The prep work has been extensive. So much so, Chris Carlin will tell you he hasn’t studied this much since college. The last three weeks have consisted mostly of watching film and studying the countless list of names in this week’s NFL Draft. That’s because Carlin will be hosting the NFL Draft coverage for ESPN Radio for every pick from Thursday through Saturday.
It’s a lot of work, but Carlin couldn’t be more excited for the three-day event on air. In fact, he said he couldn’t have said yes fast enough when ESPN reached out with the opportunity around two months ago.
“I won’t lie, I have not studied this hard for anything since college,” laughed Carlin. “And I didn’t even study that hard in college. I’ve gone through, there’s going to be 250-something drafted. So I’ve tried to go through and at least have a good handle on the Top 10-12 at each position. That’s what the last few weeks have been like and you’re even going through what all the team needs are.”
Carlin will be the point guard of ESPN Radio’s draft coverage this week. Joining him on the show will be his usual co-host on ESPN Radio, Chris Canty, along with Mike Tannenbaum, Ian Fitzsimmons, and Jordan Reid. Carlin has attended the NFL Draft before but has never worked at it in this capacity.
If Carlin wasn’t involved with ESPN’s draft coverage, he’d be at home watching every single round on television, just like he has for so many years, And just like so many years before, you’ll hear the excitement in his voice when the first big unexpected moment in the first round happens.
“I’m just excited for the ‘Woah’ moment,” said Carlin. “The moment that nobody expected, because it always comes in the first round and that’s got excitement to it. We’ve got every perspective on that, from the executive perspective, to the player perspective, to the personal perspective and analysis, that’s what I always love about the draft. The trade that nobody expected. There’s always one or two in the first round. And then there’s the guys that are getting moved for a second or third-round pick like DeAndre Hopkins. I always like the unforeseen moment in the draft that every mock draft was nowhere close on, including my own.”
Being the point guard of a daily radio show normally means getting one or two other hosts involved. But in this case, Carlin will need to set up four other hosts. Granted, there will be plenty of time and opportunities to get every host involved, but it can still be a balancing act to know when is the right time to set each individual up.
“More than anything, it’s not just me on that,” said Carlin. “It’s our producer Rob Kelly and Pete Ciccone who are directing, too. For those guys, that is as close to directing a television show as you can without the visual. ‘Go here, Mike Tannenbaum has something on this’.
“If there’s one thing I’ve figured out during this process, Ian is the freaking mayor. He knows everyone. Mike is one of those guys that’s a great teammate. I’m not trying to sound too Pollyanna about things, when we got involved he sent a text immediately that said ‘Hey, fired up you’re going to be a part of this’.
“He’s invited us all to be on Zoom calls he has with former executives and scouts and people evaluating prospects every week. That guy could not be a better teammate in that regard. As far as getting everyone involved, I don’t think it will be all that difficult because they’re all going to add something and we’re all going to find room for it. For me, it’s more about what the producers are going to be telling me what the hell to do. That’s a big part of it.”
The crew will be live in Kansas City for all three days of the NFL Draft. From there, Carlin will fly back to the east coast and resume his daily duties in afternoon drive on ESPN Radio. He’ll undoubtedly talk about the experience with Canty, who will also be back on the air with him next week.
The duo has already gotten a lot of mileage out of the opportunity during draft week. They’ve used it as daily content on their show, including a way to educate listeners on certain prospects that will hear their name called this week.
“We’ve been doing a segment twice a day, every day, called ‘Dash to the Draft’, which is just a different aspect of it each time,” Carlin said. “Chris has given his Top 5 at each position. We’ll talk about individual needs for teams, individual prospects, and what makes them interesting. I talked to a guy I know that’s an SEC coach getting ready for Georgia and playing Nolan Smith. Just the way these guys say it to you, he’s like ‘I’m watching this type and I’m just saying, holy shit, how are we going to block that guy?’ Those are kind of the little stories without the expletives, obviously, that I can share.”
Carlin has a club in the back of his pocket he’ll break out this weekend on the air. Seeing as he’s the Rutgers football play-by-play voice, there are several players in the NFL Draft he’s seen in person. Not only that, but it’s likely he’ll know an interesting nugget or two on those players, seeing as he’s filling out spotter boards with players from Ohio State, Michigan, and several others.
“There’s been a lot of those guys,” said Carlin. “The Ohio State guys in general. The Michigan guys, that’s what’s so great about doing the games at Rutgers, you see these guys up close and what they’re capable of. I’ve gone back and watched Rutgers games to evaluate those guys. Rutgers has a couple of guys that will be drafted this year, including the punter who won the Ray Guy Award, and a guy named Adam Korsak from Australia. I’ve gotten to know Adam really well over the last five years and I’m excited for him to get his name called. There’s no question I’ve leaned pretty heavily on that for the Big 10 guys.”
It’s been a lot of work but today starts an incredible new venture for Carlin. Even though three days on the air for every pick seems extreme, it’ll likely fly by. Regardless if that’s the case or not, Carlin says he feels like he’ll always remember this week.
“It’s been really cool,” said Carlin. “I’ve talked to a lot of people that I’ve known for so many years.It’s been great to reconnect some old friendships with some guys I used to know.”
Tyler McComas is a columnist for BSM and a sports radio talk show host in Norman, OK where he hosts afternoon drive for SportsTalk 1400. You can find him on Twitter @Tyler_McComas or you can email him at TylerMcComas08@yahoo.com.
