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Time limits might be shortened for draft picks
http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story...000000000000000


By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com
(Archive)
Updated: May 16, 2007, 5:43 PM ET
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Looking for a streamlined, more manageable and maybe ready-for-primetime NFL draft? Apparently, so is commissioner Roger Goodell.

Perhaps as a precursor to eventually presenting the first round as a primetime event, likely on a Friday, Goodell is expected to broach the subject of reducing the time limits for making selections in the first two rounds when owners convene next Tuesday in Nashville for the league's annual spring meeting.

This year's draft included the longest first round in history, at six hours and eight minutes. It also had the longest first day, with the first three rounds stretching 11 hours, four minutes.






A change in the time limits may not be enacted at Tuesday's one-day session, where the headline agenda item will be the awarding of Super Bowl XLV in 2011 to Phoenix, Dallas or Indianapolis. But in advance of the Nashville meeting, NFL sources told ESPN.com that Goodell has sought guidance from the influential competition committee and requested that the members of the committee gauge sentiment around the league for tightening the limits in the early rounds.

Several sources said there is considerable support for doing so.

The current time limits are 15 minutes for the first round, 10 minutes for the second, and five minutes for the final five rounds. The competition committee is expected to recommend time limits of 10 minutes for the first round, seven minutes for the second, and five minutes for the remaining rounds.

Because the draft falls under the purview of the commissioner, a formal vote technically isn't necessary to enact changes in the lottery, but Goodell is not inclined to act unilaterally on the matter. Instead, the owners could reduce the time limits by simply affirming a recommendation from the competition committee.

Such a move would significantly reduce the time required for the first round. Almost as important, it would provide the NFL an opportunity to give prime-time exposure to what has become its biggest offseason event, one that has exploded in popularity over the last several years, and which drew record television ratings last month.

Senior writer Len Pasquarelli covers the NFL for ESPN.com.

I think its a good idea, most teams already know who they are taking and just entertaining trade offers...in hindsight though if it were shorter this year we may not have bagged brady quinn.

Good. As far as the actual picking goes, most (if not all) teams know who they want in the order they want them come draft day; the extra time is just for wheeling and dealing at the last minute. If teams can get deals done in time in the second at 10 mins, there's no reason they can't do under the same time constraints in the first.

I'm thinking about five minutes for everyone, unless there is somekind of trade action going on, such as with Dallas.

Right now the draft is way too long, what was it this year? The 1-3 rounds went until about 9:45PM, that's almost ten hours right there!

Although I say the draft should be shortened, I do like the coverage too. So it may be a double edged sword because they'll have to give up some commenting time.

I think it's the tail wagging the dog. The teams use that time to conduct the business of the draft, the fact that they want to turn it into a higher revenue producing, prime time event should be secondary but apparently that's not the case. Too bad.

I like it just the way it is,.. Maybe shave a few minutes off, but none of this " Start Friday crap"

personally I would love it if the NFL went to a system just like this...

5 mins first round 4 min second 3 min 3rd and 2 mins picks 4-7 if you don't know who you are going to pick... oh well. you will get bumped. Teams scout 150+ players... they know who they are going to pick. JMHO Right now the first round can take a maximum of 8 hours.

With the 10 minute concept the first round would be done in a maximum of 320 minutes or 5 1/2 hours. If we knocked it down to 7 min first round picks it would be 224 minutes or 3 hours and some large change.

I wish we could literlly have the whole draft in one day! How exciting would that be? I think most fans would stay glued to the TV if it was all in one big day. I'm also currious to see how the media will react to this...in the first round along they stand to loose up to 2 1/2 hours of higher rent on their commercial fees.

I hate this idea. It makes no sense to move the 1st round to primetime, presumably because it's compelling TV, and then reduce the amount of time teams have to make exciting things happen.

Didn't the draft from the 4th round on have a 2 minute 30 second time period a while ago? I seem to remember the draft going pretty fast on the second day years ago and there didn't seem to be any problems.

As for the first through the third,I like the idea of speeding it along.

i would much rather see a timeline on the signing period.

