In the past, NFL teams had ten minutes to make their pick in the first round of the draft. In 2026, the cooling-off period will be shortened. This could have consequences for the selection of some teams.

The 91st edition of the NFL Draft will take place from April 23 to 25 – for the first time since 1948 in Pittsburgh.

A total of 257 talents will sign an NFL contract over seven rounds.

Compared to recent years, something fundamental has changed, especially with regard to the first round: The amount of time between picks in the first round has been shortened from ten minutes to eight minutes.

NFL Draft 2026: Less time – fewer trades?

This is the first adjustment since 2008, when the time span was shortened from 15 to ten minutes. The timings for rounds two to seven remain unchanged from last year.

In the second round, franchises have seven minutes between picks, five minutes in the third to sixth rounds and four minutes in the seventh round.

The adjustment is intended to make the draft more dynamic on the first day. However, this also means that there is more pressure on the teams trying to make trades. It is therefore possible that the changes will result in fewer trades than in previous years.

However, teams reportedly agreed with the decision to shorten the time between picks – a sign that executives believe they can still make deals and discuss picks under greater time pressure.