ESPN is now using regular 8-minute alarms and stats.
For the 2026 NFL draft, some significant rule changes have been introduced.
Notably, the time allocated for first-round picks has been reduced from 10 minutes to eight. This adjustment led to a delay in Thursday’s draft broadcast, which began in Pittsburgh, much to the annoyance of some fans, including former player Mitchell Schwartz.
The offensive tackle, who had a nine-year career, expressed his frustration on X, stating that he found the delay unacceptable.
“ESPN is significantly behind on picks,” Schwartz tweeted, recalling his time with the Chiefs until 2020. “They need to grasp the eight-minute issue because you can’t be over 10 minutes behind real-time. It’s frustrating to avoid social media because the TV coverage is lagging so much; all that investment feels pointless.”
Others on X echoed his sentiments, airing their grievances on social media.
“ESPN really botched the draft coverage, picks leaked five minutes before we saw them on TV, lol,” one user commented.
“It’s like the producers weren’t paying attention when the NFL changed the pick time to 8 minutes. They’re lagging, and the draft hasn’t even really begun. It’s a pretty embarrassing situation,” another noted.
A fan added, “Twitter is currently 13 minutes ahead… what are you doing?”
Another user remarked, “With all those commercials between nominations, announcements, and interviews, there’s no room left for analysis.”
“They struggled to catch up before the time was cut. Picks may not take long, but the broadcast certainly does,” one X user pointed out.
The NFL implemented this change last December, but some general managers expressed concerns about potential impatience among teams.
Before the draft, Steelers GM Omar Khan shared his thoughts. He didn’t seem particularly thrilled.
“I’d prefer 10 minutes, but, well, everyone else probably does, too. So, it’s eight minutes. That’s just the way it is,” Khan said on Monday.
Khan acknowledged the limited time for decision-making and mentioned he was discussing trade options with several GMs.
“With the first round now at eight minutes, we naturally started having more discussions about what the value could be if we moved up or traded back,” he explained. “Conversations are happening, but until we’re there, who knows what will transpire?”
At a press conference, the head coach humorously addressed Khan’s comments about the clock, suggesting he should see how it is to call plays from the sideline.
“We only had 40 seconds to make a play call,” McCarthy remarked. “We’re fine.”
This is the first significant change to pick intervals since 2008, when they were reduced from 15 minutes to 10.
However, the timeline for rounds 2 through 7 remains unchanged this year: teams will have seven minutes for the second round, five minutes for rounds 3 through 6, and four minutes for the seventh round.
