The NFL Draft starts Thursday in Chicago, meaning the city will be packed with more football die-hards and future millionaire 20-somethings than usual.
If you’re near a sports bar or anyone who watches America’s most profitable sport, there’s a good chance you’ll find yourself in a draft-related discussion. Here’s a cheat sheet.
Who is eligible to be drafted?
Players who have been out of high school for at least three years, including college players who have completed their eligibility or requested special permission from the NFL to enter the draft early (after their sophomore or junior year, or if they’ve graduated before their college eligibility is up), are eligible.
How is the draft order determined?
Generally it goes by record, as in the team with the worst record from the previous season goes first, the previous Super Bowl champion goes last and so forth. The worse your record, the better your draft position. But trades happen. For example, this year Tennessee had the first pick but traded it to the Los Angeles Rams (for several future picks).
How many rounds are there?
Seven. The first round takes place Thursday, the second and third on Friday and the fourth through seventh on Saturday.
How many teams pick during each round?
It depends. Usually all 32 teams pick in the first round, but this year New England lost its first-round pick in a little thing known as Deflategate. In following rounds, each team is assigned a pick, but those can be traded later.
Trades?
Teams can deal their picks before or during the draft. Picks can be swapped for selections in this year’s draft or in future drafts (see: the Los Angeles Rams), or for players. This can happen with players currently on a team’s roster or during the draft once new players are picked up. Basically, if you’re an NFL player, the league owns your rights and there’s nothing you can do about it.
What is a compensatory round?
At the end of rounds 3 through 7, there is a compensatory round in which teams that lost players during free agency can pick up extra players. These are decided by a complex NFL formula, but the main thing to know is that these picks cannot be traded.
How long does each team get to make a pick?
Ten minutes in the first round, seven minutes for the second, five minutes for rounds 3 through 6 and four minutes for the seventh and compensatory rounds. So yes, you have time for bathroom breaks.
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What happens if a team goes over its allotted time?
As soon as a team’s time on the clock expires, the next team can go ahead and select a player. Meaning if you snooze, you lose.
Whom are the Bears going to pick?
Depends on whom you want to believe, though no one knows for sure. If draft die-hards (like yours truly) are correct, the smart money is on a defensive playmaker. That said, conventional wisdom predicted the Bears would go that route in 2015, and they ended up taking a wide receiver.