The first round of the 2026 NFL Draft is going to be quicker, and that is a very, very good thing. A ponderously slow first round is being sped up, with teams only having eight minutes to make their selections, down from 10 minutes in previous years. That might not seem like a mammoth difference, but it will end up saving an hour off the total broadcast — while also meaning if you’re on the east coast and your team is picking in the late-20s you no longer need to wait until almost midnight to see the pick.
Any format change comes with some risk. NFL front offices are occupied
