NFL Draft 2020 kicks off today: Here are dates, start times and pick orders

In spite of the coronavirus pandemic, the NFL has done a herculean job in transitioning the 2020 NFL Draft into a virtual event while sticking to the original schedule.

Initially planned to be held in Las Vegas, the Draft will now be held remotely with teams making their selections from remote locations after more than a month of remote scouting.

The NFL Draft in 2020 will start on a Thursday (April 23) at 8 pm Eastern and run through Saturday (April 25). NFL Network will broadcast the 2020 NFL Draft in its entirety. The start time for Round 1 of the NFL Draft on Thursday, April 23 is 8 p.m. ET. The start time for Rounds 2-3 of the 2020 NFL Draft, scheduled to take place Friday, is 7 p.m. ET. The start time for Day 3 of the 2019 NFL Draft, which includes Rounds 4-7, is 12 p.m. ET.

The 2020 NFL Draft also can be streamed live on the NFL app (among other streaming options) across multiple devices.

NFL DRAFT PROSPECTS:

Top 100 NFL Draft prospects for 2020 as picked by The Sporting News.

Below is all you need to know about the 2020 NFL Draft, including start times for all three days, plus the order of all 255 picks.

When is the NFL Draft in 2020?

Dates: Thursday, April 23 (Round 1) | Friday, April 24 (Rounds 2-3) | Saturday, April 25 (Rounds 4-7)
Start times: 8 p.m. ET (Thursday) (2 a.m. CET)| 7 p.m. ET (Friday) (1 a.m. CET) | Noon ET (Saturday) (6 p.m. CET)
Live stream:  NFL app

The 2020 NFL Draft is scheduled to begin Thursday, April 23 with the first of seven rounds. The draft continues Friday, April 24 with the second and third rounds, and it concludes Saturday, April 25 with the last four rounds.

Over the span of three days, a total of 255 NFL Draft picks will be made by 32 teams.

What time does the NFL Draft start?

The start time for the 2020 NFL Draft is 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 23. That night, the entire first round of the 2020 NFL Draft will play out, but only the first round.

The start time for the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft is 7 p.m. ET on Friday. Round 3 of the NFL Draft will also play out Friday night. The start time for Saturday’s coverage of the NFL Draft, which includes Rounds 4-7, is noon ET.

 

 

 

In the first round of the NFL Draft, each team gets 10 minutes to make its pick. In the second and third rounds, each team gets seven minutes to make its pick. In the fourth, fifth, sixth rounds, each team gets five minutes to make its pick. In the seventh round, each team gets four minutes to make its pick. If a team lets its time expire without making its pick, it can make a pick later, but it runs the risk of letting the next team on the clock take the player it was considering.

That process and timing means the first round of the NFL Draft on Thursday night will last roughly three hours. Rounds 2-3 on Friday night will last roughly four hours, and Rounds 4-7 on Saturday will last roughly six hours.

NFL Draft viewing schedule (International, subscribe to NFL Game Pass/$10)

The entirety of the 2020 NFL Draft will broadcast live on NFL Network.

NFL Draft 2020 order of picks

A handful of trades involving 2020 NFL Draft picks has shaken up the order for all seven rounds, leaving teams like the Dolphins a whopping 14 selections (including six in the first three rounds) and teams like the Saints with only five.

There are 255 picks in the 2020 NFL Draft now that 32 compensatory picks have been added to Rounds 3-7.

• First round: