year will take around five minutes.
Here is the rundown on when to hear your team's selection, and a quick recap of the first-round draft order.
The 2026 NFL Draft will begin on Thursday evening in Pittsburgh.
Each first-round pick in the 2026 NFL Draft has a maximum time limit of eight minutes.
The time limit was changed to improve the pace of the draft and enhance the viewing experience, aiming to finish before 11 p.m. ET.
It is predicted that each pick will take around five minutes, despite the maximum limit being eight minutes.

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The NFL Draft will begin on Thursday night at around 8 p.m. ET in Pittsburgh, Pa. The Las Vegas Raiders will almost certainly take 2025 Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza with the first overall pick, followed by the New York Jets taking either David Bailey or Arvell Reese. This year, six teams will have two first-round draft selections (Jets, New York Giants, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Miami Dolphins, and Dallas Cowboys).
Here is who will be drafting from the first 32 spots in this year's opening round of the NFL Draft.
| Round | Pick | Overall | Team |
| 1 | 1 | 1 | Las Vegas Raiders |
| 1 | 2 | 2 | New York Jets |
| 1 | 3 | 3 | Arizona Cardinals |
| 1 | 4 | 4 | Tennessee Titans |
| 1 | 5 | 5 | New York Giants |
| 1 | 6 | 6 | Cleveland Browns |
| 1 | 7 | 7 | Washington Commanders |
| 1 | 8 | 8 | New Orleans Saints |
| 1 | 9 | 9 | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 1 | 10 | 10 | New York Giants (from CIN) |
| 1 | 11 | 11 | Miami Dolphins |
| 1 | 12 | 12 | Dallas Cowboys |
| 1 | 13 | 13 | Los Angeles Rams (from ATL) |
| 1 | 14 | 14 | Baltimore Ravens |
| 1 | 15 | 15 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 1 | 16 | 16 | New York Jets (from IND) |
| 1 | 17 | 17 | Detroit Lions |
| 1 | 18 | 18 | Minnesota Vikings |
| 1 | 19 | 19 | Carolina Panthers |
| 1 | 20 | 20 | Dallas Cowboys (from GB) |
| 1 | 21 | 21 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 1 | 22 | 22 | Los Angeles Chargers |
| 1 | 23 | 23 | Philadelphia Eagles |
| 1 | 24 | 24 | Cleveland Browns (from JAX) |
| 1 | 25 | 25 | Chicago Bears |
| 1 | 26 | 26 | Buffalo Bills |
| 1 | 27 | 27 | San Francisco 49ers |
| 1 | 28 | 28 | Houston Texans |
| 1 | 29 | 29 | Kansas City Chiefs (from LAR) |
| 1 | 30 | 30 | Miami Dolphins (from DEN) |
| 1 | 31 | 31 | New England Patriots |
| 1 | 32 | 32 | Seattle Seahawks |
MORE 2026 NFL DRAFT:
For the first time since 2008, the NFL announced that it was shortening the first round selection time. This year marks the first time in NFL history that the maximum time per first-round pick will be eight minutes. From 2008-2025, the draft's first round had 10 minutes allocated to each team's first-round draft decision.
Last year's draft ended at around 11:43 p.m. ET, so with this new change, the end time has the potential to move up even further. Teams don't usually take the full time designated for their draft selection, but that remains to be seen with a shorter time to make a decision or field calls about trading picks.
Just off of maximum time alone, the league has saved a ceiling of 64 minutes (two minutes per 32 picks). The other rounds of the draft have not seen changes to the maximum time allocated per pick.
When last year's first-round pick maximum was set to 10 minutes, the draft ended at 11:43 p.m. ET. The new changes, which stipulate just eight minutes between selections, should save the league a maximum of 64 minutes (two minutes less per pick across 32 picks). This year, it can be predicted that the first round will end around 10:40 p.m. ET, meaning the opening round will take about 160 total minutes to conclude.
This projected duration, divided among the NFL's 32 teams, comes out to about five minutes per team. With each pick taking a projected five of the eight minutes, here is a projection of when each team's selection will be announced (all times Eastern).