By Ryan Berenz (Twitter: @ChannelGuideRAB)
While labor issues have the 2011 NFL season up in the air, the NFL Draft will go on as planned. The first round airs in prime time on Thursday, April 28, at 8pm ET, with the remaining rounds on Friday and Saturday on ESPN, ESPN2 and NFL Network. The Carolina Panthers have the first pick. Top players expected to go early in this year’s draft, held at New York City’s Radio City Music Hall, are Auburn DT Nick Fairley, Clemson DE Da’Quan Bowers, Auburn QB Cam Newton, Georgia WR A.J. Green, LSU CB Patrick Peterson, Alabama DE Marcell Dareus and Texas A&M LB Von Miller.
Press release from ESPN on their NFL Draft coverage plans:
ESPN’s 2011 NFL Draft Telecast
Berman, Gruden and Kiper Lead Primetime Coverage from Radio City Music Hall
Chris Berman, Jon Gruden, and Mel Kiper, Jr. will headline ESPN’s 32nd consecutive year of televising the NFL Draft April 28-30 from Radio City Music Hall in New York. The 16 hours of planned live high definition coverage on ESPN, ESPN2 and via ESPN authentication services on ESPNNetworks.com and the WatchESPN app over three days (Thurs.-Sat.) will be supplemented by Draft-related content on multiple ESPN platforms, including ESPN Radio, ESPNEWS, ESPN.com, ESPN Mobile, ESPNU, ESPN The Magazine, ESPN International and more.
On Thursday, April 28 (Round 1) and Friday, April 29 (Rounds 2-3), Berman and Kiper, working their 31st and 28th NFL Drafts for ESPN, respectively, will team with Gruden on the main set from Radio City, the Monday Night Football analyst and Super Bowl-winning head coach’s second year on ESPN’s Draft coverage. Senior NFL Insider Chris Mortensen and NFL Insider Adam Schefter will report from an additional set location at Radio City, while MNF reporter Suzy Kolber will conduct interviews on-site with Draft prospects.
Draft coverage on both Thursday and Friday will begin at 3 p.m. with SportsCenter Special: On the Clock hosted by NFL Live’s Trey Wingo from the ESPN studios in Bristol, Conn., with analysts Tedy Bruschi, Herm Edwards and ESPN Scouts Inc. director of college scouting Todd McShay. At 4:30 p.m., MNF’s Mike Tirico assumes host duties in Bristol with analysts Cris Carter, Trent Dilfer, Tom Jackson, Ron Jaworski, Keyshawn Johnson, Steve Young and McShay. Opening round coverage of the NFL Draft telecast will begin Thursday, April 28 at 8 p.m. on ESPN from Radio City Music Hall. Day 2 (Rounds 2-3) will begin Friday, April 29 at 6 p.m. on ESPN and will continue on ESPN2 until the conclusion of Round 3.
Day 3 coverage will begin Saturday, April 30 at 10 a.m. on ESPN with a two-hour SportsCenter Special: On the Clock followed by all eight hours (12–8 p.m.) of Rounds 4-7 when NFL Live’s Wingo hosts from Radio City with Kiper, Trent Dilfer, McShay, Mortensen and Schefter. Kolber will co-host from Bristol with Bruschi, Edwards and Jaworski.
Sunday’s coverage will include a two-hour SportsCenter Special: Draft Wrap-Up at 1 p.m. on ESPN with Mike Hill and analysts Edwards, Kiper and McShay. (The program will re-air that same evening at 10 p.m. on ESPN2.)
As part of its extensive NFL Draft coverage, ESPN will dispatch reporters to team sites across the country for all the latest updates and reactions, including: Colleen Dominguez (Arizona Cardinals), Bob Holtzman (Cincinnati Bengals), Sal Paolantonio (Carolina Panthers), Mark Schwarz (Washington), Michael Smith (New England Patriots) and Ed Werder (Denver Broncos). Jeremy Schaap will cover events hosted by the NFL Players Association during Draft weekend, and ESPN will also utilize high definition videoconferencing with all 32 teams using Glowpoint telepresence technology for interviews with coaches, general managers and team executives.
ESPN Radio Football Tonight host Freddie Coleman will anchor ESPN Radio’s 2011 NFL Draft coverage Thursday and Friday, April 28-29, from Radio City Music Hall with ESPN.com senior NFL writer John Clayton and ESPN NFL analyst Tim Hasselbeck. ESPN Radio’s coverage will start Thursday at 7 p.m. (Round 1) and Friday at 6 p.m. (Rounds 2-3). ESPN Radio will also present news and updates Saturday from Rounds 4-7.
ESPN NFL Draft TV schedule (Apr. 28 – May 1):
Date Time (ET) Show Network
Thurs., April 28 3-4 p.m. SportsCenter Special: On the Clock ESPN
4-4:30 p.m. NFL Live ESPN
4:30-8 p.m. SportsCenter Special: On the Clock ESPN
8-11:30 p.m. NFL Draft (Round 1) ESPN
Fri., April 29 3-4 p.m. SportsCenter Special: On the Clock ESPN
4-4:30 p.m. NFL Live ESPN
4:30-6 p.m. SportsCenter Special: On the Clock ESPN
6-10:30 p.m. NFL Draft (Rounds 2-3) ESPN/switches to ESPN2
Sat., April 30 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. SportsCenter Special: On the Clock ESPN
12 – 8 p.m. NFL Draft (Rounds 4-7) ESPN
Sun., May 1 1-3 p.m. SportsCenter Special: Draft Wrap-Up* re-airs 10 p.m. – 12 a.m. ESPN2 ESPN
ESPN’s 2011 NFL Draft Lineup:
ESPN – Thursday and Friday nights:
Radio City Music Hall in New York City – Set #1: Chris Berman, Jon Gruden, and Mel Kiper Jr.
Stage set: Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter
Reporter: Suzy Kolber
Bristol, Conn. – SportsCenter Special: On the Clock and NFL Live (3 p.m.): Trey Wingo, Tedy Bruschi, Herm Edwards and Todd McShay
SportsCenter Special: On the Clock (4:30 p.m.): Mike Tirico, Cris Carter, Trent Dilfer, Tom Jackson, Ron Jaworski, Keyshawn Johnson, Steve Young and McShay
Reporters – Colleen Dominguez (covering Arizona Cardinals), Bob Holtzman (Cincinnati Bengals), Sal Paolantonio (Carolina Panthers), Mark Schwarz (Washington), Michael Smith (New England Patriots) and Ed Werder (Denver Broncos) and Jeremy Schaap (NFL Players Association events).
ESPN – Saturday:
Radio City Music Hall in New York City- Set #1: Wingo, Dilfer, Kiper and McShay
Stage set: Mortensen and Schefter
Bristol, Conn. — SportsCenter Special: On the Clock (10 a.m. – 12 p.m.) and NFL Draft telecast: Kolber, Bruschi, Edwards and Jaworski.
ESPN – Sunday:
Bristol, Conn. — SportsCenter Special: Draft Wrap Up (1-3 p.m.): Mike Hill, Edwards, Kiper and McShay
ESPN Radio:
Freddie Coleman will anchor the network’s 2011 NFL Draft coverage from Radio City Music Hall Thursday and Friday nights with ESPN.com senior NFL writer John Clayton and NFL analyst Tim Hasselbeck.
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