The 2026 NFL Draft drew solid ratings. Just not as solid as last year. TV coverage averaged 6.6 million viewers across all networks over the three-day event.
That’s down 12% from the 7.5 million three-day average in 2025.
Despite the decline, this ranks as the third-most-watched NFL Draft on record in the event’s current three-day format, which began in 2010. Only the 2020 virtual draft — held during the early days of COVID-19 — sits higher, setting the all-time record at 8.4 million viewers.
First-round numbers told a similar story. Round 1 averaged 13.2 million viewers across all networks. That’s down 3% from 13.6 million in 2025.
The highlight of the first evening was Pat McAfee’s show and how it continues to pull serious weight. The seventh edition of The Pat McAfee Show Draft Spectacular drove more than 54 million total minutes consumed across YouTube, TikTok, X, and the ESPN App on Day 1.
It also generated 2.2 million total views. ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network each carried their own broadcasts.
One storyline looms over everything else. This was the first NFL Draft since Disney completed its takeover of NFL Network earlier this month.
Attendance wise, the three-day event exceeded expectations. The NFL said it drew a three-day total attendance of 805,000 for last week’s draft in Pittsburgh, surpassing the league record of 775,000 set in 2024 in Detroit.
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