There’s an astounding amount of coverage of the NFL Draft on NFL Network, and lots of ways for fans to get in on the discussion as NFL network personalities, coaches, players and more will be active on Twitter during the draft. We’ve got a full lineup of analysts, contributors, programs, specials, links and more from NFL Network after the jump.
NFL NETWORK DRAFT PROGRAMMING SCHEDULE
Thursday, April 22 (13 Live Hours)
11am — Path to the Draft Presented by GMC Sierra
1pm — Total Access Pre-Draft Presented by Lexus
7:30pm — 2010 NFL Draft Presented by Verizon
11pm — NFL Total Access Post-Draft
Friday, April 23 (12 ½ Live Hours)
11am — Path to the Draft Presented by GMC Sierra
1pm — Total Access Pre-Draft Presented by Lexus
6pm — 2010 NFL Draft Presented by Verizon
10:30pm — NFL Total Access Post-Draft
Saturday, April 24 (10 ½ Live Hours)
9am — Total Access Pre-Draft Presented by Lexus
10am — 2010 NFL Draft Presented by Verizon
6pm — NFL Total Access Post-Draft
Sunday, April 25 (2 Live Hours)
6pm — Path to the Draft Presented by GMC Sierra
7pm — NFL Total Access Draft Recap
8pm — 2010 NFL Draft Presented by Verizon – ENCORE of Day 1
NFL NETWORK & NFL.COM BRING ARRAY OF PROGRAMMING TO 75TH NFL DRAFT CELEBRATION IN PRIMETIME
Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick Opens Up on the Evolution of His Draft Philosophy in EXCLUSIVE Four-Part Interview
University of Texas Head Coach Mack Brown Joins NFL Network’s On-Air Team Saturday
NFL.com Offers Unmatched Interactive & Informative Draft Experience to Fans
NFL Network and NFL.com has the 2010 NFL Draft covered like never before with special guests, exclusive interviews and enhanced features packed within a record 38 hours of live network programming and innovative online content on NFL.com.
The 2010 NFL Draft Presented by Verizon, celebrating the 75th NFL Draft, begins Thursday, April 22 in primetime at 7:30 PM ET with round one, followed by rounds two and three commencing Friday, April 23 at 6:00 PM ET. The three-day event is capped off with rounds 4-7 Saturday, April 24 at 10:00 AM ET. NFL Network’s Pre-Draft coverage begins at 11:00 AM ET on Thursday and includes red carpet interviews of players, Hall of Famers and Most Valuable Draft Picks by DEION SANDERS beginning at 6:00 PM ET.
Day One Draft EXCLUSIVE: The NFL Draft, According to Patriots Head Coach Bill Belichick
As one of the elite coaches in NFL history, Patriots head coach BILL BELICHICK opens up to NFL Network draft expert MIKE MAYOCK in an exclusive on the shaping of his Draft philosophy. The revealing four-part sit-down is scheduled to air as part of the Total Access Pre-Draft Presented by Lexus Thursday at 1:00 PM ET.
Belichick has proven to have an eye for developing NFL talent from first-rounders RICHARD SEYMOUR and VINCE WILFORK to fourth-rounder ASANTE SAMUEL and sixth-rounder TOM BRADY.
In the discussion, Belichick takes Mayock through his personal “Draft history” with stories behind the selections of NFL icons such as PHIL SIMMS in 1979, LAWRENCE TAYLOR in 1981 and Brady in 2000. The three-time Super Bowl-winning head coach also gives insight into his current Draft strategy, how he prefers to build a defense and what it’s like inside a “war room.”
In line with the celebration of the 75th NFL Draft, Belichick also recounts some unbelievable Draft stories, from how the Brooklyn Dodgers had a hand in creating the first NFL Draft to how the Rolling Stones had a hand in launching JACK LAMBERT’S career.
For a clip of the Mayock’s interview with Belichick, where he recounts the Rolling Stones’ tie to Lambert, please visit http://www.nflfilmstv.com/NewMedia/041210/mayock_belichick.mpg.
