ESPN at the 2008 NFL Draft

ESPN is covering the NFL Draft Saturday and Sunday (April 26-27) for the 29th consecutive year.  Highlights:

• NFL Draft-related content across 14 ESPN platforms: ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNEWS, ESPN Classic, ESPNU, ESPN HD, ESPN2 HD, ESPNEWS HD, ESPN International, ESPN.com, ESPN Radio, ESPNRadio.com, ESPN The Magazine and ESPN Mobile properties;
• More than 16 hours of live television coverage from Radio City Music Hall;
• More than 20 hours of NFL Draft-related coverage on ESPN Radio
• ESPN International will offer coverage of Day 1 to more than 22 million households in 117 countries and territories;
• ESPN Classic is airing 10 games from the 2007 college season showcasing projected top picks;

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Chris Berman and Mel Kiper Jr. will lead a team of analysts and reporters for the 16 hours of live coverage April 26-27 on ESPN and ESPN2.  Saturday’s four-hour SportsCenter Special: On the Clock at 11 a.m. will kickoff the day before the focus shifts to Radio City Music Hall when the NFL Draft telecast will begin at its new time of 3 p.m.  Day 1 coverage will switch to ESPN2 at 8 p.m. and last until the conclusion of round 2.  ESPN will televise all eight hours Sunday (10 a.m. – 6 p.m.) with Trey Wingo hosting from New York for the first time with Cris Carter, Ron Jaworski, Kiper and Chris Mortensen, as well as a panel of NFL writers contributing from Bristol.

ESPNEWS

On Saturday, ESPNEWS will supplement its all-sports news approach with eight hours of “On the Clock” team-by-team previews, beginning at 7 a.m. Saturday.  Director of college scouting Todd McShay and director of NFL scouting Jeremy Green of ESPN Scouts Inc., among other experts, will analyze one NFL division per hour -- 10 minutes "On the Clock" per team concluding with the Miami Dolphins, who will take Michigan’s Jake Long with the No. 1 overall pick, at 2:45 p.m.  Once the Draft begins on ESPN at 3 p.m., ESPNEWS, along with its coverage of other sports news of the day, will provide analysis and reactions to picks, in addition to interviews with coaches, general managers and players.  On Day 2, Draft-related content on ESPNEWS kicks off at 8 a.m. -- two hours before the start of round 3 -- and will continue throughout the day.

ESPN.com

ESPN.com’s 2008 NFL Draft section includes comprehensive pre-draft coverage, as well as wall-to-wall coverage as it happens.  The section houses ESPN’s DraftTracker and includes analysis and insight from the experts of Scouts Inc. and Kiper, in addition to Jeffri Chadiha, John Clayton, Matt Mosley, Mike Sando, Bill Williamson, James Walker, Pat Yasinskas  and others.  Pre-Draft coverage includes scouting reports by Scouts Inc. on approximately 350 prospects through ESPN’s DraftTracker; Kiper’s Big Board, tracking the Top 25 prospects through the evaluation process; regularly updated mock drafts; reports on individual workouts and evaluations of each team's draft needs and potential strategies.  Rumor Central will track all of the whispers about who teams are targeting, possible trades and other inside information. During the Draft, ESPN.com’s DraftCast will enable users to follow and interact with the event in a variety of ways, including:

• DraftTracker will update pick-by-pick data in real time, building out lists of selections by round, NFL team, position and college team;
• Live chats with Scouts Inc. analysts (Green, Keith Kidd, McShay, Steve Muench)
• Pick-by-pick analysis by Scouts Inc. evaluating individual players, and team needs and what to watch for with subsequent picks;
• News and feature coverage throughout both days from staff writers and analysts.

ESPN Mobile Properties

ESPN Mobile Properties -- ESPN's wireless site, ESPN Mobile TV and ESPN MVP -- will give fans on-the-go access to draft-related news and information:

• ESPN’s newly redesigned wireless site features a draft section complete with player profiles, analysis and rumors.  ESPN.com’s favorite columnists are highlighted as well as player skill breakdowns from the experts at Scouts Inc.;
• ESPN Mobile TV will have vignettes and features all week leading up to the draft. Coverage continues throughout each round with Green breaking down picks as they happen;
• ESPN’s MVP will enable fans to get one-touch access to draft-related news, information and video.

ESPNU

ESPNU, the 24-hour college sports network, will present extensive draft-related content Thursday, April 24 – Saturday, April 26, with college football games featuring several of the top 2008 prospects, including Louisville’s Brian Brohm, Arkansas’ Darren McFadden and Boston College’s Matt Ryan.  In addition, on Wednesday, ESPNU will televise a special two-hour SportsCenterU: 2008 ESPNU Draft Special from 9-11 p.m.  ESPNU signature anchor Lowell Galindo will host alongside college football analyst Charles Arbuckle, and ESPN Scouts Inc. recruiting directors Tom Luginbill and McShay, who will discuss and evaluate the individual skills of select players from the 2008 NFL Draft class. 

ESPN International

ESPN International will offer coverage of Day 1 of the NFL Draft to more than 22 million households in 117 countries and territories on ESPN2 (Mexico, Central America, and the northern cone), ESPN2 Caribbean (English-speaking Caribbean), ESPN Africa, ESPN Middle East, ESPN Israel, ESPN Pacific Rim (Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands) and on NFL cleared territories on the North American Sports Network (NASN), the only European network dedicated to broadcasting the best North American sports.

ESPN Radio

Colin Cowherd, host of ESPN Radio’s The Herd, and ESPN.com’s Clayton will host ESPN Radio’s NFL Draft Day 1 coverage from Radio City Music Hall, beginning with a one-hour preview show at 2 p.m.  On Sunday, Clayton will provide updates from site between 10 a.m. – 2 p.m.  ESPN Radio will complement two days of live, on-site coverage with Draft-related programming from its Bristol, Conn., studios to total more than 20 hours of coverage.  

ESPN Classic

This week, ESPN Classic is airing 10 games from the 2007 college football season, showcasing many of the projected top NFL Draft picks.  Remaining games on the schedule:

ESPN THE MAGAZINE

To celebrate its annual NFL DRAFT issue, featuring the top prospects and its mock draft, ESPN The Magazine is hosting the ESPN The Magazine: Pre-Draft Party in New York City at Club Touch, Friday, April 25.  The party will feature special live performances by artists Lil’ Mo & Mike Jones and will be hosted by BET’s 106 & Park host Rocsi.  Members of the 2008 NFL Draft class expected to attend include: Glenn Dorsey (LSU), Vernon Ghloston (Ohio State), Jake Long (Michigan), Amir Pinnix (Minnesota), Ray Rice (Rutgers) and Matt Ryan (Boston College).

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