N.F.L. Works to Speed Up Draft

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 23 — The draftniks who flock to Radio City Music Hall for the National Football League college draft will have to adjust their schedules next spring.

In an effort to speed up what had been an excruciatingly tedious first round — and draw even more television viewers to one of the oddest days on the sporting calendar — the N.F.L. announced Tuesday that clubs will have just 10 minutes between picks in the first round instead of 15, and that the draft will begin at 3 p.m. instead of noon on April 26, the first day of the draft.

Clubs will have just 10 minutes between picks in the first round, instead of 15. That should help avoid a repeat of what happened this April, when the first round lasted six hours eight minutes — the longest first round in history. Even Jets fans, the emotional stalwarts of draft day, couldn’t sustain their excitement that long.

The time between picks in the second round has been reduced from 10 minutes to seven. The third round will be moved to Sunday, which means that there will be significantly fewer players who agents can accurately market as “first day players.” The second day of the draft will begin at 10 a.m. instead of 11 a.m.

“We believe these changes will make for a more streamlined and efficient draft,” Commissioner Roger Goodell said during a meeting of owners here.