Two years ago, the NFL Draft was scheduled to take place in Las Vegas. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced the NFL to switch gears and host the draft virtually from commissioner Roger Goodell's basement.
But now, Vegas will get its big moment, as the 2022 NFL Draft officially heads to "Sin City." And while this year's draft doesn't contain the exciting, big-name quarterbacks that the last two classes have produced, there will still be plenty of intrigue surrounding it.
First and foremost, we don't know who will go No. 1 overall this year. Aidan Hutchinson is currently the favorite for the top pick, but the Jaguars could go in several directions with the first selection. Add in that there are eight teams with multiple first-round picks and there could be a lot of movement during the draft.
As usual, the NFL Draft will take place over a span of three days. It will close out the month of April and put a bow on the six weeks of player movement during the NFL offseason.
Below is all you need to know about the 2022 NFL Draft, including how to watch and stream it plus the order of all 262 picks, SN's latest mock draft, a big board of the top 150 prospects and more.
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When is the NFL Draft in 2022?
- Date: Thursday, April 28 (Round 1) | Friday, April 29 (Rounds 2-3) | Saturday, April 30 (Rounds 4-7)
- Start time: 8 p.m. ET (Thursday) | 7 p.m. ET (Friday) | Noon ET (Saturday)
- TV channels: ABC | ESPN | NFL Network
- Live stream: ESPN and NFL apps | fuboTV | DAZN (in Canada)
The 2022 NFL Draft will be held from April 28-30, with Round 1 being held on the 28th, Rounds 2 and 3 commencing on the 29th and the final four rounds of the draft taking place on Saturday the 30th.
There will be 262 picks made during the 2022 NFL Draft. The Jaguars currently have the top overall selection while the final pick in the draft currently belongs to the 49ers.
MORE: Watch the 2022 NFL Draft live with fuboTV (free trial)
What time does the NFL Draft start?
The 2022 NFL Draft will begin at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 28, when the first round of the draft will be broadcast. Teams will have 10 minutes to make their picks during the first round, though few will use the duration of the 10-minute timer.
The action will begin a bit earlier on Friday, as the event is slated to start at 7 p.m. ET. Day 2 will feature the second and third rounds of the draft. Each team will have seven minutes to make its selection in Round 2 and five minutes to do so in Round 3.
Saturday will be the final day of the draft and will see more than half of the event's selections made. The draft will resume at 12 p.m. ET with the beginning of the fourth round. Each team will have five minutes to make its selection from Rounds 4 through 6 before seeing that decrease to four minutes in Round 7. Teams rarely use the full timer on the final day of the draft, so some picks will come in rapid succession.
| Day | Rounds | Start time |
| Thursday, April 28 | Round 1 | 8 p.m. ET |
| Friday, April 29 | Rounds 2-3 | 7 p.m. ET |
| Saturday, April 30 | Rounds 4-7 | Noon ET |
MORE NFL DRAFT: Each team's worst NFL Draft regret
NFL Draft TV schedule
The NFL Draft will be broadcast on multiple networks once again. ABC, ESPN and NFL Network will continue to host their own draft-day shows, giving viewers plenty of options to catch all of the draft's action live.
If you have a cable or satellite provider, you will also be able to watch the draft using both the ESPN and NFL apps.
| Round | Day | Start time | TV channels |
| Round 1 | Thursday, April 28 | 8 p.m. ET | ABC, ESPN, NFL Network |
| Rounds 2-3 | Friday, April 29 | 7 p.m. ET | ABC, ESPN, NFL Network |
| Rounds 4-7 | Saturday, April 30 | Noon ET | ABC, ESPN, NFL Network |
Meanwhile, in Canada, users will be able to catch the NFL Draft on TSN. TSN will carry coverage of the first round while its affiliate, TSN4, carries coverage of Days 2 and 3 of the draft.
How to live stream the NFL Draft
There are several ways to live stream the NFL Draft in 2022. Those with cable or satellite will be to utilize the ESPN or NFL apps to watch the event. Those that don't have cable can turn to fuboTV, which comes with a free trial, to see coverage from both ESPN and NFL Network.
Meanwhile, Canadian fans will be able to stream the event using DAZN, which includes NFL Network coverage s a part of its streaming package.
MORE: Stream the NFL Draft on fuboTV (free trial)
NFL Draft 2022 order of picks
For the second consecutive year, the Jaguars have the first pick in the NFL Draft. The Jaguars finished with the NFL's worst record at 3-14, so they will pick ahead of the Lions (No. 2), Texans (No. 3) and Jets (No. 4).
After the first six picks, things get a bit crazy. There are eight teams with two first-round picks in 2022 and eight without first-round picks altogether. As such, the Lions, Texans, Jets, Giants, Eagles, Saints, Packers and Chiefs are scheduled to pick twice in the first round while the Bears, Broncos, Browns, Dolphins, Colts, Raiders, 49ers and Rams all will enter the draft without a first-round selection.
There are 262 picks in the 2022 NFL Draft, including compensatory selections. The Jaguars and Chiefs are tied for the most picks in this year's draft, as each enters with 12. The Raiders and Dolphins each hold five picks, the fewest in this year's draft.
