NFL Draft Start Time 2016: Round 1 TV Schedule, Live Stream and More

The wait is finally over: At 8 p.m. ET, the 2016 NFL draft will officially get underway, ending months of speculation and buildup. 

There are plenty of storylines to watch as Round 1 unfolds, from which quarterback—California's Jared Goff or North Dakota State's Carson Wentz—will be selected first overall, to how far Notre Dame's Jaylon Smith will fall. 

Let's break down all the details you'll need to know to watch the television broadcast or live stream and then look at the first-round order and some draft-day storylines that will unfold. You can check back here once the first round gets underway to track the picks as they're made. 

How to Watch 

Date: April 28, 2016

Time: 8 p.m. ET

Location: Chicago

TV: NFL Network and ESPN

Live Stream: NFL.com and ESPN3

Full Schedule

Thursday: Round 1, 8 p.m. ET

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

Saturday: Rounds 4-7: noon ET

What to Watch

The NFL returns to Chicago for the second consecutive year. If you can't attend in person, you can catch the ESPN broadcast for the 37th straight year or tune into NFL Network. 

The prospects most likely to be in the green room this year include Goff and Wentz, both of whom expect to be selected with the No. 1 or No. 2 overall selections by the Los Angeles Rams or Philadelphia Eagles, respectively. 

Most analysts think that the Rams traded up to the No. 1 overall spot to select Goff, but watch some of Wentz's film and it's clear that the North Dakota State product fits what the Rams do on offense. 

The league reportedly told the Rams to keep their plans for who they're going to select at No. 1 overall quiet to keep the drama intact, per Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times:

"Multiple people with knowledge of the situation say the NFL has asked the Rams to keep their quarterback choice quiet until the draft, thereby sustaining the drama," Farmer wrote. 

Speaking of drama, UCLA prospect Myles Jack may want to keep quiet about the status of his knee until after the draft, or at least leave such comments to his publicist and agent. 

Jack made some comments to Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post on Wednesday that are sure to make scouts' heads turn: 

"

This quote to me from Myles Jack today about his knee can hardly be comforting to teams. pic.twitter.com/A6BwGYb6lu

— Bart Hubbuch (@BartHubbuch) April 27, 2016"

Still, it would be hard to see Jack falling out of the top 10, unlike Smith, who might not hear his name called at all on Thursday.

As for what else you can expect to see as the draft gets underway on Thursday, don't get too attached to the draft order listed above.

Many draft-day trades are likely to go down, and there are already rumors that the Cleveland Browns are looking to get back into the first round and that the Denver Broncos want to move up in the first round. 

According to Charlie Campbell of WalterFootball.com, both teams are eyeing the Green Bay Packers' pick at No. 27 overall. 

Tune into ESPN or NFL Network or stream the draft live to follow all the action as it unfolds on Thursday.