The NFL Draft will take place next week, and fans will have a variety of ways to watch the event. On Monday, the league announced its telecast schedule, and the draft will air on ESPN, NFL Network, and ABC. This is the second consecutive year, the Walt Disney Company has worked with the NFL to offer a multi-network presentation of the entire draft. As it was mentioned earlier, the draft will be a virtual event due to the coronavirus pandemic, and the league will give back to six charities.
The draft will begin on Thursday, April 23 with the first round, and the start time will be 8 p.m. ET. Rounds 2 and 3 will air on Friday, April 24 at 7 p.m. ET, and the final four rounds will kick off on Saturday at noon. Along with the three TV networks airing the draft, fans will be able to listen to the event on ESPN Radio.
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“We recognize the challenging times we are living in, but we are looking forward to presenting the 2020 NFL Draft and providing some hope for football fans everywhere,” Seth Markman, ESPN vice president, production, said. “For the past couple of years, ESPN’s NFL and college teams have worked together on our draft coverage, and it has been a win for our viewers. This year, we are further excited to collaborate with the NFL Network creating an All-Star broadcast. We are also committed to producing the ESPN/NFL Network and ABC shows in the safest possible environment for our announcers and production teams.”
“We are excited to partner with ESPN to present a unique and collaborative broadcast of the 2020 NFL Draft,” Mark Quenzel, Senior Vice President of Programming and Production, NFL Network said. “By bringing the exceptional on-air talent and production staffs of both ESPN and NFL Network together, we hope to deliver a unified presentation of the draft that not only helps raise awareness and funds for the COVID-19 relief efforts, but also provides entertainment that millions of sports fans have been craving.”
Trey Wingo will host the NFL Draft from the ESPN studios in Bristol, Connecticut, and he will be seen on ESPN and the NFL Network. For ABC, Rece Davis, Jesse Palmer and Maria Taylor will lead the broadcast. NFL Draft expert Mel Kiper Jr. will be on ESPN and NFL Network, while his partner, Todd McShay, will be on ABC Thursday and Friday. He will join the ESPN crew on Saturday.
