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On the clock: How long is each pick in the NFL draft?

There's a strict time limit for teams to make their first round selections during the NFL draft. And the time gets shorter as the draft moves along.

WASHINGTON — The 2024 NFL draft begins Thursday night with the first 32 picks. 

The first round gets underway around 8 p.m. Eastern in Detroit and then the Chicago Bears will officially be on the clock with the No. 1 pick. 

How long is each pick in the NFL draft

The time between picks varies depending on the round of the draft. On Thursday night, each team will have 10 minutes to make their pick during the first round.

Teams get seven minutes in the second round, five minutes in rounds 3-6 and four minutes in round 7. 

If a team doesn't make a pick before time runs out then the next team is on the clock and can jump ahead. That's happened a couple of times when draft night trades have gone awry, most recently in 2011 when the Baltimore Ravens tried to trade a pick to the Chicago Bears. However, Chicago didn't confirm the trade to the league in time. Eight years prior, the Minnesota Vikings missed their pick in the 2003 draft while trying to trade the No. 7 pick to the Baltimore Ravens. 

How long does the first round of the NFL draft take

The first round of the NFL draft usually lasts about four hours, but it all depends on the number of trades and how quickly teams make their picks. 

If each team took the full 10 minute allotment to make their picks in the first round, it would be at least 320 minutes, or 5 hours and 20 minutes.

The last selection in the first round last year came in right around midnight Eastern Time. 

Where is the 2025 NFL draft? 

Next year's draft will take place in Green Bay, Wisconsin, from April 24-26, 2025. 

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