Inside Look at ESPN's Coverage of 2019 NFL Draft |
The Walt Disney Company’s presentation of the 2019 NFL Draft will offer more to fans than ever before as the entire event (April 25-27) will air on both ESPN and ABC and each network will provide distinct telecasts for Rounds 1-3 in prime time. Additionally, all seven rounds of the draft will be streamed live on the ESPN App and ABC App, broadcast on ESPN Radio and available in Spanish – on both TV and radio – on ESPN Deportes. The NFL Network will also televise the 2019 NFL Draft.
ESPN and ABC NFL Draft productions by the Numbers: An estimated 125,000 – 150,000 feet of fiber optic cable 1,000+ production elements 600+ player highlight packages 360+ hours of dedicated NFL Draft content across all ESPN networks (started the week of the NFL Combine) 250+ hours of top prospects’ and recent NFL Draft picks’ best college games on ESPNU 100+ player personality bumps 100+ NFL team graphics 70+ microphones 57 cameras 50+ NFL team edits 50+ storytelling vignettes 30 player live shots 26-hour NFL Draft Marathon on ESPN and ESPN2 leading into Round 1 25 “sense of place” bumps with local Nashville artists 7 production trucks ESPN’s traditional draft telecast, presented for the fourth year by Courtyard, features host Trey Wingo, NFL Draft analysts Mel Kiper Jr. and Todd McShay (Rounds 2-7), NFL analysts Louis Riddick and Booger McFarland (Round 1), NFL Insiders Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter and NFL host Suzy Kolber. ABC’s differentiated coverage for Rounds 1-3, which will focus on the journey of NFL Draft prospects, features Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts (Round 1) and the eight-time Sports Emmy Award-winning College GameDay Built by The Home Depot crew of host Rece Davis, analysts Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard and David Pollack, reporters Tom Rinaldi and Maria Taylor and contributor Chris ‘The Bear’ Fallica. Plus, the 2019 NFL Draft on ABC will include ESPN’s Jesse Palmer and special guest NFL MVP Patrick Mahomes (prior to Round 1). American Idol judge Luke Bryan and mentor Bobby Bones will also appear on ABC’s prime-time draft coverage. Bryan will join the GameDay crew on night one, while Bones will serve as a roving reporter from the streets of Nashville on both nights, sharing the enthusiasm of the city, fans’ passion and a behind-the-scenes look at the NFL Draft for viewers at home. ABC will simulcast ESPN’s Day 3 telecast of Rounds 4-7. Additionally, Josina Anderson (Arizona), Dan Graziano (Oakland), Sal Paolantonio (New York Giants), Jeff Darlington (Miami) and Dianna Russini (Washington) will report from team sites, and Jen Lada will provide live coverage from Dwayne Haskins’ draft watch party in Gaithersburg, Md. ESPN Radio will cover every round of the NFL Draft for the first time. Host Dari Nowkhah will be joined by reporter Ian Fitzsimmons, former NFL star and current ESPN Radio New York host Chris Canty (Rounds 1-3), former Miami Dolphins and New York Jets front office executive Mike Tannenbaum and NFL Draft analyst Jim Nagy (Rounds 4-7). Coverage begins April 25 at 7 p.m. ET. ESPN Deportes will also cover every round of the NFL Draft for the first time. Commentators include: Eduardo Varela, Pablo Viruega, Miguel Pasquel, Sebastian Martinez-Christensen, Monday Night Football’s Alvaro Martin and Raul Allegre, and special guests (TV), and Kenneth Garay and Carlos Nava (radio). All seven rounds of the 2019 NFL Draft will also be streamed live on both the ESPN App and ABC App. MORE LIVE PROGRAMMING FROM NASHVILLE Golic and Wingo Golic and Wingo on ESPN Radio from 6-10 a.m. ET – with simulcasts on ESPN2 and ESPNEWS – will be live from the West Club at Nissan Stadium on April 25 and 26. Mike Golic and Mike Golic Jr. will be joined both days by host Jason Fitz and a full slate of guests. The broadcasts are open to the public with doors opening at 4:30 a.m. CT. Good Morning America Good Morning America co-anchor Robin Roberts will be live from Nashville on April 25 to preview the NFL Draft. Get Up! Host Mike Greenberg and the team from Get Up! will be live from Rock Bottom Restaurant and Brewery, located next to the stage where the draft picks will be announced, on April 25-26 from 8-10 a.m. ET on ESPN. This will be the first time the popular morning show hosts an entire show from a remote location. First Take ESPN’s popular morning debate show First Take will be live from the West Club at Nissan Stadium on April 25 and 26 from 10 a.m. to noon ET. Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman will be joined by host Will Cain. Both shows – which will feature a full lineup of NFL and other celebrity guests such as Eddie George, Tim McGraw and ESPN’s Desmond Howard and David Pollack, as well as free giveaways – will be open to the public with doors opening at 7:30 a.m. CT. SportsCenter Mike Greenberg will host SportsCenter segments on April 25 and 26 from noon-3 p.m. ET. Stephen A. Smith Show The Stephen A. Smith Show on ESPN Radio and simulcast on ESPNEWS, will be live from the West Club at Nissan Stadium on April 25 and 26 from 1-3 p.m. ET. The shows will include previews, reaction and analysis from host Stephen A. Smith on all the latest NFL Draft news from Nashville. NFL Live ESPN’s weekday NFL news and information show NFL Live will be live from The NFL Experience on April 24 from 1:30-3 p.m. ET and on April 25 and 26 from 3-5 p.m. ET. Wendi Nix will host all three days with NFL analysts Tim Hasselbeck and Rex Ryan and NFL Draft analyst Jim Nagy. Thursday’s show will also include special guest appearances by ESPN’s Trey Wingo, Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit and Sam Ponder as well as NFL Network’s Rich Eisen and Daniel Jeremiah. College GameDay ESPN’s eight-time Sports Emmy Award-winning College GameDay Built by The Home Depot crew of Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso, Desmond Howard, David Pollack and Chris ‘The Bear’ Fallica will preview the 2019 NFL Draft on April 25 from 5-7 p.m. ET with special guest Bobby Bones and college football coaches Lincoln Riley, Ryan Day and David Shaw. On April 26 (5-6 p.m. ET), Davis will be joined by Howard, Pollack and Jesse Palmer as well as special guest Jim Mora. On April 27 (11 a.m.-12 p.m. ET), Maria Taylor will host the show with Howard, Palmer, Pollack and Mora. NFL Draft Countdown ESPN’s NFL Draft host Trey Wingo will preview Round 1 on April 25 (7-8 p.m. ET) with Mel Kiper Jr., Todd McShay, Louis Riddick, Booger McFarland, Chris Mortensen, Adam Schefter and Suzy Kolber. On April 26 (6-7 p.m. ET), Wingo will be joined by Kiper, McShay, Riddick, Mortensen, Schefter and Kolber. MORE NFL DRAFT COVERAGE Across Platforms: ESPN NFL Draft Projections in Virtual Reality Leading up to and during this year’s NFL Draft coverage, ESPN will assess the potential of prospective players in virtual reality using ESPN Sports Analytics’ new projection model which incorporates grades from Scouts, Inc., NFL Combine metrics and athletically similar players’ past draft results (full methodology). The segments feature ESPN football analyst Dan Orlovsky breaking down stats and rankings in an innovative and customizable, virtual reality environment. ESPN.com ESPN.com’s coverage of the 2019 NFL Draft will focus on signature voices Mel Kiper Jr., Todd McShay, Louis Riddick, Kirk Herbstreit, Mike Sando and others. Highlights include NFL Mock Drafts paired with SportsCenter Specials, pros and cons on every first-round draft pick from NFL Nation, plus Draft Day analysis from NFL Nation on all 254 picks and real-time data via DraftCast. Following the 2019 NFL Draft, ESPN will release Kiper’s Draft Grades (the foundation for SportsCenter Special: Draft Grades on April 28) and ‘Early Impact’ Rookies (April 30) as well as McShay’s best picks for all 32 teams (April 27). Additionally, NFL Nation will break down the biggest post-draft questions for all 32 teams (April 29) and McShay will look ahead to next year with a Way-Too-Early 2020 Mock Draft (May 2). The Undefeated Senior NFL writer Jason Reid will lead NFL Draft coverage on The Undefeated – ESPN’s multiplatform content initiative exploring the intersections of sports, race and culture – from Nashville. Highlights: Reid explores the history of black quarterbacks being selected in the first round of the NFL Draft. Domonique Foxworth presents his mock draft of the first 32 picks. Reid will live tweet the first and second rounds of the draft. ESPN The Magazine On the cover of ESPN The Magazine’s NEXT issue is Nick Bosa, the NFL draft’s most disruptive force of nature. Senior writer Kevin Van Valkenburg’s cover story reveals how painful it was for Bosa to sit out last year at Ohio State—and how