Latest News About Nfl Draft Start Time

Here’s the latest on NFL Draft start times.

Core answer

• The NFL Draft start times vary by year and location. In recent years, round 1 has typically begun in the evening (often around 6–8 p.m. local time), with rounds 2-3 following the next day and rounds 4-7 on the final day. Exact start times depend on the host city and broadcaster schedule for that year. For 2025, round 1 started around 6 p.m. MT / 7 p.m. CT on Thursday, April 24, with subsequent rounds on Friday and Saturday; broadcasts were on ESPN, ABC, NFL Network, and related platforms [news-style references indicate 6 p.m. MT/7 p.m. CT start for Round 1 in 2025, and general three-day pacing] [source patterns: year-specific NFL Draft start times]. Please note that 2026 scheduling is different (the draft was in Pittsburgh with similar evening starts for the first round, and day-two/day-three times aligned to the same night/midday pattern). For the most current year, check the official NFL Draft page or the broadcaster’s schedule.

What to check for the exact start time

• Host city and venue for the current year’s draft (start times are set by the league and can shift slightly).
• The first-round start time on the day of the draft (usually Thursday evening local time).
• Broadcast partner schedules (ESPN/ABC/NFL Network or local affiliates), as start times are often synchronized across networks.

Context and how start times usually work

• The draft spans three days in most recent formats: rounds 1 on day 1, rounds 2-3 on day 2, and rounds 4-7 on day 3.
• The exact hour may differ by year due to broadcast plans, but the ballpark is early evening for round 1 and mid-to-late afternoon for rounds 4-7 on the final day in some years.

If you want, I can look up the precise start time for the current year and provide a direct link to the official schedule. Would you like me to fetch the latest exact start times for this year’s NFL Draft and the TV channels to watch?