What channel is the NFL Draft on today? Start times, TV schedule for Day 1, Day 2 & Day 3

The 2021 NFL Draft is on the clock. 

It’s been a long and winding road to get to the 2021 draft, with the coronavirus pandemic significantly altering the way that viewers — and teams — operated for 2020.

This year, though, the NFL Draft is turning back to some semblance of normalcy, with Cleveland, Ohio hosting the draft after an all-virtual affair in 2020. While only 13 prospects will be in attendance this year, 58 in total are expected to be involved in some way, meaning there will be plenty of draft night shenanigans surrounding poor wifi signals this Thursday.

So, get prepared to hunker down in front of your TV and watch the unfortunate slide of one — or many — prospects entering this week’s Round 1.

Here’s what you need to know about this year’s NFL Draft broadcasts:

What channel is the NFL Draft on today?

All three days of the NFL Draft will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN and NFL Network. ESPN Deportes will carry the Spanish-language broadcast. 

NFL Network

The league’s media arm is pulling out all the stops for this year’s draft. 

Day 1: At the desk will be host Rich Eisen (his 17th NFL Draft covered), draft analysts Daniel Jeremiah and Charles Davis and Stanford head coach David Shaw for Thursday’s first round. Kurt Warner, Joel Klatt, Ian Rapoport and Melissa Stark round out the group for the day.  

Day 2: Friday evening’s Day 2 features a few changes: Eisen, Jeremiah and Davis return to the table, while Klatt joins them for the second and third rounds. Chris Rose and Peter Schraeger join Rapoport and Stark for ancillary content.

Day 3: Rounds 4 through 7 feature a five-man team of Eisen, Jeremiah, Davis, Schraeger and Rapoport. 

ESPN

The Mouse Family of networks will also be sending some of its best for this year’s draft, starting with the Mothership:

Day 1 and 2: Mike Greenberg earns hosting duties for this year’s draft, and he will be flanked by senior draft analyst Mel Kiper and analysts Louis Riddick and Booger McFarland. Chris Mortensen, Adam Schefter and Suzy Kolber round out the team.

Day 3: Rece Davis hosts both the ABC and ESPN editions on the Rounds 4 through 7 simulcast, and he will be surrounded by Kiper, McShay, Riddick, Mortensen and Schefter.

ABC

ABC will be carrying the NFL Draft once again in 2021, with some ESPN talent heading over to the cable network to host:

Day 1 and 2: Rece Davis, host of College Gameday, will be leading the broadcast alongside Maria Taylor on Day 1 and 2 for ABC. He will be joined by college football analysts Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard, along with ESPN NFL draft analyst Todd McShay. Jesse Palmer and David Pollack will round out the broadcast crew.

Day 3: Davis hosts the ABC/ESPN simulcast on Saturday, with Kiper, McShay, Riddick, Mortensen and Schefter providing analysis for the closing rounds.

ESPN Deportes

ESPN Deportes will be presenting a Spanish language broadcast over all three days, as well, with Eduardo Varela and Pablo Viruega providing coverage.

What time does the NFL Draft start today?

Three different days and seven different rounds of the NFL Draft have three different start times:

Thursday’s first-round gets underway in primetime, with an 8 p.m. ET start time across the board. Each team will have 10 minutes to make a pick, meaning the first round will end around midnight ET, plus added broadcast time.

Friday’s second and third rounds get underway at 7 p.m. ET. Each team will have seven minutes to make a selection in Round 2, with that number dropping to five minutes in Round 3. 

The fourth through seventh rounds on Saturday get underway at noon. Rounds 3 through 6 allows teams five minutes to make a selection, with Round 7 dipping to four minutes per selection.

2021 NFL Draft TV schedule

Thursday’s first first round gets underway at 8 p.m. on ABC, ESPN, NFL Network and ESPN Deportes. 

Saturday’s Rounds 4 through 7 will be simulcast on ABC and ESPN. NFL Network rounds out its coverage 

2021 NFL Draft live stream

There are a number of different streaming services and platforms which offer ESPN, NFL and ABC networks and apps. Most video game consoles carry apps, along with smart TVs (internet required).

For those without cable, there are a number of options for streaming services at your disposal below:

In Canada, the NFL Draft can be streamed live on DAZN, which includes NFL Network coverage and offers a free trial period for new subscribers.

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