How To Watch the 2020 NFL Draft
Contents
The 2020 NFL Draft is finally here! Here’s everything you need to know about how to watch, including the start time, channels, and more.
Introduction
The 2020 NFL Draft is scheduled to begin on Thursday, April 23 and will continue through Saturday, April 25. Here is everything you need to know about how to watch the draft this year.
The 2020 NFL Draft will be televised on ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, and NFL Network. However, if you don’t have a cable or satellite TV subscription, you can still watch the draft live online.
There are a number of ways to watch the NFL Draft live online without a cable or satellite TV subscription. If you have a digital antenna, you can watch the draft live on your local ABC station for free. You can also sign up for a free trial of a live TV streaming service like Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, or AT&T TV NOW/DirectTV Now. Each of these services will allow you to watch some or all of the NFL Draft live online.
If you miss any of the action during the 2020 NFL Draft, you can always come back and watch it later on demand. ESPN, ESPN2, and ABC will all have replays of every pick available to stream on their websites and apps after the draft has ended. Additionally, NFL Network will have highlights and analysis available to stream on their website and app as well.
How to Watch
The 2020 NFL Draft will be held April 23-25. It will be televised on ESPN and NFL Network. If you don’t have a cable subscription, you can still watch it by signing up for a free trial of a streaming service that includes ESPN, such as Sling TV, Hulu + Live TV, or AT&T TV Now.
NFL Network
You can watch the 2020 NFL Draft on NFL Network.
NFL Network will televise the draft live all three days, beginning with Round 1 on Thursday, April 23 at 8:00 PM ET.
Looking to stream the draft? You can do so on NFL.com, the NFL app, and on connected devices (Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Apple TV, Playstation 4 and Xbox One).
ABC/ESPN
The ABC and ESPN television networks will offer coverage of the first three rounds of the 2020 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 23 (8:00 p.m. ET) and Friday, April 24 (7:00 p.m. ET), respectively.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will announce the first round selections from a location in Nashville, Tennessee. The second and third rounds will take place on Friday, April 24, and will feature draft analysis from ESPN’s College GameDay team of Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Lee Corso and Desmond Howard. Additionally, NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock will offer analysis throughout the broadcast.
On ABC’s primetime broadcast on Thursday night, host Rece Davis will be joined by analysts Mel Kiper Jr., Booger McFarland, Todd McShay and Louis Riddick to provide draft analysis and reaction to the picks as they happen. Reporter Maria Taylor will conduct interviews with draft picks and league personnel in Nashville.
ESPN’s Marty Smith will also be on-site in Nashville for features and interviews with NFL prospects leading up to and during the draft telecast on both ABC and ESPN.
Hulu
If you’re a Hulu + Live TV subscriber, you’ll be able to watch the 2020 NFL Draft on ESPN through your Live TV package. You can also watch it on the ESPN app if you prefer. If you’re not a Hulu + Live TV subscriber, you can sign up for a free 7-day trial to watch the 2020 NFL Draft.
Sling TV
Sling TV is an inexpensive way to watch NFL Network and ESPN without cable, and it offers a 7-day free trial.
Here’s what you need to know:
NFL Network is available on the “Sling Blue” package for $30 per month, and ESPN is available on the “Sling Orange + Blue” package for $45 per month.
You can get a 7-day free trial of either package.
Once you sign up, you can watch on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone, tablet or streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, Sling TV comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR space.
YouTube TV
YouTube TV is a streaming service that offers live TV, on-demand shows, and DVR capabilities. You can watch the 2020 NFL Draft on YouTube TV with a subscription.
AT&T TV Now
AT&T TV Now is a good option for NFL Draft fans. It includes ESPN in its $55-per-month Max package, which also gets you 60-plus live channels, 20 hours of DVR storage and two simultaneous streams. You can watch the NFL Draft on the ESPN app, which is available on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Chromecast, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
fuboTV
fuboTV is a live TV streaming service that has 100+ channels available to its subscribers. It also offers a 7-day free trial, so you can try it out before deciding if you want to commit to it. fuboTV is available on most devices, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, and streaming devices such as Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, and Amazon Fire TV.
What to Expect
The 2020 NFL Draft will be held April 23-25 in Las Vegas, Nevada. This will be the first time in history that the draft will be held in Las Vegas. The 2020 NFL Draft will be held at the home of the Las Vegas Raiders, Allegiant Stadium.
