NFL Draft Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
By Michael Grant on

If you love the NFL Draft, there are more ways than ever to experience it.

This year’s draft will take place April 23-25 in Pittsburgh. That’s 257 picks, spread across seven rounds over three days. It’s the league’s signature offseason event, and broadcasting it live is a massive undertaking.

This year’s event will be ESPN’s most extensive, as it will be one of five NFL Draft telecasts across ESPN-owned platforms. These include the traditional ESPN broadcast, an ABC human-interest production, NFL Network’s coverage of the event (now under ESPN ownership), The Pat McAfee Draft Spectacular, and ESPN Deportes.

To learn more, we caught up with ESPN executive Seth Markman, who has been involved in draft coverage for 20 years.

Note: This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.

Awful Announcing: What will be different this year?

Seth Markman: “I think one of the big things people will notice is that the clock on Thursday night is going from 10 minutes to eight minutes per pick. That should really speed up the event. I think fans have always wanted this to be a little faster. I don’t think anybody’s thrilled if it ends close to midnight on Thursday night. We’re trying to speed that up. That’s something we’ve discussed with the NFL for a long time, trying to quicken the pace. There are some other small things, but if you’re watching on Thursday night, the first thing you’re going to notice is that this thing’s going to move.”

How would you characterize the traditional ESPN broadcast?

“The ESPN version is the quintessential draft broadcast. This is our 47th year doing it, so we feel like we wrote the playbook for how to do the draft itself. Mel Kiper is obviously the face of that and the star of the show. He’s been doing it for years. When you think of the NFL Draft, you think of Mel Kiper. So we’re thrilled to have him on ESPN.”

What makes Mel Kiper Jr. so good at his job?

“He’s not there just to say every pick is great. He has a lot of conviction. Last year, he felt very, very strongly that Shedeur Sanders was the best quarterback in the draft. Maybe people felt like it was too much. But all I ask him to be is honest.

“I’ve said it for years. I think he should be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a contributor for what he’s done for the NFL Draft and its popularity. I’ve heard it all these years. People say, ‘I’m not going to watch anymore. Mel Kiper’s pissing me off.’ They keep watching. He’s a unique character, and he doesn’t do bathroom breaks. That’s another unique part of Mel’s experience. I don’t know how he does it, especially at this age, but he hangs in there the entire time.”

What do you think of some of the other draft coverage options available to viewers?

“NFL Network has been doing a great job. This is their 21st. I’d say they’re a little more hardcore. Daniel Jeremiah, who’s really emerged as one of the leading draft analysts in the country, has been doing a great job. Rich Eisen has been hosting it forever. Pat is a great entertainer who knows how to put on a show like this in his hometown. He’s got Bill Cowher joining him, which is cool. I think there’s an option for everybody.”

This draft isn’t considered as strong as previous drafts. How would you respond to that?

“Listen, when we talk about drafts, we usually talk about the quarterbacks. That’s always been the sexiest part of these drafts. Unfortunately, this draft doesn’t have the star power of some of the previous ones from a quarterback standpoint. We all expect Fernando Mendoza to go No. 1. Then it gets a little intriguing with Ty Simpson of Alabama. Does he get picked Thursday night? Does he fall to Friday night?”

So, if there aren’t many star quarterbacks, why should people tune in?

“There are a lot of players people are familiar with because they played at a major college. Ohio State has five or six players who will be picked from the team that won it all a year ago. You’ve seen these players on Saturday, even though they’re not quarterbacks. (Notre Dame’s) Jeremiyah Love is one of the best running backs we’ve seen come out of college. I think it’s really intriguing to see which team will pick him.”

Are there any specific production challenges with players, such as Fernando Mendoza, who are not at the draft?

“No, no real issues. We send cameras to their houses. In Fernando’s case, we’ll have a reporter there with him. Taylor McGregor will be there to interview him as soon as he’s picked, and I totally respect the kids’ decisions. They all have reasons they can’t make the trip to Pittsburgh. In this case, Fernando wanted to be with his family in Miami, and I understand that.”

Have players declined to have cameras in their homes during the draft?

“Yes, even this year. There are always a couple of players who just want to be at home and don’t want cameras on them. Again, that’s certainly their right, and we respect that. We always try, but we understand there are going to be a couple each year who just want to be with their families by themselves, without any cameras. That’s fine.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6ynJJXVs2o

From your standpoint, what’s the hardest part of the first day?

“With eight minutes on the clock, it goes really fast, and we want to try to stay in real time as much as possible. But ultimately, the clock doesn’t stop. When a team makes a pick, they send in the card, but that doesn’t mean the pick is announced right away. It takes a little bit of time for the commissioner to be ready. Maybe he’s going over a pronunciation. So, there are some things that delay the announcement at this stage, and they can get stacked up a bit, and then the next team’s pick might be in.

“I think viewers have noticed in the past that, ‘Boy, I can get this information on social media’ sometimes, even though it’s not supposed to happen that way. We know there are leaks, and things like that can happen. So, trying to stay as current and up to speed as possible is a real challenge.”

What’s the easiest part?

“The easy part is the passion. Everybody we have on all these broadcasts loves this and puts in a ton of time and energy. And when it starts going, hundreds of thousands of people are in the crowd cheering, and you’re not even at a game. You’re at an event where people are reading names. You can get caught up in it pretty quick. We never have to tell these guys, ‘We need your energy raised.’ They just love it, and you can feel it right away.”

About Michael Grant

Born in Jamaica. Grew up in New York City. Lives in Louisville, Ky. Sports writer. Not related to Ulysses S. Grant.

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