Under this backdrop, this year’s NFL Draft is going to offer us interesting data on whether the NFL Draft has gotten so big and so popular that it no longer matters if you lack a Burrow or Lawrence at the top. You want surprise picks and trades galore to ramp up the intrigue. The second element ESPN and NFL Network executives are rooting for this week? Chaos.
Last year’s complete three-day total across all networks was 6.1 million viewers, the third-most viewed ever. That year drew an average of 8.4 million viewers for all three days of the Draft across ABC, ESPN, NFL Network, ESPN Deportes and digital channels. The 2020 NFL Draft was highlighted by three quarterbacks in the top six selections ( Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert) and eight wide receivers over the first 34 picks. Last year’s opening round of the NFL Draft drew 12.52 million viewers, the second-largest audience in NFL Draft history behind 2020, which produced 15.6 million viewers. Why this matters to ESPN and the NFL Network (and the NFL) should be obvious - historical metrics confirm that highly-touted college quarterbacks lead to big viewership. Of the first 15 picks in 2021, nine were either quarterbacks, wide receivers or tight ends. There were five quarterbacks selected within the first 15 picks, including the first three picks of the draft (Lawrence, Zach Wilson and Trey Lance).
Last year was a bounty for the networks given Trevor Lawrence, Justin Fields and Mac Jones had all had played in national championships and high-profile games. The first is highly-touted quarterbacks and skill position players, because the public is already familiar with them.
There are two things ESPN and NFL Network executives actively root for above all else when it comes to the annual reading of college football names off an index card.