Round 1
The 2020 NFL Draft will begin on Thursday, April 23 at 8 p.m. ET.
The first round will consist of 32 picks, with each team having one pick per round. The order of picks will be determined by a random draw, which was held on March 18.
The first round will be broadcast live on ESPN, NFL Network and ABC.
Round 2
The second round of the 2020 NFL Draft will begin on Friday, April 24, at 7 p.m. ET. The round will consist of 32 picks, with the draft order reverting back to the original order for this round. The second round will be televised on ESPN, ABC and NFL Network.
Round 3
The NFL Draft is split into seven rounds, with each team getting one pick in each round. Rounds 4-7 will be held on Saturday, April 25. Here’s a look at what to expect in Round 3 of the draft.
There will be 96 picks made in Round 3, with 32 coming in the first round and 64 in the second. The order of picks will be determined by reverse order of finish from the 2019 season, meaning the Cincinnati Bengals will have the first pick and the Kansas City Chiefs will have the last pick.
Each team will have 10 minutes to make their pick in Round 3. If a team doesn’t make their pick within that time, they will forfeit their pick and can resume making their selection at any time before the start of Round 4.
Round 4
The fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft will begin on Saturday, April 25 at noon ET.
Round 4 will consist of picks 107-144, with the Baltimore Ravens owning the final selection (No. 143 overall). That means there will be 37 picks in Round 4 — one more than in Round 3.
The Ravens also own two selections in Round 4: No. 118 and No. 143 overall. They acquired the No. 118 pick in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams that sent linebacker Kenny Young to L.A. in exchange for offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr., who was subsequently traded to the Kansas City Chiefs on April 23.
The New England Patriots own seven picks in Round 4, while the New Orleans Saints have six selections and the Minnesota Vikings have five picks.
Twenty-two teams have four or more picks in Round 4, while 13 teams have three or fewer selections.
Clubs with three or fewer picks: Jaguars (2), Lions (2), Texans (3), Cardinals (3), Buccaneers (3), Browns (3), Steelers (3), Eagles (3), Packers (3), Chiefs (3) and Rams (3).
Round 5
The New England Patriots are expected to have six picks in the 2020 NFL Draft, which will be held from April 23-25. The Patriots currently have one pick in each of the first four rounds and two in the seventh.
Here’s a look at what to expect from the Patriots in Round 5:
The Patriots have used a fifth-round pick on a wide receiver in each of the last three drafts, so that could be a position to watch again this year.Harry, Meyers and Braxton Berrios were all fifth-round picks who have contributed on offense for the Patriots.
Linebacker is another position that has been addressed in the fifth round recently, with Elandon Roberts and Ja’Whaun Bentley being selected in 2016 and 2018, respectively.
The Patriots could also look to add depth on the offensive line or in the secondary with their fifth-round pick.
Round 6
Like every year, some of the best prospects will be available in the later rounds of the NFL Draft. Here’s a look at some of the players who could be available in Round 6:
-RB Anthony McFarland Jr., Maryland: A do-it-all back who can make an impact as a runner and receiver, McFarland is a player who could excel in a change-of-pace role at the next level.
-LB Malik Harrison, Ohio State: A rangy linebacker with good instincts, Harrison projects as a starter at the next level.
-S Antoine Winfield Jr., Minnesota: The son of former NFL Pro Bowl player Antoine Winfield Sr., Winfield Jr. is a ballhawking safety who could be a steal in the later rounds.
Round 7
The final round of the draft is “Mr. Irrelevant,” where the last pick of the draft (256th overall) is awarded. This year, the honor goes to slot receiver Trevon Diggs out of Alabama.
Diggs was a two-year starter for the Crimson Tide, recording 112 catches for 1,505 yards and 11 touchdowns in his career. He also had 28 punt returns for an average of 10.2 yards per return, with two touchdowns. Diggs is the nephew of former NFL Pro Bowl receiver Stefon Diggs.
The 2020 NFL Draft will come to a conclusion Saturday with rounds 4-7. A total of 32 compensatory picks will be made in rounds 3-7, bringing the total number of selections in the 2020 NFL Draft to 256.
Here’s a look at how many picks each team has in the 2020 NFL Draft:
Arizona Cardinals: 8
Atlanta Falcons: 7
Baltimore Ravens: 9
Buffalo Bills: 7
Conclusion
The 2020 NFL Draft will be held April 23-25 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The draft will be televised on ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network.