It is officially the NFL draft season. The 2024 NFL draft is around the corner. The 89th edition of the grand annual event will be taking place in Detroit Lions, the home of the Lions, this year.
Like the previous editions of the NFL draft classes, this class has some exceptional talents coming out of college. Team executives and general managers will be looking to score big on these generational talents.
But as we inch nearer to the draft, it is always helpful to understand how this works and brush up. Here is everything you need to know about how the NFL draft works.
NFL Draft: How does it work? Rules Explained
The NFL Draft happens in April. This is usually the midpoint between the end of the previous season, i.e. the Super Bowl and the start of the training camp in July.
The NFL draft consists of seven rounds. In each round, every NFL team is given one pick to make their selection from the available list of players. The three-day event usually begins on Thursday when Round 1 takes place. Rounds 2 and 3 take place on Friday. Rounds 4 through round 7 take place on Saturday.
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All 32 teams will be invited to the draft location where the selection happens and each team’s representatives will be given a table at the venue. The team executives from the headquarters will be connected with the representatives at the location for communication on various matters including the selection of the draft pick.
These representatives will then communicate about their selection to the NFL runner, who acts as the bridge between the league and the representatives. One of the most important things to understand about the NFL draft is the concept of “on the clock.”
During the process of the three-day draft, one NFL team is always on the clock. What this means is a team is always making a selection. These teams will receive a set of time limits for each round to make their pick.
For round 1 of the NFL draft, every team will have 10 minutes to make their selection. It is during this process that the executives at the headquarters, team representatives at the location and the NFL runner, will all stay connected to make the pick.
Once the team informs the league about their pick, the selection is made and then the clock will be reset back to 10 minutes for the next team to make their pick. For round 2, every team will have 7 minutes to make a selection. For round 3, it is 5 minutes. From round 4 through round 7, 4 minutes are given to the teams for the pick.
If the team which is on the clock takes a longer time to make the selection, the next team in line will be allowed to draft ahead of them. Teams have to be well aware of the time to make crunch decisions so that they make the right pick.
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How is the draft order assigned?
During the NFL draft, teams select based on the order given to them. This order will determine at what point in the draft the team will be making a selection. So how is this determined?
The performance of the team in the previous NFL season will determine the NFL draft order. The NFL teams will be making a selection based on the final standings from the previous season. The team with the poorest record will make the first selection and the Super Bowl winners, the best team in the NFL, will make the last selection.
The first 18 selections in the NFL draft will be made by the teams that did not qualify for the NFL playoffs. The draft order for the remaining 14 teams that did make the playoffs will be based on how deep their playoff run was and also their win-loss record in the regular season.
The teams eliminated in the wildcard round will pick from 19-24. The picks 25-28 are the teams eliminated in the divisional round. The teams losing in the conference championships will have the 29 and 30 pick. The runners-up of the Super Bowl will have the 31st pick and the Super Bowl winners will pick last, i.e. 32nd.
If there are trades that happen during the draft, teams can move up and down in the order. But these are the given basics of the NFL draft.
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FAQs
A. Yes. However if a player refuses the draft pick, then they will have the option to re-enter the draft next year. This could cause salary issues.
A. Trading is a very active part of the NFL draft. Teams negotiate for picks when they’re not on the clock. This could result in them moving up or down the order.
A. A team’s record in the previous NFL season will determine their draft order.
A. Not every player declaring for the draft gets selected. These players will then have the opportunity to work with the teams and sign as undrafted free agents
A. There are seven rounds in the NFL draft. Round 1 takes place on day 1. Rounds 2 and 3 take place on day 2. Rounds 4 through round 7 will take place on day 3 of the NFL draft.
