NFL Draft Pick Time Changes Impact Chargers (And So Could Trades)
What time will the Los Angeles Chargers announce their first-round pick in the NFL draft this year?
Not an easy one to figure out. In the past, one could just look up the prior year's draft and do some light guesswork and figure out when fans would need to actually tune into the big event. Last year, the Chargers happened to hold the No. 22 pick, just like this year, and selected Omarion Hampton at roughly 10:30 p.m. ET.
But it's not so simple this year: The NFL has tweaked the rules about how much time NFL teams get to make a selection.
NFL draft pick time changes, Chargers estimate
The NFL has implemented a time change in the hopes of shortening the first round and improving overall fan experience.
This year, NFL teams will only have an eight-minute timer to make their selection. That's down from the 10-minute timer from years prior.
Doesn't sound like much, but last year's draft took three hours and 50 minutes. This change could potentially mean squeaking the entire first round in just under the three-hour mark.
Good for fans, perhaps bad for teams: There's less time than ever for teams to pull off trades. And the old rule that if a team's timer runs out, the next team in the order can submit their pick, still applies.
Given the changes, and if some teams don't take the full eight minutes, 21 picks in front of the Chargers means they might get on the clock before 10 p.m. ET.
When Chargers could pick estimate: 9:50 ET to 10:30 ET
NFL draft trades could impact Chargers pick time
But wait, there's more.
The Chargers project to trade during this draft at least once. General manager Joe Hortiz has said as much.
Makes sense: The Chargers only have five picks in this draft class. They gave up a fifth when they acquired Odafe Oweh last season. They coughed up the seventh-rounder when getting Elijah Molden in 2024.
On paper, it's hard to imagine the Chargers trade up in the first round. It's going to cost too much and doesn't really fit with Hortiz's turtle-like habits.
Trading back, though, could certainly be something the Chargers do. So, barring a stunner, keep an eye on smart devices for notifications, but 9:50ish ET feels like the time to make sure one flicks on a stream/broadcast of the event.
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This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 3:00 PM.