Enjoy watching the NFL Draft? Well, the festivities surrounding the annual event just got even more exciting. The NFL Draft will kick off in prime time for the first time starting in 2010, the league announced today.
Also for the first time, draft coverage is expanding to three days. The first round will start at 7:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 22nd. The second and third rounds will follow on Friday, April 23 at 6:30 p.m. ET and rounds 4-7 will start on Saturday, April 24 at 10:00 a.m. ET.
As usual, the draft will continue to be televised by ESPN and the NFL Network.
It should be noted that the NFL Draft was a Saturday-Sunday event from 1995-2009. From 1988-94, the festivities went from Sunday through Monday. Prior to 1988, the draft was held on one or two weekdays.
“We continue to look for ways to make the draft more accessible to more fans,” said Commissioner Roger Goodell. “Moving the first round to prime time on Thursday night will make the first round of the draft available to fans on what is typically the most-watched night of television.”
Should be interesting to see how this move pans out. What do you think about the time change?
– Zach Eisendrath, DenverBroncos.com
Tags: NFL Draft, Roger Goodell
first comment
Cool? 2nd comment..
3rd i think its gonna be cool
4th but I dont know if they will really get that much more viewers but at least I dont have to get up early in the morning to watch it
Wow, the fifth,
Looks like Goodell has been watching the NHL draft and seeing the benefit that prime-time had on their product.
Side-note, you guys were lucky being able to watch Joe Sakic. Best Gentleman to ever play hockey.
Training camps are opening soon, can’t wait!
Go Broncos!
MikeyD
Cant you find something better to type then first comment? Honestly who cares what number you are, if you have nothing intelligent to write then dont write anything.
I think it’ll get more people to watch more of the Draft because they’ll be able to see a round, recoupe, then get back to watching it the next day and the next… But it’ll suck for the people like me that already sit and watch most of it, cuz we’ll have to wait another day to see round 2, which is almost as exciting as the 1st round… But whatever…
7:30pm ET? That means that anyone on the West coast who has to work Thursday from a normal 9-5 job will miss the 1st picks in the 1st round, if not the majority of it. Poor decision. More people are off on Saturday and Sunday. Better audience. It’s bad enough that the HOF people have West coast bias, but it’s sickening how the NFL continues the trend with the draft. Cater to the East coast.
I have a draft party each year, but i only watch the broncos, but usually stay for the eagles, jets, buccaneers, and bears. i still want to see the bengals picks, but I was glad to see vakapuna from BYU go to cincinnatti
Dr.chris24, why not write an actual comment and then make the statement of “first comment”. Just a suggestion.
rebelbronco, just wondering, why does it matter?
heres my opinion. I like the old way better. I don’t want to watch the first round and then have to wait for the second.
I think its a horrible idea..im so sick of everything getting changed..just leave it alone…im from the east coast and loved having it on saturday at 11am…just hung out with friends, and cook on grill, and watched the draft all day…this year stunk also, starting at 4pm….as for west coast, i think if they started it at 1 or 2 pm ET, that would work for both east and west coast…and last, i think the fans should get to vote on when the draft should be, and go with the majority…us fans make the nfl..without us fans there is no nfl…enough said..just sick of it…
if it aint broke, don’t fix it.
dabroncos, the 1-2pm ET wouldn’t work for most everybody. People work 9-5 jobs and the 1st round is Thurs, then 2-3 on Friday. People are going to have a hard enough time watching it at 4:30pm PST. People on the West coast are getting cheated.
it is kinda hard to determine cause if you work evenings through out the week you will miss those two days and and does that mean that teams will have more time to make picks cause that shortens the time of the draft if not, I think thats wat Commish is aiming for but why seperate the 1st and 2nd round. They could do 1st and 2nd on Thursday and 3rd 4th and 5th on Friday and 6th and 7th on Saturday, thats just my opinion.
Oh and the reason I mention the time length is if the 1st round is on Thursday by itself then how do they plan to make time stretch for that round, they cant make it just an hour show that takes the fun out of it when you watch the draft you plan to watch at least a 3 hour show.
The draft is always exciting and I can flip back and forth between it and NBA playoff games so that sounds like fun. Hopefully, the Broncos are not picking before #24 if you know what I mean. I have no qualms with the changes.
