We are in the thick of the 2025 NFL Draft, with Round 1 now officially in the books. 32 players were picked and have now achieved the goal of reaching the NFL. Now, the hard work truly begins. However, there will be many more picks this year, with Round 2 taking place tonight and Rounds 3-7 taking place this weekend.
Every year, there’s some chatter about potentially shortening the NFL Draft. This year was no different. Roger Goodell spoke with Pat McAfee on the 2025 NFL Draft edition of “The Pat McAfee Show.” They discussed an NFL Draft shake-up that included shortening the draft.
Roger Goodell’s Plan to Speed Up the NFL Draft: What a 7-Minute First Round Could Mean
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell proposes a faster draft format, including a seven-minute first round. This bold idea could reshape the NFL Draft experience and benefit both players and coaches.
“I started thinking last night that we gotta shorten the draft,” Goodell tells McAfee. What if we did a 7-minute first round, but you can get 2 minutes extra if you need it? You get one extension, but then you don’t get it again for the rest of the draft.”
“I started thinking last night that we gotta shorten the draft..
What if we did a 7 minute first round but you can get 2 minutes extra if you need it..
You get one extension but then you don’t get it again for the rest of the draft” ~ @nflcommish #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/xMgAfAV1HP
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 25, 2025
There are many factors that contribute to why the NFL Draft is as long as it is. This includes commercials and recaps, and perhaps the biggest contributor is teams on the clock who take some time to draft the player they want. Yes, this includes roughly 10 minutes for the first team picking overall, in this case, the Tennessee Titans.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, who picked No. 22 overall, didn’t pick until two and a half hours into the show. There’s a lot of fluff in the NFL Draft, which is a big reason we see things play out the way they do regarding time constraints. Ironically, too, the picks always break on X, formerly Twitter, first, and not even on the televised event.
Goodell’s solution would be a seven-minute first round, with teams getting two extra minutes if needed, which they can only use once. This would shorten the draft exponentially, but not at the same time. With commercials and sponsors having to get their plugs in, we’d still be looking at close to a three-hour event.
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Overall, the NFL Draft is one of the biggest days for college football and the NFL. Many players have had their dreams come true over the years and it always starts with the draft. However, shortening it may not be the worst idea in the world.
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