The first round of the 2024 NFL Draft was something to behold. A reported 275,000 people were on site in Detroit with coverage carried by ESPN, ABC, ESPN+, the NFL Network, SiriusXM and numerous YouTube pages and other digital outlets. In addition, there was the debut of Nick Saban as a full-time member of the College GameDay crew along with Bill Belichick doing a show with Pat McAfee and a host of characters that somehow turned out to be magical. Sports media had plenty of reaction to the night.
BSM reached out to several hosts asking their thoughts on the draft coverage, wondering which outlet they watched on or any feedback about what they saw.
Mad Dog Sports Radio morning drive host Damon Amendolara said, “We’re incredibly lucky as football fans to have three networks to choose from, all of which do a comprehensive job of covering the Draft. I think NFL Network has a fantastic crew working on it. I specifically love Charles Davis’ insight all season long on college prospects.
“For the bulk of my viewing this year I opted for ESPN. Some of it is probably subconscious remnants of watching it growing up on Saturday afternoons when it was only on ESPN. But I also enjoy Mel Kiper’s authority in the space. Draft analysts are all guessing, so the idea that Kiper created the industry of draft analysts gives him gravitas in my mind. I also think Greeny does a nice job of setting up picks and discussion points and then getting out of the way for his analysts to dig in. Plus, Louis Riddick does a nice job of having strong opinions without it being a hot take. I also generally like ESPN’s football game coverage, so the graphics, wide shots, and produced pieces are tight and professional. So as a blend, I tend to lean on ESPN for my draft coverage.”
101 ESPN in St. Louis morning host Dan McLaughlin said he flipped around throughout the night but spent most of the time watching ABC. “I was curious how Nick Saban would do on that type of show. You already knew the College GameDay crew would be awesome as usual, but adding Saban just brought another element to it. I thought he was great, huge addition for them.”
Dave Rothenberg from DiPietro & Rothenberg on ESPN New York said, “I watched the draft on ESPN, I’m a creature of habit and that’s what I’ve been doing for 30 years plus. I considered ABC, but they just don’t have Mel Kiper, Jr. The ESPN coverage is always informative, and this year was no different.
SportsRadio 610 in Houston afternoon drive host Ron Hughley said he watched on ESPN and added, “I really enjoyed the draft, it had everything you want in terms of entertainment. Maintaining my interest, even with me knowing what would happen at the top of the draft, all the while having that element of surprise (especially the Penix Jr. selection). The draft was what the league is about, THE QUARTERBACK, STUPID (shoutout to James Carville)”
Brendan Wiese, Sports Director for KTRS St. Louis said, “I actually thought the ESPN broadcast felt really stale. They miss [Chris] Berman or [Trey] Wingo as the host. When I flipped from ESPN to ABC, it was like a breath of fresh air. [Nick] Saban seems like a natural and comes from a place of real credibility. It probably helps that the GameDay crew already has the built-in chemistry.”
Others took to social media and expressed their NFL Draft coverage thoughts:
NFL radio ESPN radio CBS sports HQ FOX sports digital NFL Channel Infinity sports network sports grid and NBC sports channel on Peacock all had live wall to wall coverage of the first round