Below is a look at the selection order for the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft.
| Round | Pick | Team |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | Jacksonville Jaguars |
| 1 | 2 | Detroit Lions |
| 1 | 3 | Houston Texans |
| 1 | 4 | New York Jets |
| 1 | 5 | New York Giants |
| 1 | 6 | Carolina Panthers |
| 1 | 7 | New York Giants (from CHI) |
| 1 | 8 | Atlanta Falcons |
| 1 | 9 | Seattle Seahawks (from DEN) |
| 1 | 10 | New York Jets (from SEA) |
| 1 | 11 | Washington Commanders |
| 1 | 12 | Minnesota Vikings |
| 1 | 13 | Houston Texans (from CLE) |
| 1 | 14 | Baltimore Ravens |
| 1 | 15 | Philadelphia Eagles (from MIA) |
| 1 | 16 | New Orleans Saints (from PHI via IND) |
| 1 | 17 | Los Angeles Chargers |
| 1 | 18 | Philadelphia Eagles (from NO) |
| 1 | 19 | New Orleans Saints (from PHI) |
| 1 | 20 | Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 1 | 21 | New England Patriots |
| 1 | 22 | Green Bay Packers (from LV) |
| 1 | 23 | Arizona Cardinals |
| 1 | 24 | Dallas Cowboys |
| 1 | 25 | Buffalo Bills |
| 1 | 26 | Tennessee Titans |
| 1 | 27 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 1 | 28 | Green Bay Packers |
| 1 | 29 | Kansas City Chiefs (from SF via MIA) |
| 1 | 30 | Kansas City Chiefs |
| 1 | 31 | Cincinnati Bengals |
| 1 | 32 | Detroit Lions (from LAR) |
(You can find the full, updated order for Rounds 2-7 here)
2022 NFL mock draft
Expectations for the 2022 NFL Draft have changed in wake of the NFL's extraordinarily active free-agent period. The Russell Wilson, Deshaun Watson, Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams trades have greatly impacted what will happen in the first round as numerous teams have multiple first-round picks.
The top-five picks are especially unpredictable this year, as it's currently unclear exactly what Jacksonville with do with the No. 1 overall selection. SN's Vinnie Iyer recently released a 2022 seven-round mock draft, and here's a look at his projections for the top five picks.
- 1. Jacksonville Jaguars (3-14): Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Michigan
The Jaguars have been locked into taking the best defensive player available for a while and that won't change as they go after the cornerstone for their new-look defense under coordinator Mike Caldwell, formerly of the Buccaneers. They've been setting up the relentless, explosive and sometimes dominant Hutchinson being the anchor.
- 2. Detroit Lions (3-13-1): Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
The Lions also feel like they're going for defensive impact and the decision for Brad Holmes, Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn will come down to Hamilton, edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux or versatile 3-4 hybrid playmaker Travon Walker of Georgia. Hamilton is the safest, can't-miss option here because he will continue to make a ton of plays on the back end vs. the pass and also clean up like an extra linebacker vs. the run.
- 3. Houston Texans (4-13): Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
The Texans are holding on to Laremy Tunsil for left tackle but now they can look at Neal to dominate the right side and provide powerful bookends for Davis Mills or whoever is their starting quarterback in 2022. They have a big void at the other tackle and Neal can flip a massive weakness into a big strength.
- 4. New York Jets (4-13): Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon
The Jets should be thrilled if Thibodeaux slips here to become the explosive cornerstone pass-rusher for coach Robert Saleh, which will remind him of having Nick Bosa powering his defense in San Francisco. This makes great sense as the follow-up high first-rounder to quarterback Zach Wilson.
- 5. New York Giants (4-13): Ickey Ekwonu, OT/G, NC State
The Giants, as expected, removed the hefty contract of right tackle Nate Solder from the books and here's their direct replacement for him opposite Andrew Thomas New GM Joe Schoen needs to upgrade the offensive line well for new coach Brian Daboll and started with adding center Jon Feliciano and right guard Matt Glowinski in free agency. Ekwonu can easily start over fellow newcomer Matt Gono, who makes sense as a strong swing backup.
2022 NFL Draft prospects
It's always interesting to see how the top of each draft shakes out, as it's rare that it lines up with any one big board. Typically, big board structure will vary from team to team while differing draft strategies — drafting for need vs. taking the best available player — can also influence how the top 10 picks in any draft can shake out.
In 2021, Trevor Lawrence was the consensus No. 1 player on most big boards and he went first overall. That probably won't happen again in 2022, as opinion on the top of this year's draft class varies wildly from team to team and analyst to analyst.
According to SN's Vinnie Iyer, here are the top 10 prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft.
- Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Michigan
- Kyle Hamilton, S, Notre Dame
- Ickey Ekwonu, OT, NC State
- Evan Neal, OT, Alabama
- Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE, Oregon
- Derek Stingley Jr., CB, LSU
- Travon Walker, EDGE, Georgia
- Sauce Gardner, CB, Cincinnati
- Jermaine Johnson II, EDGE, Florida State
- Charles Cross, OT, Mississippi State
For a complete ranking of the top 150 prospects in the draft, here is SN’s big board.
