National Football League

Addressing NFL draft trade rules, times

Published Mar. 30, 2011 1:00 a.m. ET

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Peter Schrager

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been fielding lots of questions in regards to the 2011 NFL draft and how it will be different because of the NFL work stoppage.

Here’s a quick Q and A before digging into the latest mock draft:

Q: Will it still start on a Thursday night?

A: Yes, the first round will start on Thursday night, April 28, at 8 p.m. ET, the second round will begin at 6 p.m. ET on that Friday and rounds four through seven will kick off at noon on that Saturday.

Q: Will the players be in attendance?

A: That’s all being sorted out now, but yes, the NFL has invited 18 top prospects to attend in person. As of Wednesday, Iowa defensive end Adrian Clayborn and Alabama wideout Julio Jones have confirmed they’ll be in attendance.

Q: Can teams trade draft picks this year?

A: Here’s where things get interesting. Yes, teams can trade draft picks. However, they can only trade picks that they haven’t made yet. In other words, Bill Belichick can do his usual routine of making 40 trades in a draft, but he can’t trade the rights to any players that the Patriots already have selected with earlier 2011 picks. Teams can trade all the 2012, 2013 and 2014 picks they’d like, but the 2011 ones will be a bit trickier. Also of note — no current NFL players can be included in any trades, either.

Q: Will it be the greatest three days of the spring?

A: You better believe it, baby. There’s nothing better.

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