NFL Draft’s first round finishes in under 3 hours, fastest of 32-team era

Did Thursday night’s NFL Draft first round feel faster? That’s because it actually was.Per the NFL’s Brian McCarthy, Thursday night lasted 2 hours, 53 minutes, the fastest first round ever since the league expanded to 32 teams. (Previous record was 2012 at 3 hours even.)The reason we all finally got through this in less than 3 hours? A shift from 10 minutes per pick down to eight. That shaved over half an hour off the first round from last year, which lasted 3 hours, 29 minutes. (The 2024 draft? A plodding 3 hours, 46 minutes.)Advertisement