Colts GM pushes for shorter NFL Draft 1st round amid new clock debut

With the 2026 NFL Draft now in the rear view, it’s full steam ahead for all 32 NFL franchises towards the regular season. As each class of new rookies gets acclimated to their teams and the NFL lifestyle, the football media world has debated how strong each team’s group of players is as of right now. While making an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard discussed some of the draft’s changes this year. The biggest among them was shortening the first round time limit from 10 minutes to eight. NFL insider Ari Meirov shared (via X, formerly Twitter) Ballard’s wish to cut the timer down even further, to five minutes in the future.

“We know what we’re gonna do… I mean, if we have not gotten in our minds what we’re doing and we’re still debating, it’s a little late,” remarked Ballard to Eisen.

Most, if not all, NFL teams likely have a plan for almost any scenario once their time on the clock begins. The Colts didn’t have a first-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft, as Ballard traded it to the New York Jets to bring in cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner at the trade deadline last season. So, Ballard and his staff didn’t need to deal with the decreased time limit.

However, it’s not surprising to hear Ballard say that. Most of his colleagues would likely agree with him. After all, most of the picks in the first round came in at a relatively quick pace. Teams adjusted to the eight-minute timer well. In the future, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the NFL cut down the first-round timer once again. Will Ballard get his wish for a five-minute timer sooner rather than later? Come next April, it could already be in effect.

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