32 Franchises Jointly Respond to NFL Reducing Time Between 1st-Round Draft Picks From 10 to 8 Minutes

The NFL is on the verge of a quiet but potentially seismic shift that could redefine how the NFL draft unfolds. A new draft change has begun to move behind the scenes, and the surprising part is the league’s growing alignment on it. If approved, it could alter the way every first-round pick is made beginning in 2026.

“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,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote on X. “Teams were on board.”

Two-minute warning: 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.

This will shorten the length of the first round, which had been finishing around 11:45p… pic.twitter.com/yMsym354PY

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 10, 2025

In his post, Schefter explained that this change will help wrap the first round earlier, as it had been ending close to 11:45 p.m. ET. Commissioner Roger Goodell first floated the idea, which just received a nod from all the teams, during the Green Bay draft on The Pat McAfee Show.

This is a developing story…Stay tuned.  

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