NFL draft draws fans to Pittsburgh for Day 1 | full coverage 29:28
The 2026 NFL Draft, one of the league's hallmark events, got underway Thursday evening in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
It marks the unofficial start of the new season, when all 32 teams, buoyed by their hopeful fans, come in with a fresh slate and an opportunity to tackle their rosters' biggest weaknesses.
The NFL Draft and its festivities began at approximately 8 p.m. EDT Thursday.
Pittsburgh native KELS sang the national anthem, and the James Weldon Johnson Foundation's National Hymn Choir, featuring The Heritage Gospel Chorale of Pittsburgh, performed "Lift Every Voice and Sing."
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, who announces all 32 selections of Round 1, made introductory comments before the draft itself kicked off. The NFL has said that selections for Rounds 2 and 3 will be announced by current and former stars.
The Las Vegas Raiders were first on the board with the No. 1 overall pick. Once on the clock, teams will each have eight minutes to make their selections in the first round — down from previous years, when they had 10 minutes.
In Round 2, teams will have seven minutes to choose their players, and during Rounds 3-6, they will be allotted five minutes.
In Round 7, teams have only four minutes to make their selections.
In total, 257 players will be selected over the seven rounds. The player chosen last is given the moniker "Mr. Irrelevant."
What's the schedule for each round of the 2026 NFL Draft?
The NFL Draft is held over three days, from Thursday, April 23, through Saturday, April 25.
Round 1 will take place Thursday evening, with coverage getting underway at 8 p.m. EDT.
Rounds 2 and 3 will be held Friday, with selections beginning at 7 p.m. EDT.
Rounds 4 through 7 will take place Saturday, with picks starting at 12 p.m. EDT.
All three days of the NFL Draft will be available to watch on ABC, ESPN, ESPN Deportes and the NFL Network.
The NFL Draft can be watched on several streaming platforms, including the ABC App, the ESPN app, NFL+ and Hulu+ Live TV. It will also be available on live TV streaming apps, including YouTube TV and Fubo TV.
For the first time since 1948, the NFL Draft is being held in Pittsburgh, hometown of the Steelers, one of the league's most iconic and winningest franchises.
The draft will take place at Acrisure Stadium, while the NFL's interactive fan festival will take place just across the Allegheny River at Point State Park.
The NFL is expecting hundreds of thousands of fans to attend over the course of the draft. The league estimated that 600,000 people attended the 2025 NFL Draft in Green Bay over its three days.