NFL Network Hooks Mack Brown as Guest Analyst to Join Saturday Draft Coverage Team
University of Texas head coach MACK BROWN will serve as a guest analyst on NFL Network’s Draft coverage Saturday starting at 9:00 AM ET from Radio City Music Hall. Brown joins RICH EISEN, MIKE MAYOCK, CHARLES DAVIS, COREY CHAVOUS and JASON LA CANFORA on the Total Access Pre-Draft Presented by Lexus and the 2010 NFL Draft Presented by Verizon to offer his expertise on the prospects selected in rounds 4-7.
“Mack Brown is one of the most successful college coaches of all-time and a dynamic personality,” said NFL Network executive producer ERIC WEINBERGER. “He will add a unique perspective on the former college stars as they make the jump to the NFL.”
Entering his 13th season at UT, Brown is the NCAA’s winningest coach of the last 14 years (including final two seasons at North Carolina) with a record of 148-30, including a 13-1 mark last year with the Longhorn’s only loss coming in the 2010 BCS National Championship game vs. Alabama. Under Brown, Texas has produced six top-five picks and eight top-ten picks to lead all NCAA football programs with the likes of VINCE YOUNG, RICKY WILLIAMS and BRIAN ORAKPO and the potential of 2010 Draft prospect COLT MCCOY joining the company of top UT Draft picks guided by Brown.
Dating back to 1986 when he was the head coach at Tulane, Brown has had a player selected in 24 straight NFL Drafts, including NFL.com’s BUCKY BROOKS, a second-round selection by the Buffalo Bills in the 1994 NFL Draft, whom Brown coached at the University of North Carolina from 1994-1998.
Brown has coached a first-round selection in nine of the last 14 NFL Drafts. This year, in addition to McCoy, eight Longhorn players including: WR JORDAN SHIPLEY, LB SERGIO KINDLE, DT LAMARR HOUSTON and S EARL THOMAS are potential NFL Draft picks.
Chavous Re-Joins NFL Network On-Air Team: Draft whiz COREY CHAVOUS rejoins the NFL Network broadcast team at the 2010 NFL Draft, providing analysis on Draft prospects throughout the entire three-day event beginning Thursday, April 22 on the Total Access Pre-Draft Presented by Lexus at 1:00 PM ET. Chavous, a second-round Draft pick of the Arizona Cardinals in 1998, is the co-founder of DraftNasty.com and has an extensive knowledge of 2010 Draft prospects, serving as an analyst on NFL Network’s coverage of the 2010 Under Armour Senior Bowl from Mobile, AL.
In addition to contributing on Thursday’s Pre-Draft show, Chavous will be a part of NFL Network’s Pre-Draft and Draft coverage teams all day Friday and Saturday.
NFL Network Talent Roster Has Draft Covered from All Levels: With 11 former players, four former coaches and two team personnel alums, NFL Network has the most experienced draft analyst team covering the three-day event. MIKE MAYOCK leads the team as the expert in draft prospect analysis and is well-respected within the NFL scouting community, examining thousands of hours of game film, attending player workouts across the country and communicating with NFL team personnel.
“Obtaining experience from the playing field, from the sidelines and from the war room is always our primary objective when assembling a team of analysts for the NFL Draft,” said NFL Network executive producer ERIC WEINBERGER. “Mike Mayock epitomizes the knowledge and work ethic of our entire team studying countless hours of game film and traveling across the country to workouts all in preparation for this event.”
Former Players — Mike Maycock, Deion Sanders, Charles Davis, Jamie Dukes, Marshall Faulk, Scott Hanson, Michael Irvin, Corey Chavous, Paul Burmeister, Tom Waddle, Solomon Wilcots
Coaches — Mack Brown, Brian Billick, Steve Mariucci, Jim Mora
Team Personnel — Charley Casserly, Michael Lombardi
NFL Network Reporters at Team Facilities: Seven NFL Network reporters will be stationed at various team facilities around the league providing the latest news and live interviews from the team facilities where front office staffs make their team picks. In addition, NFL Network enlists the support of team beat media from around the league who will offer the ‘Word on the Street’ from their respective clubs throughout the weekend.
NFL Network will be using more than 30 on-air personalities to host, report and analyze the 2010 NFL Draft, a record for the Network.
