Eight teams, 50 stocks but just one winner!

The 2017 CNBC Stock Draft is on the clock and ready to roll.

On Thursday, April 27 at 2:00 p.m. ET, as the NFL gets ready for its big draft in Philadelphia, CNBC's "Power Lunch" will hold its biggest ever stock draft.

Here's how it works

Each team picks two stocks — one in each round — from a list of 50 stocks in the 2017 draft class.

The winner of the 2017 CNBC Stock Draft will be the team whose two stocks post the best performance from closing price April 27, 2017 through the 2018 Super Bowl on February 4, 2018. Performance will be calculated based on the percent change of the two stocks during the selected period — dividends are not included.

2017 Stock Draft class

The draft class consists of 40 stocks from the CNBC IQ 100, an exclusive, data-driven index of the 100 large-cap companies that are best using technology to invest in and profit from new business opportunities. The CNBC IQ 100 has gained 6.8 percent in the first quarter of 2017, outpacing the S&P 500's 5.5 percent gain.

There will also be 10 additional names to reflect some of the biggest winners and losers in the market this year.

Power Lunch stock draft anchors

Brian Sullivan, Tyler Mathisen and Melissa Lee will anchor this special edition of "Power Lunch." They will be joined on the anchor desk by "Mad Money"' host Jim Cramer and Guy Adami from "Fast Money."

CNBC's Dominic Chu & Kate Rogers will serve as draft reporters keeping viewers up to the minute on the action from our eight all-star teams.

Trader: Tim Seymour, Triogem Asset Management managing partner

Team Name: Seymour Alpha

"We are looking to draft the best athlete available."

Tim Seymour has over 19 years of global and emerging markets investment experience as a hedge fund manager, trader and in capital markets, across multiple asset classes. Seymour is a co-founder and managing partner at Triogem Asset Management, a hedge fund and wealth management firm formed in 2008. At Triogem, Seymour is the chief investment officer and chairs the investment committee. Triogem's clients are both institutional and HNW investors focused on global investment opportunities and portfolio allocation via fund investment and individual managed accounts

Todd Gordon, TradingAnalysis.com founder

Team name: Flash Crash Gordon

"Like Flash Gordon, we're scouring the known universe for stocks with the most powerful underlying trends that could blast off into orbit, hopefully remain crash proof, and bring us the title."

The CNBC contributor & founder of TradingAnalysis.com provides actionable technical analysis and clear trading strategies in the currency, commodity, and equity markets for both amateur and professional traders.

Beardstown Ladies

Team Name: Beardstown Ladies

"We like to invest in things that we know, and things that we understand, but we also have to look at the numbers too. We can't just say 'Oh, just because we like this particular restaurant.' We should invest in it if the numbers aren't there for profit."

The Beardstown Ladies have seen it all — from the stock market soaring in the '80's and the dot-com bubble in the '90s, to the housing collapse in 2008 and the Great Recession that followed. They meet monthly and continue to invest $25 each to play the market The famed investor club of 16 women began in Beardstown, Illinois, in 1983 and their original stake of $1,600 has grown to more than $450,000.

Andrew Lee & Karn Dalal, Rutgers University Undergraduate Student Managed Fund

Team Name: Rutgers All-Stars

"We want to let the outside world know that Rutgers grads can compete with the best!"

The Rutgers University Undergraduate Student Managed Fund is an investment fund created by LIBOR members for the undergraduate community at Rutgers, offering a hands-on experience in the field of portfolio management and equity research. The fund's strategy is long-equity with positions across multiple sectors and has tracked almost equally with the S&P 500 over the past 12 months. Members include Andrew Lee, Karn Dalal, Michael Dirla, Lauren Kelly, Marcus Pescinski, Saaketh Krosuri, Marion Miller. Ravi Shah, Tessa Zhang and Chris Kapasakis. Most have dual majors in finance, computer science and/or mathematics, and all have internship experience at top Wall Street firms.

Don Peebles, The Peebles Corporation founder, chairman & CEO

Team Name: The Peebles Choice

Recognized as one of the most successful entrepreneurs in the nation, R. Donahue Peebles is founder, chairman and CEO of The Peebles Corporation, one of the country's few national privately held real estate investment and development companies with a multi-billion dollar portfolio of projects in New York, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, Boston, Miami and Miami Beach. In addition to his role as CEO of The Peebles Corporation, Peebles is a top-selling author ("The Peebles Principles" and "The Peebles Path to Real Estate Wealth.")

Alicia Syrett, Pantegrion Capital founder & angel investor

Team name: Alicia's Angels

"My strategy is to pick winners based on protecting on the downside, while remaining cautiously optimistic on the upside."

Pantegrion is an angel investment vehicle focused on seed and early stage investments. The company seeks the following criteria in its investments: New York-based firms in internet/mobile, ecommerce, consumer web & goods, fintech companies with live product/service, all with current valuations in the one to five million dollar range. Syrett's firm typically invests $10,000 to $50,000 per investment.

Kevin O'Leary, O'Shares Investments chairman

Team Name: Mr. Wonderful

"I vote for NHL hockey draft next year."

Kevin O'Leary is chairman of O'Shares Investments, an Exchange Trade Fund (ETF) company, and O'Leary Ventures, a private equity firm. He is an investor on "Shark Tank" and has authored three best-selling books on financial literacy "Cold Hard Truth," "Men,Women and Money" and "Family, Kids and Money.

Charles Way, Purple Bridge Management managing partner & former New York Giants fullback

Team Name: The Stock Giant

"The strategy I will be using is the same one we used at the New York Giants and that is going through the strengths and weaknesses of each company and giving each a character grade. Then rank them accordingly."

Charles Way has been an investor and member of the Board of Directors of M•CAM for over 15 years. A graduate from the School of Engineering at the University of Virginia, Way had a 21-year NFL career as both a player and an executive with the New York Giants and the NFL. Way is part of the firm that created the CNBC iq100

The wait nearly over. The teams are ready. Tune in Thursday, April 27 to find out who goes to number one!

Sandy Cannold and Kate Rogers contributed to this article