The 2011 NFL draft is mere hours away at this point. The excitement is building, especially with the news that the NFL lockout may be ending. ESPN and NFL Network will be televising the draft and you can tune in now and see draft talk all day long.
First off, here's the 2011 NFL draft order. That's where everyone will be picking until all the trades start coming in. SB Nation's latest 2011 NFL Mock draft, published this morning, follows that order.
The real action -- the actual picks -- will officially start at 8:04 p.m. (ET) on Thursday night. That's when the Carolina Panthers are officially on the clock. The first round will be on Thursday night and there will be 10 minutes between each pick so the draft will likely end after midnight.
The second round of the draft starts on Friday at 6:30 p.m. This day will include the second and third rounds and there will be seven minutes between each pick in the second round and five minutes between each pick in the third round.
The fourth through seventh rounds of the draft will start on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. This is the home stretch but it will also be the longest day with the most picks. There will be five minutes between each pick.
That's your 2011 NFL draft schedule. As always, the only thing we can truly expect is the unexpected.
The first round of the 2011 NFL Draft starts at 8 p.m. (ET) on Thursday, April 28th and SB Nation has everything you need to prepare for it - NFL mock drafts, draft proje