NFL teams will now need some clock management at the draft, too.
Teams were notified on Wednesday that, beginning with the 2026 draft, time will shorten between picks in the first round, going from 10 minutes to eight.
That will shave over an hour off the festivities planned for April 23 in Pittsburgh next year, good news for weary analysts and fans who have spent almost four hours taking in the first round of recent drafts.
It’s a problem commissioner Roger Goodell has long been thinking about.
“I started thinking last night that we gotta shorten [the draft],” he told Pat McAfee on the former punter’s titular show after opening night of the 2025 draft in Green Bay.
“…Should we have time you could save? I’m making it up — seven-minute first round, but you can get 2 minutes extra if you need it… you can call it but then you don’t get it again for the rest of the draft, so you get one extension.”
It’s unclear if the latter part of his off-the-cuff proposal gained any traction toward reality, but it’s clear Goodell is aware of the issue with the first round ending near midnight on the East Coast.
The new, shortened 2026 NFL Draft will take place in Pittsburgh on Apr. 23-25.
Currently, the Giants (2-11) are in pole position for the No. 1 pick with the Raiders (2-11) and Titans, per Tankathon.com.
