The 2021 NFL Draft kicks off April 29th, with the Jacksonville Jaguars making the No. 1 overall selection. Round 1 of the draft opens at 8 p.m. ET and wiIl close out with the completion of the 32nd pick. The second round will take place on Friday with Rounds 2 and 3, and the final four rounds happen on Saturday.
Here, we’ll take a look at how long NFL teams have to make their picks on draft day, depending on the round.
Time on the clock, by NFL Draft round
Round 1: 10 minutes
Round 2: 7 minutes
Rounds 3 through 6: 5 minutes
Round 7: 4 minutes
What happens if a team goes over their allotted draft time?
If a team does not submit their draft selection in the time allotted, they are still able to make their selection, but the next team can also make their selection at any point. The team that is late thus runs the risk of the next team on the clock taking a player they wanted.
This has happened before, twice involving the Baltimore Ravens in the 2003 and 2011 NFL Drafts. In 2011, the Ravens tried to make a trade but ran out of time. Baltimore had the 26th pick but ended up picking 27th when the Chiefs got their pick in after Baltimore’s time ran out.
The first time in 2003 involved the Vikings at No. 7. They failed to get their pick submitted in time and the Jaguars made a pick. Then, the Panthers also got a pick in before the Vikings finally made a pick.