The NFL draft drew a big rating last Thursday, pulling in 13.2 million viewers across ESPN, ABC, the NFL Network, YouTube and various social media platforms.
That viewership number, was down, however, from last year’s draft, when 13.6 million tuned in.
Despite everyone knowing who the No. 1 pick would be (Fernando Mendoza) way in advance of the draft and the lack of high-level quarterbacks and lack of excitement overall for this year’s draft, the drop in viewership was surprising because Nielsen’s new measuring system has led to increases for sports across the board.
Have viewers caught on that the draft is not a great television event? Has social media delivered a hit to the draft? Unless you have some blockbuster trades, there isn’t anything that makes the draft must-see TV anymore.
The draft formula for TV is simple: Commissioner Roger Goodell announces the pick, everyone on TV, no matter the network, tells you the pick is great and the kid who is great. The TV analysts run down a bunch of combine stats where the player ran and jumped in his shorts as if these numbers are gospel.
And then if the kid has a tragic or heartwarming backstory, networks go all-in on that.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
There used to be an edge to the NFL draft. There’s still nothing like a live TV event because you also have the possibility that something crazy could happen. It feels like that edge has been gone from the NFL draft for a few years now.
Maybe it’s because picks are tipped on social media. Maybe it’s because networks don’t want any blowback from one of their TV people criticizing an 19-year-old kid in this overly sensitive world, maybe it’s because everyone on TV is so polished and smooth that there’s no chance for something unscripted to happen.
This is why Pat McAfee’s Draft Spectacular, which aired on YouTube, is such a popular option for NFL fans. You never know what you’ll get, you never know what direction the show will go and you always have that feeling that things could go off the rails at any moment.
Mad Mel Kiper alone makes McAfee’s draft show better than all the others.
"I am the best of all time" 😂😂 ~ Mad Mel Kiper#PMSDraftSpectacular pic.twitter.com/eGfIOFKlIp
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 24, 2026
What McAfee does is the opposite of what the traditional networks do: McAfee and his crew try to make the NFL draft entertaining. The show takes care of the legit NFL fan by having Peter Schrager and Bill Cowher provide analysis, but that’s mixed in with comedy and hijinks.
Unfortunately, the television editions of the NFL draft don’t seem interested in entertainment part.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Do Viewers Know That the NFL Draft Is Not a Great Television Event?.
