The NFL Draft is nearly here. With less than 48 hours to go, football fans can finally celebrate the newest additions to their teams on draft day. For the players, their dreams are about to become a reality.
The Precise Process That Makes NFL Draft Picks Official Ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft
The draft process officially takes place when the Tennessee Titans are on the clock.
Many speculate that Miami’s QB, Cam Ward, will be selected with the first overall pick. If so, he’ll become the 19th quarterback selected first overall since 2000.
Ward will have a chance to craft a lasting legacy. If selected first, he’ll become a part of history with fellow quarterbacks Matthew Stafford, Eli Manning, Cam Newton, and Caleb Williams, who the Chicago Bears selected No. 1 overall last year.
The NFL draft allows teams to bolster their rosters, adding new and unique talents from the collegiate level.
Growing in size, opportunity, and spectacle, Green Bay is just the latest sight and this year’s host of the NFL Draft. If in attendance on Thursday, bring your umbrellas, as clouds are expected to cover the sky, bringing rainfall throughout the day.
Before dreams are made and fans can cheer, or boo, depending on the selection, tons of work gets done behind the scenestoo make the draft flow.
The first order of business is assigning draft picks. Currently, each of the 32 teams gets one selection in each of the seven rounds. However, if trades were made prior to and/or during the draft, this could shake up the number of picks each team has available.
In assigning spots, teams that didn’t make the playoffs receive picks 1-20, while 21-32 are filled with playoff teams. Selections 21-24 are filled with the four teams eliminated in the Wild Card round. The following four teams eliminated in the Divisional Round receive picks 25-28. The losers of the Conference Championship game get picks 29 and 30. Lastly, the team that lost the Super Bowl picks at 31, and the champion receives the final spot at 32.
For teams with the same record, the tiebreaker is as follows:
- Head-to-head, if applicable
- Best won-lost-tied percentage in standard games (minimum of four)
- Strength of victory in all games
- Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and allowed in all games.
- Best net points in all games
- Best net touchdowns in all games
- Coin toss
Once the order is crafted and draft day is ready to go, the process for each selection begins.
Taking place over three days, Thursday through Sunday, every team has a table set up at the draft venue, serving as the HQ for the various franchises.
When a team decides on a selection, it informs representatives at the selection square, which then processes the player’s name by writing it down on a card. In addition to the player’s name, their position and school are also mentioned.
This card is submitted to an NFL staff member known as a runner.
According to the NFL, here is the official breakdown of the selection process;
“When the runner gets the card, the selection is official, and the draft clock is reset for the next pick.
A second runner goes to the team representatives up next and lets them know who was chosen.
Upon receiving the card, the first runner immediately radios the selection to an NFL Player Personnel representative, who inputs the player’s name into a database that notifies all clubs of the pick. The runner also walks the card to the head table, where it’s given to Ken Fiore, vice president of player personnel.
KEEP READING: Best QB Picks From Every Round in NFL Draft History, Featuring Patrick Mahomes, Tom Brady
Fiore reviews the name for accuracy and records the pick. He then shares the name with the NFL’s broadcast partners, the commissioner, and other league or team representatives so they can announce the pick.”
The NFL Draft is essentially a national holiday for many. With it comes excitement and optimism for players’ future careers and the everlasting fandom of football.
College Sports Network has you covered with the latest news, analysis, insights, and trending stories in football, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and baseball!
