NFL Draft 2023 schedule of events: How to navigate draft weekend

Peter Panacy

(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)

The 2023 NFL Draft kicks off in a month, and 49ers fans will want to be sure they plan ahead for the three-day event and know the schedule.

For years, the NFL Draft was held solely in New York City.

Lately, however, the biggest NFL event of the offseason has turned into quite the traveling spectacle. In 2022, Las Vegas hosted the draft. The year before, it was Cleveland.

Now, the 2023 NFL Draft heads to Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, and the Kansas City Chiefs will play hosts after winning the Super Bowl over the Philadelphia Eagles last February.

San Francisco 49ers fans may not feel like traveling to KC to watch the draft, particularly after the previous time when the Chiefs won the Super Bowl. But, without picks in Rounds 1 and 2, Niners fans probably don’t care too much about attending in person anyway.

General manager John Lynch still has 11 picks at his disposal, though, spread between Rounds 3 and 7.

For those fans staying at home, knowing the full schedule of events will be helpful.

2023 NFL Draft full schedule of events, each round, start date and times

The 2023 NFL Draft officially kicks off on Thursday, April 27 from Union Station in Kansas City.

ESPN, ABC and NFL Network will broadcast the draft, and Round 1 coverage will begin on Thursday, April 27 at 8 p.m. ET.

The three-day event will have the following start times:

Round 1: Thursday, April 27 at 8 p.m. ET
Rounds 2 and 3: Friday, April 28 at 7 p.m. ET
Rounds 4 through 7: Saturday, April 29 at 12 p.m. ET

The full order of picks for the NFL Draft can be found here.

While it’s difficult to gauge just how long each round will last, there are time limits.

Teams are allowed no more than 10 minutes to make a selection in Round 1, no more than seven minutes in Round 2, no more than five minutes in Rounds 3 through 6, and no more than four minutes in Round 7.

After the draft concludes with the final pick, otherwise termed “Mr. Irrelevant,” teams are able to sign players who went undrafted at will.

Peter Panacy

Peter Panacy is a widely published writer, starting with Bleacher Report in 2011 and becoming their 49ers lead columnist, then joining Niner Noise in 2015. He has had exclusive interviews with Hall of Famers Steve Young and Jerry Rice, as well as current players George Kittle, Kyle Juszczyk and Richard Sherman. He has also made appearances on multiple radio stations, including the Bay Area's 95.7 The Game and the Bay Area's KNBR 680.