Overview
- The league informed all 32 teams of the change, which will debut at the Pittsburgh draft on April 23–25, 2026.
- Reporting says clubs were supportive, with recent first rounds wrapping near 11:45 p.m. ET under the old format.
- Broadcasters and league planners expect the tweak to trim roughly an hour from the opening night runtime.
- Shorter on-the-clock windows are expected to squeeze real-time trade negotiations, pushing more work into pre-draft planning.
- Other rounds are unchanged for now, and it remains unclear whether a one-time pick extension Roger Goodell floated will be adopted.