Some people might tune into the NFL Draft to hear analysts and former players discuss how players selected fit into a specific team's schemes, or even speculate about on-field Xs and Os, but as the draft moves to a prime-time slot Thursday it's clear the NFL and its TV partners believe those people are a minority.Both ESPN and the NFL Network will cover the proceedings -- and both plan red-carpet shows to start their coverage.
Whiles hard-core fans who wait hours for a seat at Radio City Music Hall comprise most of the live audience in New York City, the draft's producers (and the league) have entertainment on their minds with the first round taking place at night for the first time this year.
Everyone agrees people will be watching, and they want to give them something special -- something that resembles an awards show.
"Just on the ratings, it's going to have a huge impact on Thursday night. It's a largely viewed night in prime time. The promotion leads to all of that awareness," ESPN senior coordinating producer Jay Rothman said during a teleconference last week.
League officials invited more players to be at Radio City Music Hall in person this year, another move designed to boost TV.
"The electricity and abundance of players will make it more of a 'wow' factor," Rothman said. "Increasing from eight to 14 players is a big deal. We've sprinkled more cameras around the theater to have more vantage points to capture that a little bit more. I think it will be pretty electric."
(Unless you're the only one of the 14 players brought to the Big Apple and for some reason your draft stock slides.)
The move away from a football-specific holiday for hard-core fans to a TV show started years ago, with the draft expanding over a series of days and starting later on its first day. With the prime-time move, the league and its TV partners get more opportunities to polish and present the draft as a special event.
It will be interesting to see how coverage evolves, though, because the TV types have promised somewhat contradictory approaches at times.
Specifically, during the teleconference, Rothman said: "The approach this year is less is more, keep it in Radio City, keep it where the action is, keep it where the buzz is and make it more simple and fleet-footed." But, according to USA Today this week, ESPN's arsenal includes cameras in the homes of 25 potential draftees.
Still, expect the Xs and Os and talk about the "best player available" to dominate draft coverage overall. While Thursday night's first round gets glammed up, the heart and soul of draft coverage remains ESPN's Mel Kiper, pick-by-pick speculation and opinions after each and every pick. Plus, the event rarely plays out as expected.
A "reach" for a player earlier than anticipated, another player sliding down board or even an unexpected trade usually shake things up -- and those unplanned things often make a broadcast better than any of the planned, pre-packaged efforts.