NFL Draft 2015 Schedule: Dates, times, television channels and draft attendees

The NFL Draft begins tonight, and because you won't want to miss a single moment of the riveting analysis, podium-talking and prospect hugging action, I've put together the schedule for your consideration. I hope it aids you in your quest to shout at your television this evening and in the days ahead.

Be sure to join us live tonight as we break down the draft, discuss the Falcons' first round pick and more.

Round One: Thursday, April 30th

8 p.m. EST

Time limit: 10 minutes per pick

The first round is the big ticket one for the NFL, which makes it quite a production. Thankfully, for those of you not interested in seeing the entire first round unfold, the Falcons should be done and out of here either at pick #8 or before, depending on whether Thomas Dimitroff can find a dance partner for a trade up.

Here's the pre-draft coverage from both ESPN and NFL Network, if you took the whole damn day off.

ESPN

1:30 PM to 2:30 - NFL Insiders
2:30 to 3:30 -  NFL Live
6:00 -  SportsCenter Special: Draft Countdown

NFL Network

9:00 AM to 12 noon - Path to the Draft
12 noon to 5:00 PM - NFL Draft Kickoff
5:00 to 6:30 - NFL Draft Gold Carpet
6:30 to 7:00 - NFL Draft Kickoff

Rounds Two and Three - Friday, May 1st

7:00 PM EST

Time limit: 7 minutes per pick for the 2nd round, 5 minutes per pick in the 3rd round, 4 minutes per compensatory selection

The second and third rounds are where teams try to find instant starters and projects with tremendous upside that may have slipped out of the first round. If you're the Falcons, the third round offers some painful memories we'd like to see erased this year.

Here's the television lineup leading up to the draft, which will of course be broadcast live on ESPN and the NFL Network.

ESPN

1:30 PM to 2:30 - NFL Insiders
2:30 to 3:30 -  NFL Live

NOTE: Friday's draft coverage will be televised on ESPN2.

NFL Network

9:00 AM to 12 noon - Path to the Draft
12 noon to 6:00 PM - NFL Draft Kickoff

Rounds Four through Seven - Saturday, May 2nd

12:00 p.m. EST

Time limit: 5 minutes per pick in 5th-6th rounds, 4 minutes per pick in 7th, 4 minutes per compensatory selection

This is where the Falcons get to fill out the back end of their roster and snag some gems, if all goes well. They have five picks in the last four rounds, none of them compensatory, and this is the most grueling slog of the draft. Get ready to see a lot of players you haven't heard of flying off the board, and if you're in for the long haul, don't expect to see the sun and/or your loved ones until 5 or 6 p.m.

NFL Network

9:00 AM to 12 noon - Path to the Draft

Players in the Green Room

A grand total of 28 players will be in the so-called Green Room, where drama unfolds as they're either selected or left there to rot uncomfortably in front of television cameras for dozens of picks. Here's the list of players who will be in attendance, from the NFL.

RB Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin
RB Todd Gurley, Georgia
WR DeVante Parker, Louisville
WR Breshad Perriman, Central Florida
WR Devin Smith, Ohio State
WR Jaelen Strong, Arizona State
WR Kevin White, West Virginia
OL La'el Collins, LSU
OL Cameron Erving, Florida State
OL D.J. Humphries, Florida
OL Cedric Ogbuehi, Texas A&M
OL Andrus Peat, Stanford
OL Brandon Scherff, Iowa
OL Donovan Smith, Penn State
OL Laken Tomlinson, Duke
S Landon Collins, Alabama
CB Kevin Johnson, Wake Forest
CB Byron Jones, Connecticut
CB Trae Waynes, Michigan State
LB Benardrick McKinney
LB/DE Vic Beasley, Clemson
LB/DE Alvin "Bud" Dupree, Kentucky
LB/DE Dante Fowler, Jr., Florida
LB/DE Randy Gregory, Nebraska
LB/DE Shane Ray, Missouri
DL Arik Armstead, Oregon
DL Danny Shelton, Washington
DL Leonard Williams, USC