I always liked spending an entire Saturday doing nothing but eating pizza and watchin the draft. I guess they feel people didn’t like to watch it all day but that was the best part if you ask me. Spliting it up to three days takes all the fun out of it. I’ll still watch it though
I have a DVR. I will not miss it.
3 days… less fans to watch it, but more time for TV publicity.
They don’t care about fans. It’s money they’re after. Sadly, without fans, there’s no money either. For good ratings, you must have bigger audiences, not just “prime time”.
Anyway…
Go Broncooos!
Yea i got a dvr so no biggie.
Ay is anyone a little worried about the D-line because im feeling a little suspect. I mean aside from the guys i have never heard of crowder and moss are pretty unproven guys while peterson and thomas just haven’t really broke out yet so im interested to see what they will do in the 3-4.
Jamie Dukes is an IDIOT!!!x10 and Mashall is a little cry baby that needs to be sent packing after what i heard on nfl network hes just gonna be in our way not putting in his all..
Yes, I agree about Dukes being an idiot, but Marshall WILL give his all. He doesn’t want to hurt his market value by showing that he would give less then 100%, if unhappy. No team would want a player who would, in a round about way, throw a game.
Now all we need are Bikini clad victoria secret models to escort the first round picks from the green room to the podium so they can perform a few dance numbers with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell , the people watching from home can vote for their favorite performance via text message for $1.50 a call……..Bah! Im old school, i like my draft to start early on saturday morning and drag on all weekend……like a bad hangover.
Ha, ha, agreed shiverman.
The new format sucks. I have to be home by 4:30? I’m going to have to call in sick. My wife will be piss*&.
Dukes is an idiot. We all know that.
Are we close to getting the rest of the rooks signed? Does anyone know?
theshiverman ……I agree with you on both points! Great post.
I know West Coast,
and whats with them signing the lower picks first? are they waiting to see if they can afford Moreno and Ayers first?
Get it done already Mr. Xanders.
TIME OF POSSESSION ! ! !
GO BRONCOS ! ! !
I think it’s always a longer process to getting the big ones signed. The agents are haggling for every penny they can get. Incentives, clauses. Sometimes the agent wants more then any one player is worth. I feel it will all work out. If a player holds out, then he hurts the team and doesn’t deserve to wear the Broncos uniform. Selfish and “me, me, me” attitudes are for the TO’s of the world. I think everyone will get what they want. .
I for one am not very happy with the new schedule for the draft. I know that the first round will take about 3 hours or so as there are 32 teams and each pick should take at least 8 minutes each, unless they have shortened up the time for each pick. I think that the time allowed for each pick in the first round is 10 minutes. I enjoyed having the first three rounds on Saturday as I would cook up a big batch of buffalo wings just before the draft would begin and then eat wings and watch the draft. I won’t be cooking wings on Friday evening.such a let down. LOL.
Orange and Blue all the way!!!!!!!!!!
I think the new draft timing sucks as well. I do live on the west coast and will likely miss some of the coverage because I don’t get home until around 4:30pm weekdays. Like someone else said, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. And about Marshall, I believe that if there is no new labor deal, and if he doesn’t get an extension this year, that he’ll be a restricted free agent next year which means that any team that wants him will have to cough up like 2 first rounders or something ridiculous like that. I don’t see that happening. Especially after all his drama he’s got going on. And if he gets suspended again, I’d have to say we’re stuck with him this year and next year as well, for better or worse. Hopefully it all goes well though, cause I personally think the dude is a stud and we need his ability on the field.
Holy Crap some one actualy stuck up for the Broncos on NFL network!! lol its sad but im not sure what his name is, he is part of the college talk team that comes on ever so often…Any way—
On NfL network he covered the segmant of the top 5 breakout players this year, and he ranked Kyle Orton as #3 and said to give us some credit, that well do alot better than what people give us credit for due to our weapons and great O.
Woot
I do not like it at all, I live in Miami and it just goes on way too late here in the EAST COAST, I just hate having to wait all day before all the action starts. And by the way” what time would will it be EST when the draft ends? It just sucks for people living in the EAST COAST.
well, if matt cassels good this year, i’ll be surprised, but if so hopefully mcd can turn orton into someone better than he already is ya know?
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/NFL_Draft/?e
Sign the petition, to move the draft back to the weekend.