How does the NFL draft work?

NFL draft 2025

Venue: Green Bay, Wisconsin Dates: Thursday, 24 April – Sunday, 26 April Start: 20: 00 EDT (01: 00 BST, Friday)

More than 2,200 players are recruited by the league’s 32 teams through the annual NFL draft in April, out of which 32 are made up of the league’s 32 teams.

The US collegiate system’s thousands of players are eligible for the draft each year, but there are only about 250 choices overall.

Most future stars are picked up during the three-day event, even though undrafted players can still be signed later.

The draft has seven rounds, with rounds two and three on Friday, rounds two and three on Friday, and rounds four to seven on Saturday.

Except for trades, all 32 teams have one pick in each round, ranking them according to the previous year’s standings.

Each team will have one pick in the first round of the draft this year because there are currently no first-round picks for the 2025 draft.

NFL teams don’t pay transfer fees when they trade current players or draft picks to acquire players from other teams or advance in the draft.

For instance, the Kansas City Chiefs traded away three picks in 2017 to secure Patrick Mahomes as their starting quarterback.

The Carolina Panthers traded up in 2023 for quarterback Bryce Young in exchange for the first pick from the Chicago Bears.

With the first pick of the previous year’s draft and the ninth overall, Carolina finished with the worst record in the 2023 season, with wide receiver Romeo Odunze taking wide receiver and quarterback Caleb Williams first overall.

Each year, there are varying degrees of players chosen, with 257 picks this year.

NFL teams scout college athletes before conducting an evaluation during the NFL Combine, a week-long event that features physical and mental exams as well as prospects interviews.

Draft hopefuls have another opportunity to showcase their skills at a Pro Day in each college or university, and they may also travel to teams for more tests and interviews.

The draft is then presented.

Each pick may not necessarily be the team’s best player, but rather the one who feels most in tune with their needs.

As teams are compensated with compensatory picks for players they lost in free agency, the total number of picks fluctuates annually.