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The NFL draft is one week away on Thursday, April 23, and the television production plan between ESPN and NFL Network has progressed. So let’s give you the latest rundown of the 11 most important points. 1. Roger Goodell will announce the picks from his Bronxville basement. The NFL is still going over how it …
The NFL draft is one week away on Thursday, April 23, and the television production plan between ESPN and NFL Network has progressed. So let’s give you the latest rundown of the 11 most important points.
1. Roger Goodell will announce the picks from his Bronxville basement. The NFL is still going over how it will arrange his room.
2. Will the commissioner be booed? This is a staple of the draft, but I wouldn’t bet on it. That said, ESPN and the NFL are trying to incorporate fan videos into the broadcast that they are culling from social media.
3. There will be cameras in each of the coaches and GMs homes so the telecast will give the feel of what the NFL usually calls the “war rooms.”
4. ESPN and NFL Network will have the exact same broadcast on the air, but the broadcast will have a more of an ESPN feel.
This is less about the fact that ESPN has access to its Bristol studio and more about, with all the technological hurdles, it just made sense to combine the broadcast, according to NFL Network senior vice president of programming & production Mark Quenzel.
5. The draft will be hosted by Trey Wingo from ESPN’s Bristol studios. Suzy Kolber will be on hand in Bristol too and the hope is she will do player interviews.
6. The NFL Network’s Rich Eisen, Daniel Jermiah, Kurt Warner and Michael Irvin will be part of the broadcast. They will all be from their homes, as will Mel Kiper Jr., Louis Riddick, Booger McFarland and the rest of ESPN usually draft crew, including insiders Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen.
7. ABC’s broadcast will have Rece Davis, Maria Taylor and Jesse Palmer in Bristol. ABC will have an alternative broadcast to ESPN/NFLN. It will be more about the players’ journeys, according to ESPN vice president of production, Seth Markman. It will have more storytelling.
8. The NFL is sending the prospects cameras that they are being asked to setup for reaction shots. The league also sent the equipment to the GM and coaches, though Quenzell did say he felt the prospects would probably have an easier time setting it up than some of the front-office people.
9. Markman said that pre-COVID-19 there might be 20 or so people in the Bristol control room on draft night. The plan is to have seven in the room next week. They will all have masks on and will be more than 6 feet apart.
10. The NFL and ESPN will highlight first responders (hospital personnel to grocery baggers) during the event, as well as try to raise awareness. They are calling it a “Draft-A-Thon.”
11. No tipping picks: The Schefters, Ian Rappaports and all other insiders working at NFL partners will not be tipping picks.
Fowl play: ESPN collegefootball play-by-play man Chris Fowler went to Instagram to say that he thinks college football could be moved to the spring. He said it was “informed speculation,” which is probably why it should have been on “SportsCenter” or “Get Up” or one of ESPN’s shows.
But anyway, this could have broadcasting implications in a number of ways. For one, if the college season is moved to the spring and the NFL still plays in the fall, the idea of Fowler and Kirk Herbstreit calling “Monday Night Football” would have a clearer runway. It would likely be a temporary solution, where ESPN could want a more permanent one.
If the spring college plan did happen, it could also present Fox with the opportunity to put someone such as Joel Klatt, its No. 1 college football game analyst, with Kevin Burkhardt for a season on the NFL. Fox has its eyes on Greg Olsen as its long-term solution with Charles Davis leaving for CBS.
Fox is going to be patient in its approach to finding Burkhardt’s partner. If college football goes forward, then Fox could try someone such as Daryl Johnston or Chris Spielman for a year.
Both Fox and CBS were going to look to add depth this offseason, but the in-studio tryouts that were scheduled to take place at this time are on hold because of the stay-at-home edicts due to COVID-19.
