What time does 2022 NFL Draft start today? Live TV coverage, schedule for Thursday's Round 1

Zac Al-Khateeb

What time does 2022 NFL Draft start today? Live TV coverage, schedule for Thursday's Round 1 image

Into the unknown! 

The 2022 NFL Draft is veiled in uncertainty, a far cry from last year's event.

This time a year ago, the top three picks would consist of Trevor Lawrence to the Jaguars, Zach Wilson and, to a slightly lesser degree, Trey Lance to the 49ers, respectively. This year? The Jaguars are once again in control, and have narrowed their first overall choice to one of four players. Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson, Georgia's Travon Walker are the presumed top two picks by most pundits, although Oregon's Kayvon Thibodeaux's name is once again rising up the draft boards — anything beyond that is anyone's guess.

MORE: Watch the NFL Draft live with fuboTV (free trial)

The precariousness of who will go where — plus the constant anticipation of draft-day moves and mega trades — should make for a fun TV event, even with a class that is largely lacking the top overall talent present in previous seasons.

With that, here's what you should know about the 2022 NFL Draft, including date and start time, where you can watch it and first-round draft order:

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What time does the NFL Draft start today?

  • Date: Thursday, April 28
  • Round 1 start time: 8 p.m. ET
  • TV channels: ABC | ESPN | NFL Network
  • Live stream: ESPN app | NFL app | fuboTV | DAZN (in Canada)

Thursday's Round 1 will start in the primetime slot at 8 p.m. ET. The draft in 2022 is in Las Vegas, with 21 players in attendance — up from 13 draft attendees in Cleveland from last year. Considering teams have 10 minutes per draft pick, the first round of the NFL Draft can be expected to end at roughly midnight.

What channel is the NFL Draft on today?

  • TV channels: ABC, ESPN, NFL Network

ABC, ESPN and NFL Network all will carry the NFL Draft.

NFL Network's broadcast group will feature host Rich Eisen, who will be joined on set by Charles Davis and Daniel Jeremiah for the duration of the draft. Stanford coach David Shaw will join the broadcast during Thursday's Round 1. Joel Klatt and Kurt Warner will man the NFL Network's secondary set; Ian Rapoport will handle news as the event unfolds.

ESPN's broadcast will feature draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. and Louis Riddick for the duration of the draft. Booger McFarland and host Mike Greenberg will be on for the first two nights. Chris Mortensen will report on draft-day rumblings throughout the event. Adam Schefter will not be in attendance for this year's NFL Draft. He will be attending his son's college graduation. 

On ABC, Todd McShay and analysts Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard will be on set Thursday and Friday. Rece Davis will host on the primary ABC set while Sam Ponder, Jesse Palmer and Robert Griffin III will provide coverage from the Beer Park set. Pete Thamel will serve as draft reporter throughout the telecast.

NFL Draft TV schedule

Round Day Date Start time (ET) TV channels
1 Thursday April 28 8 p.m. ABC, ESPN, NFL Network
2-3 Friday April 29 7 p.m. ABC, ESPN, NFL Network
4-7 Saturday April 30 Noon ABC, ESPN, NFL Network

All three networks will be carrying all three rounds of the 2021 NFL Draft from first pick to last, starting on Thursday, April 28 and ending on Saturday, April 30.

Round 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft should end around midnight ET, with teams taking 10 minutes per pick.

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NFL Draft live stream

Cord cutters have a few different options to catch the NFL Draft at cost. FuboTV, YouTube TV, Hulu+ Live TV, Sling TV and DIRECTV each have options for NFL Network, ESPN and ABC, so you can keep your eyes glued to your viewing option of choice.

NFL, ABC and ESPN apps are also available on selecting gaming consoles and streaming devices, including (but not limited to) Roku, FireTV and Apple TV.

Platform NFL Draft? Cable/satellite login needed?
fuboTV Yes No
YouTube TV Yes No
Hulu + Live TV Yes No
Sling TV Yes No
DIRECTV STREAM Yes No
AT&T TV No
Xbox (NFL/ABC/ESPN Apps) Yes Yes
PS4 (NFL/ABC/ESPN Apps) Yes Yes
Amazon Fire TV (NFL/ABC/ESPN Apps) Yes Yes
Android TV (NFL/ABC/ESPN Apps) Yes Yes
Apple TV (NFL/ABC/ESPN Apps) Yes Yes
Roku (NFL/ABC/ESPN Apps) Yes Yes
Mobile devices/tablets (NFL/NFLN/ABC/ESPN Apps) Yes Yes
Computers (NFL.com/watch, ESPN.com/Watch, ABC.go.com) Yes Yes

NFL Draft order 2022

For the second year in a row, Jacksonville kicks off the NFL draft with the No. 1 overall pick. Unlike last year, however, there isn't a consensus No. 1 player (though most draft experts believe Aidan Hutchinson or Travon Walker will go in the top two, in some order).

Half of this year's first-round picks (16) comprises teams that have two selections: the Lions, Texans, Jets, Giants, Eagles, Saints, Packers and Chiefs. Eight more teams don't have any first-round picks, including the defending Super Bowl champion Rams, Colts, 49ers, Raiders, Dolphins, Browns, Broncos and Bears.

Below is the full rundown of first-round picks:

Round Pick Overall Team
1 1 1 Jacksonville Jaguars
1 2 2 Detroit Lions
1 3 3 Houston Texans
1 4 4 New York Jets
1 5 5 New York Giants
1 6 6 Carolina Panthers
1 7 7 New York Giants (from Bears)
1 8 8 Atlanta Falcons
1 9 9 Seattle Seahawks (from Broncos)
1 10 10 New York Jets (from Seahawks)
1 11 11 Washington Commanders
1 12 12 Minnesota Vikings
1 13 13 Houston Texans (from Browns)
1 14 14 Baltimore Ravens
1 15 15 Philadelphia Eagles (from Dolphins)
1 16 16 New Orleans Saints (from Colts via Eagles)
1 17 17 Los Angeles Chargers
1 18 18 Philadelphia Eagles (from Saints)
1 19 19 New Orleans Saints (from Eagles)
1 20 20 Pittsburgh Steelers
1 21 21 New England Patriots
1 22 22 Green Bay Packers (from Raiders)
1 23 23 Arizona Cardinals
1 24 24 Dallas Cowboys
1 25 25 Buffalo Bills
1 26 26 Tennessee Titans
1 27 27 Tampa Bay Buccaneers
1 28 28 Green Bay Packers
1 29 29 Chiefs (from 49ers via Dolphins)
1 30 30 Kansas City Chiefs
1 31 31 Cincinnati Bengals
1 32 32 Detroit Lions (from Rams)

Zac Al-Khateeb

Zac Al-Khateeb Photo

Zac Al-Khateeb has been part of The Sporting News team since 2015 after earning his Bachelor's (2013) and Master's (2014) degrees in journalism at the University of Alabama. Prior to joining TSN, he covered high school sports and general news in Alabama. A college sports specialist, Zac has been a voter for the Biletnikoff Award and Heisman Trophy since 2020.