NFL Draft Start Time 2015: TV Schedule, Live Stream Info and Round 1 Predictions

In a sense, hardcore NFL fans have to be a bit relieved that the NFL draft stretches out over three days now. After all, those marathon sessions back in the day could be a bit intense, no matter how much pizza and beer you had on hand. 

This year, the draft will be spread over two nights and one day, giving fans a little breathing room between rounds. Below, I'll go over the full schedule and offer some predictions for what will go down in the opening round.

Schedule

Round 1: Thursday, April 30, at 8 p.m. ET

Rounds 2-3: Friday, May 1, at 7 p.m. ET

Rounds 4-7: Saturday, May 2, at 12 p.m. ET

Watch: NFL Network and ESPN

Stream: NFL.com and WatchESPN

Predictions

Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Let's break down a few things I think will happen at this year's draft. 

For starters, Jameis Winston will be the first player off the board and will be selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That's not exactly going out on a limb, I know, but it's better to be right than exciting. 

With the No. 2 overall selection, the San Diego Chargers will select Marcus Mariota. Yes, you read that correctly. Once it becomes official that the Bucs will take Winston, look for the Chargers and Tennessee Titans to finalize a deal that will send Philip Rivers to Tennessee and the No. 2 overall pick to San Diego, among other considerations. 

Won't that make the draft fun? Well, except for folks in Philadelphia who are holding out hope that Chip Kelly might orchestrate a miracle and draft Mariota. It ain't happening, Iggles fans.

The first edge-rusher off the board will be Florida's Dante Fowler Jr. He'll go No. 3 overall to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The first wide receiver off the board will be Alabama's Amari Cooper at No. 7 overall to the Chicago Bears. With these two positions so deep this year, being the top players selected at edge-rusher and wide receiver will be quite a distinction. 

Not one, but two running backs will be selected in the first round, ending the opening-round drought at the position. Georgia's Todd Gurley will be a top-20 selection, and he could go as high as No. 11 to the Minnesota Vikings, depending on what happens with Adrian Peterson.

Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon will be a first-round selection as well, but I see him going No. 27 overall to the Dallas Cowboys.

Wide receiver and offensive tackle will be the two most popular positions during the first round, with six players coming off the board at each position—with edge-rusher having five players selected. 

A few players may drop due to character issues, but not far. Randy Gregory will go No. 8 to the Atlanta Falcons, Marcus Peters will come off the board at No. 15 to the San Francisco 49ers and Dorial Green-Beckham will go No. 32 overall to the New England Patriots.

Final prediction: There will be at least three first-round trades, and either the Cleveland Browns or New Orleans Saints—holding two first-round picks each—will be involved in one of them. With Josh Gordon suspended, don't be surprised if the Browns move up a bit to select either Cooper or West Virginia's Kevin White, as neither player is likely to drop out of the top 10.