The 2025 NFL draft is officially two weeks away. When the draft begins during the final week of April, all 32 teams will get to select players from college to add to their team over seven rounds. Dreams will come true, and teams can either solidify or hamper their future based on how well they draft.
Here is a guide for what's in store during the draft.
When Is the 2025 NFL Draft?
The NFL draft will begin on Thursday April 24, 2025 and take place over the course of three days from April 24 to April 26. This year's draft will be located in Green Bay, Wisconsin at Lambeau Field.
NFL Draft 2025 Schedule: Day-by-Day Breakdown
Day 1: Thursday, April 24, 2025
Only the first round of the draft will take place on Day 1. This round is the primetime part of the draft which will see many of the top players available selected. Every team gets 10 minutes to make their selection, and the Tennessee Titans will kick off the draft by picking first. Generally, teams picking in the top five to 10 of the draft are looking to secure a player that will become a perennial Pro Bowler and the face of their franchise.
Day 2: Friday, April 25, 2025
Rounds 2 and 3 of the draft will take place on the second day. Each team will get seven minutes per pick in Round 2 and five minutes during Round 3. The second round of the draft often sees teams scrambling to pick up any players that fell out of the first round, and generally, the second and third rounds of the draft offer prospects that are starting-caliber players.
Day 3: Saturday, April 26, 2025
Rounds 4–7 take place on the final day of the draft. Each team has five minutes to make their picks in Rounds 4-6 of the draft and four minutes in Round 7. The late rounds of the draft give teams the opportunity to find sleepers or value picks. There are a multitude of reasons players can fall in the draft outside of their rating as a prospect, from injury concerns, level of competition, or untapped potential in college. Annually, at least a few strong players are taken in these final rounds and go on to have a significant impact in the NFL.
Where Can You Watch the NFL Draft?
The NFL draft will be broadcasted on ABC, ESPN, NFL Network and ESPN Deportes. The draft can also be streamed on NFL+, ABC app, or the ESPN app.
How the NFL Draft Order Is Determined
The NFL draft order is determined by the reverse order of how every team finished the previous season. The team with the worst record in the NFL gets the No. 1 pick in each round of the draft, while the Super Bowl champion picks last in every round. If two teams finished with the same record, strength of schedule tiebreakers are utilized to determine which teams gets the higher pick.
If strength of schedule is even between the two teams, then division or conference tiebreakers are used. If a tie remains, the NFL turns to the following tiebreaker procedures:
- Head-to-head, if applicable
- Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games (minimum of four)
- Strength of victory in all games
- Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed in all games
- Best net points in all games
- Best net touchdowns in all games
- Coin toss
Though rare, a coin toss can be used as a last resort to determine order. In 2018, the San Francisco 49ers and Las Vegas Raiders used a coin toss to determine their draft positioning, and the 49ers won to secure the No. 9 pick in the draft. The Raiders then got the No. 10 pick.
The draft order can change if teams decide to trade their pick. This often happens, but so far, no team has traded their first-round pick before the 2025 draft. This is the first time in the Common Draft era that there were no pre-draft trades in the first-round before the start of the new league year.
Will the NFL Draft Always Be in April?
The NFL draft annually begins on the final Thursday of April. The draft takes place over two months after the Super Bowl, giving prospects time to partake in the scouting combine, pro day, and visits with teams. This also provides teams with plenty of time to evaluate prospects as well as acquire players through free agency first.
The draft originally did not take place in April. The first NFL draft in 1936 happened in February, and for the majority of the first 40 years of the draft, the event took place in December and January. The draft was first held in April from 1943-1945, but did not annually held in April until 1980. Occasionally, the draft has been moved to May, but that last happened in 2014.
At this point, there does not seem to be any indication that the draft will be moved from April, but that could change in the future.
What Happens After the Draft?
Immediately after the draft, any players that didn't get drafted become undrafted free agents, and teams will pursue any undrafted free agents that they have interest in but did not get to select.
Shortly after the draft, NFL teams will hold a rookie minicamp for their draft class. This year, that rookie minicamp can take place on May 2-5 or May 9-12.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as When Is the NFL Draft? Dates, Schedule, and What to Expect.
