The NFL Draft lasts three days in total, typically from Thursday through Saturday each spring.
- Day 1 (Thursday): Only the first round is held, starting at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. Each team has 10 minutes to make its pick, and the first round usually lasts about four hours, ending around midnight
- Day 2 (Friday): Rounds 2 and 3 take place, starting around 6 or 7 p.m. ET. Teams have 7 minutes per pick in the second round and 5 minutes per pick in the third round. This day usually takes about 4-6 hours
- Day 3 (Saturday): Rounds 4 through 7 are held, starting around noon ET. Teams have 5 minutes per pick in rounds 4-6 and 4 minutes per pick in round 7. This day can last most of the day, often 6 hours or more
Overall, the draft event spans roughly 14 hours of actual team pick time over the three days, with additional broadcast and analysis coverage extending the viewing time
. In summary, the NFL Draft lasts three days, with the first day focused on round 1, the second day on rounds 2-3, and the third day on rounds 4-7. Each day varies in length but collectively covers all seven rounds of the draft