It wouldn't bother me to cut it to 5 rounds and then do the FA deal after that.

It's football, not American Idol. Let them continue to have time to work out picks and trades. If the entertainment networks don't want to carry the draft, c'est la vie. It's just too bad that bubble-headed commentators and producers feel draft day isn't "compelling".

Next thing you know they'll want cheerleaders at training camp.

Wow, I must be in grouch mode today...

J.

It's the culture of America right now. We want everything....and we want it 5 minutes ago. If you cant' give it to us 5 minutes ago, we're going to whine about it.

Come on. How can you NOT give these teams the full 10 minutes to draft? Especially on the most important picks in the first couple rounds. I don't care how much scouting you've done or how extensive your draft board is, things happen. What if somebody trades right in front of you and takes your pick? What if somebody else doesn't draft someone who you thought they would? (Brady Quinn). The teams have to be given time to discuss trade partners and work out an ever-changing strategy WHILE on the clock. Giving teams 2-5 minutes throws all of that strategy out the window and you're just running up to the podium throwing out the next name on a list. Whoopeee!

This isn't fantasy football folks. These picks have REAL $$ amounts associated with them and REAL and immediate (and everlasting) impacts on the teams that draft them. I want them to take as much time as possible to make sure they make the correct decisions. Again, it's not fantasy football...if you rush a pick and screw up you can't say "oh well" and start over the next season. This is real life. Give them the time and stop bowing at the feet of American pop culture.

ya theres no need for 15 min rounds just takes to long

Its ridicolous, last year the texans had already signed Mario Williams but they still took like 15 min

Here's an idea. We put all the GM's in one room and sit em all around one table. We give them all a touch screen computer screen that we can also see on tv. Then, when it's their turn to pick....they get to pick one out of five options....just touch and go. You've got 10 seconds or the pick moves along and you get nobody.

Hell, that's some good reality tv right there! I'm sure the ratings would be through the roof! And we could put the draft in prime time! And, and...we could add 2 rounds to the draft and STILL have it done in about 2 hours. Wow, that's like a dream come true.

Ohhh, OR here's another idea. Let's just write down the names of the top 300 draft picks on pieces of paper. Put em all in a box. Shake it up. Dump it over....and make it a televised game of "pick em" with the GM's. Luck of the draw.

Give me a break.

I guess it is pretty useless to hope they decide based on what's best for the game rather than what's best for TV.

Ok, let's see, in the time it takes one team to make a pick, I can warm up a T.V. meal in the microwave, get something to drink, eat without having to rush, throw the box away or do dishes if it's leftovers and still not miss the pick.

Yeah I'd say it's a little bit long. You've been preparing for this event since January? (Feb maybe but...) 3 months and you need 15 minutes to make your mind up? It's one thing to hold out hope you will get a call and a trade offer, its another just to kill time.

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Yeah I'd say it's a little bit long. You've been preparing for this event since January? (Feb maybe but...) 3 months and you need 15 minutes to make your mind up? It's one thing to hold out hope you will get a call and a trade offer, its another just to kill time.

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Agreed, they have had months to prepare for this. If they don't know their teams needs going into the draft, it's their own fault.

Too long? It's held 3 months before the start of training camp so there is no reason for any hurry.

That's like saying you've had your whole life to figure out what type of girl you want to marry....so, walk into a bar and I'll give you 15 minutes. Pick one out and let's get on with it!

Ridiculous.

How is that the same? They could give each team an hour to make their first round selection and it wouldn't delay the season one single second. I'll allow you to attempt figuring out how long the wedding would be delayed if somebody took a whole life to find a partner. Totally different.

Not in the sense that these are IMPORTANT and very REAL decisions being made. With HUGE consequences.

i.e. decisions that should NOT be rushed for the sake of putting it on prime time tv or for the sake of fans thinking it's too boring or too long.

I'd be all for giving them MORE time before I'd consider giving them less. Hell my FANTASY drafts we usually get 10 minutes...and there's nothing riding on that but pride.

To steal a quote from Damanshot - "It's the real world we live in...not the "Playstation World".... deal with it!"