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The NFL Draft consists of how many rounds?

The 2019 NFL Draft in Nashville, Tennessee
The 2019 NFL Draft in Nashville, Tennessee

The NFL Draft is an annual event in which all 32 NFL teams draft players from the college ranks into their franchises. While there are no guarantees, as players may turn out to be stars or could be unfit for a spot in the league, the NFL Draft is the main format through which teams bolster their rosters every year.

The NFL Draft is traditionally held in the spring, with the location alternating in recent years.

This year's NFL draft is set to take place in Cleveland, Ohio, from April 29th to May 1st. The NFL Draft takes multiple days because there are multiple rounds, each featuring 32 selections.

The NFL Draft consists of how many rounds?

The NFL Draft consists of seven individual rounds. Round 1, the round in which the most high-profile and hyped players are drafted, takes place on the first day of the NFL draft. Rounds 2 and 3 take place on the second day while rounds 4-7 take place on the third.

The Draft order is generally determined by a team's record in the previous year. The Jacksonville Jaguars have been awarded the first selection in the 2021 NFL Draft because of their absolutely dismal 1-15 record.

The Jaguars and new head coach Urban Meyer are projected to select star Clemson Tigers QB Trevor Lawrence with the first selection.

The NFL Draft order can change. Some teams often opt to trade their draft picks, as only the round of the pick is known, and the position of the pick usually does not become clear until months before the draft.

For example, the Houston Texans would have had the third selection in the 2021 NFL Draft because of their 4-12 record. But they traded their first-round pick to the Miami Dolphins, who will be selecting the first pick instead of the Texans.

There are other scenarios in which the NFL Draft order can be altered too: the awarding of compensatory picks at the ends of rounds 3-7 by the NFL to teams who lost qualifying free agents.

When these picks are awarded, if multiple teams have compensatory picks, then the original selection order is kept when determining which teams get to use their compensatory picks first.

NFL Draft picks can also be taken away as a punishment, with three teams forfeiting their draft pick for 2021 because of different infractions.

These penalties are levied and enforced by NFL League commissioner Roger Goodell, who also serves as the master of ceremonies for the NFL Draft event. He announces the draft picks himself as and when the teams make their choices.

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