The first thing Tom Pelissero did ahead of the NFL Draft in Green Bay was to book all of his dinner reservations for the trip, ensuring that he would have a seat at some of the best restaurants in the area. Having resided in the region for three years and covering games at Lambeau Field, he has witnessed the currents of change ripple through the area. The land around the stadium has established itself as a distinctive hub that draws Green Bay Packers fans and visitors throughout the year, and there are also plaques on virtually every corner documenting seminal moments in league history.
As the first chapter for this rookie NFL class is being written, Pelissero is remaining vigilant for unexpected occurrences and bringing fans the latest news and information. Whether people are staying in the surrounding areas or within the town of just over 100,000 people itself, the center of professional football is concentrated in the area with attendees waiting to see what will transpire. Pelissero is covering the NFL Draft for the 22nd time in his professional career, and he is taking part in several shows across the NFL Network lineup within this inimitable setting.
“I think that just the amount of history in that stadium and in that city and the unique nature of it is such a great story,” Pelissero said. “There’s literally just one-story little war era-style houses lining it, and then across the street is this, effectively at this point with all the renovations, multi-billion dollar complex and entertainment district. There’s nowhere else like that on Earth.”
Pelissero is one of a projected 250,000 people expected to attend the NFL Draft over the next three days, the first of which concluded on Thursday night amid a capacity crowd. Heading into the event, he knew that he would be unable to chase everything taking place and focused his efforts on what he believed will resonate. Rather than watching tape, Pelissero calls coaches and scouts around the league who can elucidate what is being displayed and provide their thoughts on players and personnel.
“There’s different, whether its GMs or coaches or other scouts, different people, agents that I talk and have different conversations with based upon what areas I can actually trust the information they’re giving me because there is a lot of, if not outright lying, there’s a lot of selective volunteering of information at this time,” Pelissero said. “So what I don’t like to do, and it’s not to judge anyone who does this, but I don’t like to be out there every two weeks essentially guessing, ‘Hey, I now am hearing that team’s doing this.’”
Every NFL Draft Presents a Surprise
Leading up to the NFL Draft, Pelissero has made appearances on Good Morning Football and served as a guest host of the Rich Eisen Show, which is distributed by Westwood One under a partnership with Audacy. During these endeavors, he has spoken about the market and surmised that there would be a fantastic setup for the event. Pelissero remembers attending different iterations of the NFL Draft and is now witnessing the sons of former athletes he used to cover being welcomed to the league. Being immersed within the mass of media members on hand to document the action, he is staying ready to tackle the unexpected and unforeseen occurrences with aplomb.
“I don’t have all the answers,” Pelissero said. “This is a very crowded environment just because the NFL is a $20-plus billion a year industry, it gets the highest ratings, it’s almost every highest-rated TV show. Everything the NFL does – and it’s really become 365 days a year – is a huge deal, and so you’re constantly trying to create your own space.”
When Pelissero is reporting to the audience, he concentrates on genuine facts and information rather than trying to compile pieces together to formulate a narrative. Before the event commences, he writes a column spanning roughly 10,000 words that centers on the quarterback class and the new athletes who could be taking snaps at the position for the upcoming season. Working to provide value and insights amid the maelstrom of other media entities reporting on the NFL Draft, Pelissero is able to showcase his personality while demonstrating objectivity and upholding ethical standards in the occupation.
“There’s many people at other outlets, people that we compete with, that I think I may not do things exactly the same way as them,” Pelissero said. “I might not necessarily always agree with certain things that are done, but I respect people who work hard, generally operate with integrity and are their true selves on a daily basis.”
The Game to Be First Overall
With an understanding that part of being an insider is maintaining relationships, he is cognizant of his approach and recognizes that he will not always be the first person to share information. As a result, Pelissero tries not to get overly consumed by the wins and losses and instead aims to feel fulfilled in what he is doing. Even so, he does bring a competitive verve to the daily grind and moments replete with transactions.
“You want to compete on the big stories and break the scoops, and yeah, that three seconds, three minutes, whatever,” Pelissero said. “If you’re ahead, it’s a big deal, and you want to win and you get a rush from that. When you lose, which everybody loses sometimes, [it] feels terrible, but you also know there’s always another scoop, and you just got to keep going.”
Pelissero underscores how his role is not about conveying his opinions in a subjective manner, but rather is centered on trying to uncover what is taking place and the different angles surrounding such layers. At the same time, he realizes that other people have jobs to do as well and works to stay grounded in his reporting. Throughout his nine years with NFL Media, Pelissero has been responsible for several newsbreaks and is widely reputed as a trusted source for information among fans.
“I guess at my core, what I’m never going to do is take the shortcut to that, and whether it’s burn people or have the most salacious, over-the-top takedown of someone, that’s just not me,” Pelissero explained, “and I think that’s also why I’ve been in the business as long as I have and I have as good of relationships around the league as I have is people know that they can trust me.”
The Challenges of Working for NFL Media
Being employed by the league-owned media entity does present some limitations, such as the inability to leak draft picks ahead of time or break news announcements, but Pelissero has never felt he cannot do his job. In fact, there are advantages to working in the position, such as collaborating with experienced professionals with an avidity for the craft. Pelissero shares a locker with Manti Te’o, and he views NFL Network akin to working for “a really cool news outlet” with a strong setup in Inglewood.
“Contrary to popular opinion, we don’t get handed scoops by the league office,” Pelissero said. “If anything, we probably lose scoops because we can’t break certain things. We don’t have some magical access to the transaction wire or get things early. That’s just not how it works.”
In addition to his reporting responsibilities, Pelissero also appears on The Insiders where he provides intel and hosts the program. Due to the dynamic nature of football news, he is used to seeing the rundown change with little to no notice and has proven his ability to adapt to these situations.
For example, Pelissero found out that DK Metcalf was being traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers during a commercial break this past March, and the show proceeded to discuss the topic for the ensuing six minutes. Coordinating producer Jeff Collette then asked the group if it wanted to do another hour, a proposition with which it concurred.
“When you get in those breaking news situations, that’s where I feel like I and the show are at our best because this is what we do,” Pelissero said. “It’s not great when you see your phone ring and you’re getting the call that will give you more information, and you’re like, ‘I got to do this bump right now, and I’m going to have to call that person back,’ but that’s the nature of this. There’s no way to juggle everything 24 hours a day, but that also doesn’t stop me from trying.”
While there have been plenty of mock drafts and reports about the NFL Draft, people do not know how the event is going to unfold until the selections are turned in. With six more rounds in the next two days, Pelissero and his colleagues will remain vigilant as they cover the next generation of the league and anticipate kickoff in the 2025 season. Once the venture concludes, he will reflect on the week and then continue covering the league as its offseason concludes and training camps launch over the summer.
“It’s not going to be forever,” Pelissero said, “but I know as far as I can see right now, I’m going to be wanting to break stories, I’m going to be wanting to host a fun, informational TV show that people enjoy, and I’m going to keep embracing the next time that they come to me and say, ‘Hey, do you want to do this thing I’ve never heard of on this platform I’ve never heard of?,’ and remind myself, ‘The answer is always ‘Yes,’’ because I have no clue what the next big thing is going to be, so keep evolving, keep rolling with all the punches and go from there.”
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(Photo Courtesy: NFL)
Derek Futterman is a former associate editor and sports media reporter for Barrett Media. He previously interned for Paramount within Showtime Networks, wrote for the Long Island Herald and served as lead sports producer at NY2C. Find him on X @derekfutterman.
