The 2025 NFL draft will be held from April 24-26 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Round 1 will begin on April 24, Rounds 2 and 3 will be on April 25 and Rounds 4 through 7 will play out on April 26. The draft will be broadcast on ESPN, ABC and the ESPN App. Top prospects will find new teams across 257 picks.
Since its inception nearly 90 years ago, the draft has grown into an entity of its own. The draft itself lasts three days, but the preparation of it goes on nearly year-round to the point that it has become something of a cottage industry. As the draft has grown, so too have the events that support and lead into it. All that draft talk has also yielded its share of confusing terms and rules that can be hard to remember.
That's why we -- and now you -- are here. Here's a handy guide to some of the NFL draft's nuts and bolts.
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When did the NFL draft start?
The first NFL draft took place in February 1936 in a Philadelphia hotel. With the first pick, the Philadelphia Eagles selected Heisman Trophy winner Jay Berwanger from the University of Chicago. A total of 81 players were drafted -- but only 24 went on to play in the NFL.
The common draft era, though, began in 1967 after the NFL and American Football League (AFL) agreed to a merger.
What are draft eligibility rules?
Players must be at least three years removed from high school and have already used up (or forfeited) their college eligibility to be qualified for the NFL draft. Underclassmen and players who have graduated before using all their college eligibility may request the league's approval to enter the draft early.
For the 2025 draft, 70 players -- 55 underclassmen and 15 who completed degrees early -- were granted special permissions to enter the draft.
Is the draft only for collegiate players?
There is no rule that mandates the draft be composed of collegiate players. However, individuals must have used up their college eligibility or applied for special permission to enter the draft.
How is the draft order determined?
The selection order is the reverse order of finish from the previous season. Each round starts with the team with the worst record and finishes with the team that won the Super Bowl. Teams are able to trade their picks.
If multiple teams finished the season with the same record, draft position is decided by strength of schedule -- the combined winning percentage of a team's opponents. The team that played the schedule with the lowest winning percentage will be awarded the higher pick. If the teams have the same strength of schedule, division or conference tiebreakers are applied.
When did the draft become seven rounds?
There have been many changes to the draft over the decades. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, the first draft in 1936 had nine rounds, and that number was increased to 10 in 1937. In 1939, it was again expanded, this time to 20 rounds. In the 1940s, there were as many as 32 rounds. Years after merging with the AFL, the NFL reduced the number of rounds from 17 to 12 in 1977.
The draft became seven rounds in 1994 -- after the NFL first tried out eight rounds in 1993.
What are compensatory draft picks?
Each year, the league can assign up to 32 compensatory picks to teams that lost free agents to other teams in the previous offseason. Additional compensatory picks are awarded to teams who have minority candidates hired as head coaches or general managers by other teams as part of the NFL's 2020 Resolution JC-2A.
All compensatory picks begin at the end of the third round and are attached to the end of each round through the seventh and final round.
Which teams have the most draft picks in 2025?
The Baltimore Ravens and San Francisco 49ers lead the league with 11 selections each in April's draft. Here are the number of picks by team:
10: Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, Los Angeles Chargers, Miami Dolphins, Seattle Seahawks
9: Carolina Panthers, Las Vegas Raiders, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints
8: Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams, New York Giants, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Tennessee Titans
7: Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos, Detroit Lions, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts
6: Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
5: Atlanta Falcons, Washington Commanders
How much time does a team have to make a pick? And has a team missed a pick?
Teams have 10 minutes to make a pick in the first round, seven minutes in the second round, five minutes in Rounds 3-6 and four minutes in Round 7.
Teams that do not get their pick in during the allotted time can be jumped by the team behind them in the draft order. Perhaps most famously, this happened to the Vikings in 2003 when they didn't make their No. 7 overall pick in time and the Jaguars and Panthers jumped in before the Vikings picked defensive tackle Kevin Williams at No. 9 overall.
How do trades work during the draft?
Teams can make trades at any point during or before the draft and are able to swap picks or trade players in those deals. Once a trade is agreed to during the draft, both teams call the league representative at the head table. Each team must pass along the same trade terms to the league for it to be approved.
Can a player refuse to be drafted by a team?
No. Players cannot prevent a team from drafting them, but they can refuse to sign a contract upon being drafted. If that happens and the player's rights are not traded, that player would be back in the draft pool the following year.
What are forfeited draft picks?
Teams can forfeit draft picks for a variety of rules violations. For the 2025 draft, the 49ers have lost a fifth-round pick for a salary cap accounting error in the 2022 season, and the Falcons have given up a fifth-round choice for violation of the league's anti-tampering policy for improper contact with multiple players before they became free agents.
How are salaries determined for drafted players?
The NFL and NFLPA negotiated a "slotting system" for drafted player salaries in the 2011 Collective Bargaining Agreement. Each player drafted is compensated in accordance with where they were picked in the order with the first player selected taking home the largest salary and everyone else falling in behind the player taken in front of them.
All rookie deals are for four years with teams holding a fifth-year option on players selected in the first round.
For reference, the 2024 No. 1 overall pick Caleb Williams signed a four-year contract worth $39.4 million, with a $25.5 million signing bonus, with the Bears. That averages out to $9.8 million a year.
Why do first-round picks get fifth-year options on their contracts?
The option allows teams an additional year to work out long-term contract extensions with players they've selected at the top of the draft while also providing additional time to evaluate their performance.
What happens to eligible players who don't get drafted?
Players not selected become undrafted free agents and are free to sign with any team once the draft is complete.
What is the supplemental draft?
The supplemental draft is for players who were not yet eligible or had questions surrounding their eligibility for the regular NFL draft. Players must be at least three years removed from high school and petition the league to take part in the supplemental draft.
Teams "bid" on rights to the player by submitting an offer of a round in the draft with the team submitting the highest bid getting the player. For example, if a team bids a second-round pick and other teams bid a third- or fourth-round pick, the team bidding the second-round choice will get the rights to the player. The team landing the player forfeits the corresponding pick in the following year's NFL draft.
What events lead up to the NFL draft each year?
Once the college season ends, players begin the "all-star game" season where prospects can practice and play a game against other players selected to compete from schools all over the country.
That includes the Senior Bowl and East-West Shrine Bowl. From there, selected players attend the NFL combine where they work out, meet with teams and go through extensive medical checks. Finally, players can also participate in pro days on their respective college campuses and take visits to interested NFL teams before the draft begins.
Where has the NFL draft been held?
For 50 years, the NFL draft was held in New York, traditionally at Radio City Music Hall. That changed in 2015 when the NFL decided to take the draft on the road.
Since then, it has taken place in Chicago, Philadelphia, Arlington, Nashville, Cleveland, Las Vegas, Kansas City and Detroit. This year, the draft heads to Green Bay, Wisconsin.
What is a top-30 visit?
Each year, every team is allowed to bring 30 draft prospects to their team facility for a visit.
While some call it the "top-30" visit, it's not only reserved for the top 30 players on a team's board. Teams do bring top targets in, but they also use it as a chance to get to know other players better and seek additional answers to lingering questions.
Do players attend the draft?
Yes. The NFL invites prospects expected to be selected early in the draft to the site of the event so they can shake hands with the commissioner and do additional media rounds after they've been selected. There's no set number of players who get invited to the draft and attendance is optional.
What is "Mr. Irrelevant?"
"Mr. Irrelevant" is the nickname reserved for the player selected with the last pick in each year's draft. It's a tradition that former player Paul Salata, who had a short NFL career, began in 1976 to bring attention to players who might not otherwise garner much. The title comes with a week of events in Newport Beach, California, including charitable efforts in the community.