NFL Network Reporters In the Field
Detroit Lions — Randy Moss
Pittsburgh Steelers — Solomon Wilcots
Philadelphia Eagles — Derrin Horton
St. Louis Rams — Stacey Dales
San Francisco 49ers — Alex Flanagan
Seattle Seahawks — Kara Henderson
Washington Redskins — Scott Hanson
Word on the Street’ Contributors
Atlanta Falcons — Wes Durham
Minnesota Vikings — Paul Allen
New York Giants — Bob Papa
St. Louis Rams — D’Marco Farr
San Diego Chargers — Kevin Acee
Inside Access to Six Team War Rooms: A staple of the network’s live Draft coverage since its inception in 2006, exclusive access into team war rooms returns for 2010 with a record SIX participating teams, doubling the amount from last year. The ATLANTA FALCONS, DALLAS COWBOYS, GREEN BAY PACKERS, ST. LOUIS RAMS, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS and SEATTLE SEAHAWKS are the featured franchises for this year’s coverage, allowing NFL Network cameras inside for live “fly on the wall” shots. Presidents, general managers and coaches convene, making the selections to build their franchises, right before the eyes of fans. Viewers will also be treated to war room tours in St. Louis by General Manager BILLY DEVANEY, while Cowboys Director of Player Personnel STEPHEN JONES takes fans for a spin around the war room in Dallas. NFL Network’s ALEX FLANAGAN will also go inside the confines of the 49ers war room prior to the start of day one.
NFL Network Personalities Hold Mock-Draft LIVE: After all the interviews, analysis, rumors and workouts, RICH EISEN, MARSHALL FAULK, MICHAEL IRVIN, JASON LA CANFORA, STEVE MARIUCCI and MIKE MAYOCK give their final say on how Thursday’s first round should fall. These six NFL Network personalities will don their GM hats and make their picks live as part of Thursday’s Total Access Pre-Draft Presented by Lexus at 1:00 PM ET. The group will also conduct a full mock draft that will be featured on NFL.com Wednesday, April 21.
Mayock’s final mock draft will also be featured in the final half hour of Thursday’s Total Access Pre-Draft Presented by Lexus.
Graphic Elements Enhance NFL Draft Coverage: NFL Network’s Draft coverage also includes innovative graphic treatments to complement the data and analysis viewers will hear over the three-day showcase.
· Pieces of the Puzzle – Compares a team’s 2009 line-ups with a projection of the 2010 starting line-up with the addition of various picks.
· Mike Mayock’s Best Available Players – Real-time updates of Mayock’s ‘Best Available Players’ as Draft selections are made. Mayock’s best available scrolls continuously on the bottom ticker, noting where players previously on the list have been selected.
· Draft History – A numerical breakdown of a team’s Draft history since 2005, displaying information on the total number of players Drafted and of that total, how many players still remain on roster and how many are no longer on team. Additional categorizations include a breakdown of starters and Pro Bowlers from the number of those still on team.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell Chats With Fans, Tuesday, April 20 at 2:00 PM ET
Fans can log on to NFL.com on Tuesday at 2:00 PM ET and submit questions or just follow along as Commissioner ROGER GOODELL answers questions from fans in a pre-draft chat. http://chat.nfl.com/front/index/855.
75 Years of Dreams Celebrated – The 2010 NFL Draft as the ‘Grand Crossroads of Hope’
NFL Network has created an inspiring introduction to its three-day coverage celebrating the 75th year of the NFL Draft and the common thread of hope that has remained a focal point of the event. Grand Crossroads of Hope: 2010 NFL Draft Open looks at the common feeling that has enveloped 32 franchises, hundreds of players and millions of fans during the last 75 years in April all across America.
Voiced by actor Academy Award winner CHRIS COOPER (Adaptation, The Bourne Supremacy, The Kingdom), Grand Crossroads of Hope is divided into four acts paying tribute to the history that has transpired since the Draft’s inception three-quarters of a century ago in a Philadelphia hotel ballroom. Using scenic visuals from across America in combination with historical NFL Films footage, Cooper narrates viewers through the NFL Draft’s storied saga and how the moments and legends born throughout the years have been woven into the national sports fabric. Video highlights include past historic Draft selections of PEYTON MANNING, LAWRENCE TAYLOR and BARRY SANDERS, as well as appearances from potential NFL icons NDAMUKONG SUH, SAM BRADFORD, TIM TEBOW, CJ SPILLER and GERALD MCCOY.
