How Many Rounds are in the NFL Draft?

The 2024 NFL Draft is coming up on Thursday, April 27. Many players will be drafted. Some picks will be exchanged. And while we don't know how many trades there will be to truly spice up the event and turn it into must-see-TV, we do know exactly how many players will be selected and approximately how long this whole ordeal will last.

So here's everything you need to know on that front.

How Many Rounds Are in the NFL Draft? 

There are seven rounds in the NFL Draft. It's been that way for quite a while. I'm surprised you didn't already know that. The draft airs live on a Thursday night in late April, followed by Round 2 and Round 3 on Friday night. The final rounds (4-7) take place on Saturday.

When did the NFL Draft go to 7 rounds?

The NFL finally settled on seven rounds in 1994. There had been eight rounds in '93 and 12 rounds in '92. Before that, it was all over the place.

Why are there more than 224 picks in the draft?

This year there will be 257 total picks in the NFL Draft. You've got the initial 224 picks (seven picks for 32 teams), minus the Miami Dolphins' third round pick which was taken away because they were found to have tampered with Tom Brady. Remember that guy? On top of that there are 34 compensatory picks including six in the third, one in the fourth, 12 in the fifth, eight in the sixth and seven in the seventh.

How many rounds were there in drafts through the years?

As mentioned above, the draft has fluctuated in size over the years. While we've settled on a very manageable seven rounds in the modern era, as recently as the early 90's there were more than 10 rounds. In previous decades it was somewhere between 12 and 17, which was the biggest the draft ever got. Specifically, it topped out at 487 picks in 1976. What a way to celebrate America's bicentennial than with a 487 player mock draft. Now that's freedom.

Now you're primed for the NFL Draft.