NFL Draft kicks off

The 2026 National Football League Draft opens Thursday night in Pittsburgh, with Round 1 set to start at 8 p.m. Eastern. (nfl.com) The draft runs three days, with Rounds 2 and 3 scheduled for Friday, April 24, at 7 p.m. Eastern and Rounds 4 through 7 on Saturday, April 25, at noon Eastern. Pittsburgh’s North Shore, including Acrisure Stadium and Point State Park, is the host site. (cbssports.com) Television coverage is split across ESPN, ABC and NFL Network, with streaming available through the league’s broadcast partners and subscription platforms listed by those networks. CBS Sports called this class “one of the most unpredictable” in recent years ahead of Thursday’s first round. (cbssports.com) The draft is the National Football League’s annual system for assigning rookie rights, with the worst teams from the previous season picking earliest and playoff teams generally picking later. This year’s first round is set from No. 1 through No. 32, with 257 total picks across seven rounds. (nfl.com) That order is why the Kansas City Chiefs stand out at the top of the board. Kansas City currently holds the No. 9 pick and also owns No. 29, a setup Chiefs.com described this week as an “unfamiliar position” for a team that has spent recent drafts selecting near the end of Round 1. (chiefs.com) Trade talk is one of the main storylines entering the night. NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah projected four first-round trades in his final mock draft, with the Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints among the teams he expects to move up. (nfl.com) The first-round order also shows how much extra capital some teams carry into the weekend. The New York Giants have picks No. 5 and No. 10, the Dallas Cowboys have No. 12 and No. 20, the Cleveland Browns have No. 6 and No. 24, and the New York Jets have No. 2 and No. 16. (chiefs.com) Round 1 is where quarterbacks, pass rushers and offensive tackles usually come off the board fastest, and mock drafts have linked the top of this class to quarterback Fernando Mendoza of Indiana. CBS Sports’ final projection sent him to Las Vegas at No. 1 overall. (cbssports.com) By late Thursday, the board that looked fixed on paper can change quickly once the first few picks land. The draft resumes Friday night, but the biggest swings in price and position usually start as soon as Round 1 goes on the clock in Pittsburgh. (nfl.com)