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Football

How does the NFL Draft work?

DAZN

Jason Abbey

25, Apr

Watch the 2026 NFL Draft live and free on DAZN

Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft delivered, and Rounds 2 and 3 kept the energy flowing.

Now Day 3 is here, and with several potential stars remaining on the board, the fun continues.

If you're new to the NFL Draft or just need a refresher on how it all works, you're in the right place.

Stream the 2026 NFL Draft free and live on DAZN

Days 1 and 2 of the 2026 NFL Draft have been as dramatic as it gets, and Day 3 promises more of the same, with Rounds 4, 5, 6 and 7 streaming live and free on DAZN (excluding Canada).

Tune in on Saturday, April 25, at 5pm BST / noon ET to watch the best remaining college prospects fulfil their lifelong dreams of hearing their names called on draft night.

What is the NFL Draft?

The NFL Draft is exactly what it sounds like: every team in the league picking the best players from college football.

As the banner event of the offseason, it's always a glitzy affair, watched by millions, and held in a big location.

The draft consists of seven rounds, and each team has one pick per round. They take turns making their selections, which makes the draft order incredibly important. We'll get to that in more detail in a minute.

In practice, when you account for selections that have been traded and consider compensatory picks too, teams sometimes end up with more than one pick per round or none at all. We'll get to that in more detail later, too.

How is the NFL Draft order decided?

The team with the worst record from the previous season picks first in each of the seven rounds, while the team with the best record picks last.

So this year, the Las Vegas Raiders, who finished with a 3-14 record last year, were awarded the first overall selection in each round. They used it on Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza.

The Super Bowl-winning Seattle Seahawks were given the last pick in the first round, and they used it on Notre Dame running back Jadarian Price.

Every other team sits somewhere in between based on their record. Teams that missed the playoffs select between 1st and 20th. Teams that made the postseason pick from 21st and up.

If two teams finished with the same record, it comes down to strength of schedule. If it's still level at that point, various tiebreakers kick in, after which the order can even be decided by a coin toss.

How does the draft order change?

Teams can trade their picks at any point, before or during the draft, in exchange for players or other selections.

This means some teams end up with multiple picks in the same round, while others have none.

In the 2026 NFL Draft, the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys and Miami Dolphins started Day 1 with two first-round picks after acquiring them in previous deals.

The Jacksonville Jaguars, Atlanta Falcons, Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers and Denver Broncos began Round 1 with no first-round picks after trading theirs away.

Trading up can be very expensive, especially for early first-round picks. Trading down can give teams more draft capital to fill more roster needs.

The Kansas City Chiefs famously traded up in 2017 to land Patrick Mahomes, and that worked out fairly well for them.

Why do some rounds have more than 32 picks?

The NFL awards compensatory picks to teams that have lost significant free agents.

Up to 32 additional picks can be handed out, up to a maximum of four per team, and are placed at the end of rounds three through seven.

Clubs can also earn extra picks if a minority coach or executive on their staff gets poached to become a head coach or GM elsewhere.

Here is the full list of compensatory picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.

How long does each team have to pick?

Round 1: 8 minutes per pick, down from 10 minutes in 2025.
Round 2: 7 minutes.
Rounds 3-6: 5 minutes for standard and compensatory picks.
Round 7: 4 minutes.

If a team lets the clock run down without picking, the next team will jump ahead of them. This situation played out in the 2003 NFL Draft, when the Minnesota Vikings let the clock expire after failing to have a trade sanctioned in time.

When this happens, the original team doesn't lose their pick, but they risk having the player they wanted taken by the next team.

How does a pick actually get made?

Each team has a table at the draft venue. Their representatives stay in constant contact with executives back at club headquarters.

When a decision is made, the player's name, position and college are written on an official card and handed to an NFL staff member known as a runner.

Once the runner has the card, that's it. The pick is locked in, announced on DAZN for Game Pass subscribers, and the clock resets for the next team.

Who is eligible for the NFL Draft?

Players need to have been out of high school for at least three years and to have used up their college eligibility before the next college season begins.

Underclassmen can apply to enter early, but need league approval. The deadline to declare is seven days after the NCAA National Championship Game.

What happens to players who aren't drafted?

Players who are not selected in the seven rounds become undrafted free agents. At that point, they are free to sign with any team.

For many who find themselves in this situation, they may never be signed. For others, it's a temporary setback.

Kurt Warner, Antonio Gates and Warren Moon all went undrafted, and all three ended up in the Hall of Fame.

Where is the 2026 NFL Draft being held?

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It's Pittsburgh's first time hosting since 1947.

The main stage and Draft Theatre sit on the North Shore outside Acrisure Stadium. The fan festival is across the river at Point State Park. Entry is free.