Lions Draft Pick Timing: Here’s When to Plant Your Butt on the Couch Thursday Night
The 2026 NFL Draft kicks off Thursday night, and for the first time in what feels like forever, the Lions are sitting pretty at No. 17 overall. Not picking in the top 10? What is this sorcery?
If you’re planning your evening around watching Brad Holmes work his magic from Allen Park, here’s what you need to know about timing. And yes, I know what you’re thinking. We’ve been burned before by getting our hopes up about draft night.
The NFL Changed the Rules (Because Of Course They Did)
The league decided to mess with tradition this year, cutting the time limit from 10 minutes to 8 minutes per pick in the first round. It’s the first timing change since 2008, when the allotment dropped from 15 minutes to 10 minutes.
According to NFL Football Operations, “The time between first-round selections has been shortened from 10 minutes to eight minutes. It’s the first timing adjustment since 2008, when the allotment dropped from 15 minutes to 10 minutes. The timing for Rounds 2-7 remains unchanged from last year.”
With this new setup, the Lions should make their pick no later than 10:16 p.m. ET. But that’s assuming every team ahead of them burns the full clock, which never happens.
History Says Plan for Right Around 10 PM
Most teams don’t need the full time allotment. They typically take about seven minutes to pull the trigger. Looking at when pick No. 17 has gone off the board recently tells the story:
In 2025, Cincinnati selected Shemar Stewart at 9:59 p.m. ET. In 2024, Minnesota selected Dallas Turner at 10:07 p.m. ET. In 2023, New England selected Christian Gonzalez at 10:09 p.m. ET, and in 2022, Los Angeles selected Zion Johnson at 9:59 p.m. ET.
So if the Lions stay put at 17, expect them to be on the clock somewhere between 9:59 and 10:09 p.m. ET. Perfect timing for that third beer.
The Betting Favorites (If You’re Into That)
FanDuel has odds on who goes at pick 17, and surprise, surprise, it’s all offensive linemen at the top. Alabama’s Kadyn Proctor leads the pack at +290, followed by Utah’s Spencer Fano at +380 and Georgia’s Monroe Freeling at +460. Penn State’s Vega Ioane is also at +460, with Clemson’s Blake Miller at +1000 and Auburn’s Keldric Faulk at +1300.
But here’s the thing: those odds are for pick 17, not specifically for the Lions. If Holmes decides to get frisky and trade up or down, all bets are literally off.
After decades of watching this franchise, we know better than to assume anything goes according to plan. But damn if it isn’t fun to dream about adding another cornerstone piece to this roster.
Are you planning your whole Thursday night around watching the Lions pick, or have you learned to keep expectations in check after all these years? Drop your draft day strategy below.
