NFL Draft Is The Gift That Keeps Giving For Media

The NFL Draft may have grown into a television extravaganza, but ESPN/ABC and NFL Network won’t be the only ones trying to wring every last dollar from the league’s premier offseason event.

Sports media companies ranging from national radio networks to websites and magazines are trying to milk the annual event for listeners, readers, and page clicks. Over the decades, the Art of the Draft has become a cottage industry, replete with draft gurus, mock drafts, and draft previews.

Both ESPN Radio and Westwood One will offer live coverage from Kansas City, with the former broadcasting Rounds 1-7 on Thursday-Saturday, and the latter only covering the first round. On satellite radio, SiriusXM will offer customers live announcements of every draft choice via its NFL channel covering every round.

ESPN.com already has dozens of draft stories posted online, including draft guru Mel Kiper Jr.’s final Big Board and prospect rankings for the Class of 2023. ProFootballTalk is offering its “one and only mock draft.” 

Bill Simmons’ The Ringer has its “2023 NFL Draft Guide,” with scouting reports by Danny Kelly, as does The Athletic, which delves into each team’s picks, predictions, and needs. Then there’s Cris Collinsworth’s PFF, which has no less than 17 analysts conducting a seven-round mock draft. 

In print, Sports Illustrated is offering a mock draft from NFL Insider Albert Breer, and virtually every major daily newspaper will offer voluminous draft coverage, especially the needs of their local NFL team.

And if you need more tangible resources, Amazon offers dozens of books touting themselves as the “ultimate” draft resource.