Judd Zulgad of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that the NFL is considering moving round 1 of the draft to Friday night, and conducting the remaining rounds on Saturday and Sunday.The move would ensnare more viewers, with the prime picks being made in prime time. It also would give teams a chance to refine their draft boards after the first 32 names are gone.
But time would be a huge issue. On Saturday, round one consumed more than six hours. Unless teams are willing to reduce their clock allowances from 15 minutes, the festivities could extend deep into the evening for folks east of the Mississippi.
Here's an idea -- call out the first 16 picks on Friday night, and kick the thing off at 8:30 p.m. EDT. It'd be finished by midnight in the Eastern time zone. Then, at noon on Saturday, the process would resume with the balance of round one, and all of rounds two and three.
Splitting round one in half would add a "to be continued" feel to the Friday night edition, and the fact that 16 first-round picks would still be made the next day would keep the second session from feeling stale.
Judd Zulgad: NFL may begin draft on Friday to extend its ratings bonanza