The NFL Draft has been a mainstay on ESPN since nearly the very beginnings of the network. The NFL Draft was first televised in 1980 when it was merely the NFL’s annual selection meeting and it was a bunch of executives in a ballroom with telephones at their desk. Now the event has turned into a multi-day festival of football that draws hundreds of thousands of fans in-person and millions more watching at home.

Although it seems impossible, it means we’re reaching 45 years of the worldwide leader in sports hosting coverage of the NFL Draft. And because of that relationship, the NFL, the draft, and ESPN have all been beneficiaries as the event and the love of football in this country is bigger than ever.

But because the draft is now such a hot commodity, others are stepping in to try to take the television rights for their own.

In John Ourand’s Puck newsletter, the sports media sage reports that Fox and YouTube TV have submitted bids for NFL Draft rights along with incumbent ESPN with a new deal set to begin in 2026. Amazon and NBC may also submit bids. And with an incredible 12.1 million viewers on night one in 2024, why wouldn’t they?

Given the incredible history of the NFL Draft on ESPN, one would have a hard time imagining the event being televised anywhere else. ESPN has helped not only make the draft itself a thing, it’s turned the NFL Draft business into a year round industry. There’s a reason why there’s a campaign to get Mel Kiper Jr. recognized by the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Kiper, Todd McShay, Matt Miller, and the scores of NFL Draft analysts, scouts, and pundits around the country don’t exist if ESPN didn’t take a chance on televising the event over 40 years ago.

But we also know the NFL values at least one thing more than history – money. If Fox or YouTube TV blows ESPN out of the water with their bids, the NFL will naturally be amenable. Fox would be a natural partner given they could offer the NFL both a broadcast and cable channel for simulcast and have a long history with the league themselves. And the new Venu Sports would allow for a streaming component while Fox doesn’t have that now.

A successful YouTube TV bid would be a bit more dicey. That would make the draft specific to a streaming platform, a la Sunday Ticket, and we know the controversy that exists around that. After having the draft available on linear television for 45+ years, having it move to Amazon or YouTube TV would be another sign of the scale tipping towards streaming and fans might begrudge the limited availability.

Odds are that the NFL Draft stays with ESPN given the network, while tightening the purse strings in recent years, has still shown the ability to spend when it wants to. But if another outlet makes the NFL an offer it can’t refuse, the league isn’t afraid to buck tradition in favor of filling their coffers.

[Puck]