hungry he is to start sacking again. The issue also features “Beyond Measure,” senior writer Tim Keown’s look at Kyler Murray’s sizable expectations, including: going No.1 in the draft, becoming a franchise player, and completely blowing up decades of doctrine about short quarterbacks. ESPN Social Media ESPN social media will produce live shows, videos, graphics, and unique storytelling across Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, YouTube, and Facebook. Highlights: Ever wonder what draft day is like for a projected Top 10 pick? SportsCenter’s social channels will have an exclusive, all-access Instagram takeover. SportsCenter on Snapchat will hit the road with host and former NFL player Andrew Hawkins. Mike Golic Jr. and Jason Fitz will join Mina Kimes, Field Yates, Domonique Foxworth and celebrity guests will provide on-site social coverage of Rounds 1-7. Hawkins will also be interviewing draftees backstage. ESPN’s Instagram Story experience will take followers behind the scenes: arrivals, fashion on the red carpet, and green room access. With College GameDayon-site, the familiar hijinks of the crew will extend to the College GameDay social channels. ESPN’s YouTube channel will provide even more extensive coverage from this year’s draft, not only hosting the live stream each day but providing draft reaction and analysis, player profiles, and in-depth college football highlights. ESPN Marketing Tin Roof, located in the heart of downtown Nashville, will transform into the ESPN House during the NFL Draft. In addition to serving as a viewing party for fans, attendees will also be able to experience the football player journey at ESPN – from College GameDay to the NFL Draft, and ultimately to SportsCenter and Monday Night Football. SEC Network SEC Network will air an hour-long SEC Now: Draft Special, breaking down all stats and storylines behind the stars of SEC football as they prepare for the next step in their playing careers. Debuting April 24 at 2 p.m. ET, the show features SEC Network college football analysts Matt Stinchcomb, who will serve as host, Gene Chizik and Matt Bowen. ESPNLA 710 ESPNLA 710 will broadcast an NFL Draft Special with Jorge Sedano, Keyshawn Johnson and former NFL linebacker Kirk Morrison on April 25 from 6-10 p.m. ET. The broadcast will provide a pick-by-pick breakdown, followed by ESPN Radio’s national coverage of the NFL Draft. ESPN International This year, ESPN International will cover the NFL Draft with its most robust content plan to date, offering live television coverage of the NFL Draft to more than 31 million households in 61 countries and territories throughout Spanish-speaking Latin America, Brazil, the Caribbean, Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands, and Canada (on TSN). Highlights: For the first time ever, ESPN will produce all three days of the draft in Spanish language, which will air live throughout Spanish-speaking Latin America. Also for the first time ever, Brazil will produce and air all three days of the NFL Draft live in Portuguese language. The Caribbean and the Pac Rim region (Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands) will air all three days live and on the first day, both regions will air the ESPN U.S. production on one channel and the ABC NFL Draft production on another channel, providing fans differentiated content and perspectives. ESPN will simulcast its television coverage via its broadband players, WatchESPN in Brazil, Australia, New Zealand and Pacific Islands and ESPN Play in the Caribbean and Spanish-speaking Latin America. Immediately following the NFL Draft, on Sunday ESPN International will air the EA Sports Madden NFL 19 Bowl esports competition live throughout Spanish-speaking Latin America, Brazil, the Caribbean and in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands. Schedule: Thursday, April 25 (8-11:30 p.m. ET): NFL Draft, Round 1 – ABC, ESPN, NFL Network, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio Friday, April 26 (7-11:30 p.m. ET): NFL Draft, Rounds 2 and 3 – ABC, ESPN/ESPN2, NFL Network, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio Saturday, April 27 (12-7 p.m. ET): NFL Draft, Rounds 4–7 – ABC (simulcast of ESPN telecast), ESPN, NFL Network, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio For more information on ESPN and the NFL Draft, visit ESPN Press Room.
