When ESPN revealed the triumvirate of personalities that were taking over for Chris Berman, one of the moves that stood out was Trey Wingo emerging as host for the entirety of the draft. For many years Wingo has had to back up Berman as the lead broadcaster for the later rounds and ever since the draft went to its current format, he has had six of the seven.
Now, finally, after many years of deserving to broadcast the first round of the NFL Draft, Wingo will finally get his chance in 2017.
ESPN revealed that he, along with Louis Riddick, Jon Gruden, and Mel Kiper will form the main set live from Philadelphia. That has the makings of a pretty good foursome as Kiper and Gruden have developed some decent chemistry over the years and Riddick has blossomed into one of the network’s top analysts overall as part of its draft coverage.
Elsewhere, Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter return for their customary insider/reporting duties while Suzy Kolber will again do interviews from the green room. Todd McShay will be back on the main stage for Rounds 2-7 as well. Reporter Jeff Darlington is among the new faces in ESPN’s litany of correspondents who will be covering the event.
The network will also have plenty of its studio shows emanating from Philadelphia as well. Here’s the entirety of the ESPN announcement:
ESPN’s presentation of the 2017 NFL Draft begins Thursday, April 27, at 8 p.m. ET from the NFL Draft Theatre at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in Philadelphia. For the sixth consecutive year, the first hour of Round 1 will air with limited commercial interruption.
Trey Wingo, who previously hosted Rounds 2-7, will anchor ESPN’s entire three days of coverage for the first time. In Round 1, Wingo’s fellow commentators include NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. (covering his 34th draft), Monday Night Football analyst and Super Bowl-winning head coach Jon Gruden (his eighth) and NFL Front Office Insider Louis Riddick (his third). In Rounds 2-7, NFL Draft analyst and director of college football scouting for ESPN’s Scouts Inc., Todd McShay (covering his ninth draft), will join Wingo, Kiper and Riddick.
ESPN’s 38th consecutive draft telecast will also include NFL Insiders Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter (covering breaking news) and NFL host Suzy Kolber (serving as a green room reporter interviewing draftees). Reporters Jeff Darlington and Britt McHenry, national correspondent Sal Paolantonio, and NFL Insiders Josina Anderson and Ed Werder will also contribute to the telecast.
Additional coverage of the 2017 NFL Draft includes a live radio broadcast of Rounds 1-3 – Dari Nowkhah will host with Pro Football Hall of Famer and NFL Front Office Insider Bill Polian, NFL Insider John Clayton and ESPN New York’s Chris Canty – as well as pre- and post-event analysis on ESPN TV and Radio shows. NFL Insiders, NFL Live, Mike & Mike, First Take and Outside the Lines will originate from Philadelphia on Thursday and Friday, and SportsCenter anchors Kevin Negandhi, David Lloyd and Steve Levy will host segments from the draft city on Thursday.
[ESPN]
About Matt Yoder