East Coast fans should be fired up about NFL Draft change

It seems like it’s never too early for mock NFL Draft stories. And “experts” often predict major trades that rarely happen. But here is an NFL Draft change that should fire up fans on the East Coast, according to a post on X by Adam Schefter.

“Two-minute warning: The NFL notified teams today that it will shorten the time between picks in the first round of the draft from 10 to 8 minutes starting with the 2026 draft in Pittsburgh. This will shorten the length of the first round, which had been finishing around 11:45 p.m. (ET). Teams were on board. Roger Goodell had first mentioned this possibility on the Friday of the Green Bay draft on Pat McAfee’s show.”

That change will serve three purposes.

NFL Draft in 2026 should be entertaining

It makes for an earlier finish, as mentioned. But it also makes for a more entertaining viewing product. Knowing teams have less time adds an element of rushing, which adds to possible mistakes.

The third thing it does is cut down the endless, mind-numbing analysis by people like Mel Kuiper. By the time the draft arrives, we’ve already heard enough from Kuiper.

As things stand now, ESPN’s Field Yates has the Jets moving up to the No. 1 spot in a trade with the Giants. This would give the Jets a chance to target a quarterback like Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza.

“Mendoza has had a remarkable season at Indiana, showing off excellent accuracy and a powerful right arm to pair with much-improved pocket awareness and sack avoidance after two seasons at Cal,” Yates wrote. “He leads the FBS with 33 passing touchdowns this season and just handled an extremely tough test against Ohio State, leading Indiana to its first Big Ten Championship since 1967. The Jets are currently 27th in QBR (40.5), needing a long-term answer for coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey to cement themselves within the organization.”

The Giants would drop all the way to No. 7, but also get the No. 18 pick. Yates tabbed them to get Arizona State wide receiver Jordyn Tyson and Clemson cornerback Avieon Terrell.

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