2012 NFL Draft: All You Need to Know About the ESPN and NFL Network Coverage

As we prepare our mock drafts in anticipation of the 2012 National Football League Draft at Radio City Music Hall in New York, television crews are anxiously setting up the production so we can watch. There will be two television networks, three radio networks and countless media outlets, including Bleacher Report, handling every last detail of the draft.


The Draft Schedule

8:00 PM ET, Thursday, April 26 (Round 1)

7:00 PM ET, Friday, April 27 (Rounds 2-3)

Noon ET, Saturday, April 28 (Rounds 4-7)

The television battle is between ESPN and the NFL Network. 


ESPN Coverage 

Here is the ESPN coverage plan.

ESPN/ESPN2/ESPN3 and ESPN Radio will be on hand with Chris Berman, who is covering his 32nd NFL draft and will host ESPN’s primetime coverage on Thursday and Friday. He will be joined by analyst Mel Kiper, Jr., who is working his 29th Draft, and Monday Night Football analyst and Super Bowl-winning head coach Jon Gruden on ESPN’s main set. NFL Insiders Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter will report from an additional set at Radio City, while Suzy Kolber will conduct interviews on-site with draft prospects.

From their studios in Bristol, Bill Polian, former Colts president, and NFL Live host Trey Wingo will provide coverage during the opening round. On Friday and Saturday, Polian will be on-set at Radio City. ESPN Scouts Inc. director of college scouting Todd McShay will have a similar schedule, shifting from the ESPN studios in Bristol to New York on Days 2 and 3.

Day 3 (Rounds 4-7) will feature Wingo hosting from Radio City with Trent Dilfer, Kiper, McShay, Mortensen, Polian and Schefter. Kolber will co-host from Bristol with analysts Tedy Bruschi, Herm Edwards and Ron Jaworski.

The network will have reporters on the ground from different sites around the league. Josina Anderson (St. Louis Rams), Bob Holtzman (Cleveland Browns), Rachel Nichols (Miami Dolphins), Sal Paolantonio (New York Jets) and Ed Werder (Dallas Cowboys).


NFL Network Coverage

72 hours of live coverage starting 8 p.m. ET from Radio City Music Hall and they won’t leave New York until the final pick is taken on Saturday. Their talent roster is not complete yet, but they plan on getting an expert for each position to help breakdown the picks. So expect full coverage on all three days.

The Draft Rooms cams will be located St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys, Denver Broncos, Green Bay Packers and San Francisco 49ers. Plus, all 32 teams will have NFL Network cameras set up for instant interviews.  


Radio Coverage 

ESPN, Fox Sports Radio and Sirius-XM NFL Radio will have special coverage all three days. All the radio can be streamed, so if you are at work, you are covered.