Rules side by side
Updated
Independent desk. Figures are traced to named sources and corrections are logged — see the editorial policy.
Seven rounds, two rounds, seven rounds and twenty. Three of the four leagues use a lottery to set the top of the order.
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Every major league lets its worst teams pick first, but the way each draft is built reflects how quickly a young player can contribute in that sport.
Rounds
- NFL: seven rounds.
- NBA: two rounds.
- NHL: seven rounds.
- MLB: 20 rounds since 2021. The draft ran 40 rounds through 2019 and was cut to five rounds in 2020.
Order
In the NFL, teams that did not make the playoffs choose first, in reverse order of record, followed by the playoff teams in order of how far they went. The NBA and NHL use a weighted lottery among non-playoff teams to set the top of the first round, so the team with the worst record does not automatically choose first. MLB also runs a lottery among the non-playoff teams for the first picks.
Eligibility
The NFL requires that a player be at least three years out of high school. The NBA requires a player to be 19 in the year of the draft and, if from the United States, to be one year removed from high school. The NHL drafts 18-year-olds, and the MLB draft is open to high school players, college players and players from junior colleges.
What a pick is worth
An NFL first-round pick usually starts immediately; an MLB pick can take years in the minor leagues. That is why baseball needs more rounds, and why a baseball draft is judged over a longer time than a football one.