Everything you need to know to be ready for the NFL draft

The NFL draft begins Thursday night and lasts three days. You can follow the Vikings’ moves all weekend long at startribune.com.

Here’s the TV schedule (all times Central).

Thursday: Round 1, 7 p.m. (ABC, ESPN, NFL Network)

Friday: Rounds 2-3, 6 p.m. (ABC, ESPN2, NFL Network)

Saturday: Rounds 4-7: 11 a.m. (ABC, ESPN, NFL Network)

In the first round, each team has 10 minutes to make a pick. There are seven minutes between picks in the second round, five minutes in Rounds 3-6 and four minutes in Round 7.

Green Bay, Wis., is hosting the draft at Lambeau Field for the first time. It’s the closest the event has ever been to Minnesota. Melanie Radzicki McManus, writing for the Minnesota Star Tribune, explains how to make a road trip out of it.

The Tennessee Titans. Many mock drafts, including Mark Craig’s for the Star Tribune, are predicting the Titans will select Miami quarterback Cam Ward. Here is the full draft order, via NFL.com.

The Vikings currently have four picks in this year’s draft: No. 24 (Round 1), No. 97 (Round 3), No. 139 (Round 5) and No. 187 (Round 6). If they stay with that few, it’d be the smallest draft class in their 65-year history.

The Vikings were awarded their third-round selection via the compensatory pick formula as a result of quarterback Kirk Cousins leaving for Atlanta in 2024. They received their fifth-rounder from the Browns in a 2023 trade that sent their 2025 sixth- and seventh-round picks, plus pass rusher Za’Darius Smith, to Cleveland. They also received a 2024 fifth-round pick in that trade. The Vikings traded their No. 160 overall pick and a 2026 pick to the 49ers last month in exchange for running back Jordan Mason and the No. 187 pick.

The Vikings traded away their 2025 second-, third- and fourth-round picks in separate deals last year, which eventually culminated in drafting edge rusher Dallas Turner 17th overall.

Ben Goessling laid out the team’s top needs on both sides of the ball, and the Star Tribune writers previewed the top prospects at the positions where the Vikings most need depth: safety, cornerback, interior offensive line and interior defensive line. They also predicted how the Vikings might surprise us.

In his Vikings mock draft, Goessling named Georgia safety Malaki Starks, North Dakota State offensive lineman Grey Zabel and Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon as possible first-round selections, while also predicting Kwesi Adofo-Mensah will make a trade to acquire more picks. Craig chose Harmon as the Vikings’ pick in his first-round mock draft.

If you are trying to read the tea leaves, Andrew Krammer compiled a list of players who made “top 30″ visits to Minnesota.

Yes, but only twice. The last time was in 1995 when they selected offensive tackle Korey Stringer. In 1971, they drafted running back Leo Hayden 24th. (Both Stringer and Hayden played college football at Ohio State.)

In the past 10 years, they have picked receiver Jordan Addison (2023), left tackle Christian Darrisaw (2021) and receiver Laquon Treadwell (2016) at No. 23.

In 2013, the Vikings had a string of picks in the 20s, taking defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd at No. 23 and cornerback Xavier Rhodes at No. 25 before trading back into the first round to select running back and returner Cordarrelle Patterson 29th.

Notable Vikings selected recently around the 24th pick: superstar receiver Justin Jefferson (No. 22 in 2020) and longtime safety Harrison Smith (No. 29 in 2012).

Many of the 257 draft picks this weekend will have connections to Minnesota. Offensive tackle Aireontae Ersery is widely expected to be the first Gophers draft pick this year. He could hear his name called Thursday night in the first round, or early in Friday’s second round.

The Gophers had six players invited to the NFL scouting combine, a program record. Joining Ersery were quarterback Max Brosmer, wide receiver Daniel Jackson, defensive lineman Jah Joyner, linebacker Cody Lindenberg (Anoka) and defensive back Justin Walley. The program record for draft picks in a seven-round draft is five (2020).

The former do-it-all Apple Valley star Bilhal Kone, who played cornerback at Iowa Central Community College and Indiana State before emerging the past two years at Western Michigan, is projected as a fourth-round pick Saturday. Former DeLaSalle offensive lineman Jalen Travis (Iowa State) and Marshall defensive lineman Yahya Black (Iowa) are projected to be late-round selections.

Watch Ben Goessling, Andrew Krammer, Emily Leiker and Michael Rand of the Minnesota Star Tribune simulate a three-round mock draft for the NFC North: