With these new rules in place, there could be some serious drama on Thursday night
By John Breech Apr 22, 2026 at 8:01 am ET • 4 min read 
Getty Images The NFL Draft is undergoing a slight rule change this year that could actually end up having a huge impact. For the first round, the amount of time that each team will be given to make a pick has been trimmed down from 10 minutes to just eight minutes.
The NFL approved the change back in December, which means this will be the first draft with the new rule in effect. Steelers general manager Omar Khan was asked about the change this week and he doesn't sound like he's a big fan.
"I'd love to have 10 minutes, but, hey, it's the same for everybody else, so eight minutes, it is what is," Khan said during a pre-draft press conference Monday.
Shaving off two minutes might not sound like a big change, but it certainly could lead to some serious drama when the draft kicks off on Thursday night at 8 p.m. ET.
1. Why the change could have an impact
The shortened time frame could cause some chaos in the first round, especially when it comes to making trades. For a trade to happen, the team on the clock has to find a willing trade partner. After that, the two teams have to hammer out the details of the deal, then both teams have to contact the NFL. And all of that has to happen in eight minutes.
After a team makes a trade, that puts the new team on the clock and they don't get a refreshed clock. For example, if the Steelers made a trade with the Buccaneers to move up from 21 to 15 and they got the deal done with two minutes left on the clock, the Steelers would only have two minutes to make their pick.
If you've ever watched the draft, you may have noticed that teams tend to use their entire 10-minute allotment, especially when there's a trade involved, but now, they'll only have eight minutes, which doesn't leave much time to negotiate.
That short negotiation window has apparently created a new strategy. Khan pointed out that general managers around the league have been talking this week to set up parameters for any possible deal that might happen since they might not have enough time to do that once they get on the clock.
"We've been having, maybe more conversations than we normally have just to set parameters of what the value is necessarily if you move up to this spot or trade back," Khan said. "I think that there's more conversation, but until we get there, I'm not sure how that's going to go."
During the 2025 NFL Draft, only four first-round picks were traded on draft night. On one hand, that number could go down since teams won't have as much time to work with. However, there's also a chance that we see that number go up. As Khan noted, there seems to be more communication between general managers this week, so they might be more prepared to pull the trigger on a trade once their team is on the clock.
2. What happens if a team runs out of time
With each team only getting eight minutes to make a pick, there's a chance that we could see a team run out time when they're on the clock Thursday. So what happens in that situation? Well, just ask the 2003 Minnesota Vikings.
If a team runs out of time, the next team up is allowed to turn their pick in. The most notable instance of this occurred 23 years ago, when the Vikings dropped two spots in the draft after they didn't make their pick.
The Vikings went on the clock at seventh overall, but they weren't able to make a pick before the clock hit zero. At that point, the Jacksonville Jaguars, who had the eighth overall pick, quickly turned their pick in, which turned out to be Byron Leftwich. So the Jags officially got the seventh overall pick. The Panthers, who had the ninth overall pick, were then able to sneak in and make a pick at eighth overall. The Vikings dropped two spots before finally selecting Kevin Williams at ninth overall.
According to the Vikings, they were trying to hammer out a trade with the Ravens and they thought they had a deal done, which is why they never turned their pick in.
The key thing to remember here is that if the clock hits zero on any team during the draft, the team with the next pick can immediately swoop in and make their selection.
The eight-minute time limit for making picks only applies to the first round. For the final six rounds, the amount of time varies: Teams are given seven minutes to make a pick in the second round, and then from Rounds 3 thru 6, each team gets five minutes to make a pick. In the seventh and final round, teams are given only 4 minutes per pick.
3. Why the NFL trimmed down the selection time
The NFL made the change in hopes of shortening the first round. The opening round last year took roughly three hours and 50 minutes, but with the new rule in place, there's a chance that the first round could be completed in under three hours.
Although three hours and 50 minutes sounds like a long time for the first round, it actually used to be EVEN LONGER. For most of draft history, each team was given 15 minutes to make its first-round pick, but after the first round ran for more than SIX HOURS in 2007, the NFL decided that something had to change.
Starting with the 2008 draft, the league trimmed the first-round draft clock from 15 minutes to 10 minutes, and now it will be 8 minutes going forward.
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