Tag It, Rank It, Rate It! NFL.com Offers Fans Most Interactive Draft Experience Ever
As the NFL pays tribute to Draft history, fans are encouraged to a part of the celebration with more interactive features than ever before available on NFL.com.
Tag the #NFLDraft on Twitter: Beginning Thursday, April 15, fans can be a part of the conversation across the web about the 75th Draft by tagging their Twitter posts with #nflDraft, the Official Tag of the NFL Draft. Fans then may celebrate the Draft through other fans’ perspectives by visiting NFL.com/nflDraft, a page that aggregates the tweets into an interactive and dynamic presentation. In addition, be sure to follow NFL and NFL Network personalities on Twitter for their thoughts throughout the three-day event including NFL Commissioner ROGER GOODELL (@NFLCommish) and NFL Network personalities RICH EISEN (@richeisen), JASON LA CANFORA (@jasonlacanfora) and JAMIE DUKES (@jamiedukes).
For list of additional NFL, NFL Network and NFL.com personalities active on Twitter during Draft coverage, see chart below.
Express Yourself – Chat and Share Your Mood on the Draft in Fan War Rooms: After a successful 2009 debut that produced more than 200,000 comments, the popular Fan War Rooms return with more enhancements. New this year, fans may share their “mood” towards a team’s strategy pre-Draft, during the Draft and post-Draft, and picks will appear in real time in the War Rooms, giving fans the opportunity to immediately react. Within each War Room, fans can discuss their team’s Draft needs, comment on how the team is drafting and connect with other fans from across the world. In addition, fans can monitor the Draft day activity, buzz and mood across all 32 War Rooms with an interactive map.
Dhani Jones Tackles Radio City, Joins NFL.com’s Contingent of Reporters Offering Exclusive Video Content: Complementing NFL Network’s 38 hours of Draft coverage, NFL.com’s live coverage begins Thursday, April 22 at 7:30 PM ET with live look-ins, exclusive analysis and reports from New York on Thursday through Saturday. Special NFL.com correspondent Bengals LB DHANI JONES will provide exclusive video content from the floor of Radio City Music Hall Thursday night, while NFL.com’s team of BUCKY BROOKS, GIL BRANDT, VIC CARUCCI, PAT KIRWAN and STEVE WYCHE provide coverage of the event with the latest reports, mock drafts, analysis and breaking news.
NFL Draft Personalities on Twitter
Greg Aiello — @GregAiello
Michelle Beisner — @MichelleBeisner
Jamie Dukes — @JamieDukes
Rich Eisen — @RichEisen
Alex Flanagan — @Aflanny
Commissioner Roger Goodell — @NFLcommish
Scott Hanson — @HansonScott
Derrin Horton — @DerrinHorton
Joanna Hunter — @JoannaNFL
Dennis Johnson — @InsideNFLMedia
Jason La Canfora — @JasonLaCanfora
Michael Lombardi — @Michaelombardi
Brian McCarthy — @NFLPRguy
Randy Moss — @randy_moss_TV
NFL.com/NFL Network — @NFL
Michael Signora — @NFLFootballInfo
Brenna Webb — @BrennaReneeNFL
Steve Wyche — @Wyche89
Inside the NFL Draft, From the Player’s Perspective: Armed with NFL.com video cameras, Draft prospects JOE HADEN and JAHVID BEST channel their inner Steven Spielberg and give NFL.com users a look inside the NFL Draft from the player prospective, providing video footage and first-person narration of the event that will change their lives. NFL.com cameras also will shadow Draft prospect ERIC BERRY through his journey to Radio City Music Hall, chronicling the entire Draft experience for Berry.
42 Million Votes and Counting – Fans Weigh In On Top 75 Draft Picks of All Time: Football fans continue to have their say in determining the Top 10 Most Valuable Draft Picks by voting on NFL.com now through April 18. Picks 11 – 75 will be announced from April 19 – April 21 on NFL.com and NFL Network, while the top 10 will be announced during Round 1, with many of the Top 10 honorees in attendance at Radio City Music Hall. The order of the Top 10 will be revealed following the conclusion of the Second Round of the Draft on Friday night.
