ESPN’s annual Draft Academy series profiling noteworthy college prospects is airing exclusively on ESPN+.
The show debuted in 2014, headlined by two of that year’s top three picks in Texans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney and Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles.
This year’s characters include two of the top quarterbacks — USC’s Sam Darnold and Wyoming’s Josh Allen, both of whom appear first overall in some mock drafts — as well as one-armed linebacker, Shaquem Griffin from Central Florida, who stole the show at the NFL Combine.
The first four episodes began streaming on ESPN+ earlier this month. The remaining episodes will become available each subsequent Thursday, concluding the week after the draft on May 3.
ESPN is also offering on ESPN+ the entire eight-season archive of Jon Gruden’s QB Camp series, in which the former analyst and new Raiders coach reviewed film with prospective quarterback draft picks.
The draft itself will air at times on six television stations — networks ABC and Fox, as well as cable channels ESPN, ESPN 2, ESPN Deportes and NFL Network — not to mention audio broadcasts on the radio and via digital platforms such as ESPN Radio, Westwood One Radio, SiriusXM NFL Radio and TuneIn Radio. (Fox is simulcasting the NFL Network production that will include analysts from both networks.)
Other sports media outlets are preparing their own streaming efforts as companions to the mainstream draft coverage. CBS Sports HQ will offer an in-depth analysis show on the network’s OTT platform throughout the three-day event, relying on a host of writers, analysts and fantasy experts. Bleacher Report will have NFL experts Chris Simms, Matt Miller and Adam Lefkoe provide a more free-flowing draft show streaming on Facebook Live. The NFL Network is presenting its NFL Now Live program for its digital draft coverage.
Get The Latest Sports Tech News In Your Inbox!
SportTechie Takeaway
The NFL Draft is the crown jewel sports information program, with only the NCAA March Madness Selection Show as a remote competitor, which makes the draft ideal for supplementary coverage and content. Just as every mock draft differs in the expert’s analysis, so too will the evaluations of each pick vary. As hungry as NFL fans are for opinion and debate, it’s only logical that the networks feed the beast with a host of tangential programming to capitalize on this juncture of the football offseason.
In ESPN’s case specifically, it’s a prime avenue to tout its new OTT service by taking an established property such as the Draft Academy series and allocating it exclusively to ESPN+ to drive subscribers.