dont like change. haha no seriously i thought they had it right two years ago, i didnt like this years change, now they are just dragging it out as a marketing tool. i dont think it will have any impact on the draft itself tho.

but i like it though

I wish they wouldn’t have changed anything. And since they did, I would have preferred a first round on friday night, with two more rounds on saturday and the rest on Sunday. I’ll still love the draft regardless of when it’s held though and it does give us one more day to speculate things.

I understand the reasoning for the NFL Draft going primetime (more viewership) and it makes sense on its face, but from a practical standpoint, I think it will backfire. First of all, how many viewers does the NFL think its going to gain by moving the first round from Saturday to Friday? I think it’s fair to say that most people who already watch the draft, would do so regardless – even if it were on a 3:00 a.m. – because they (and I include myself in this group) are the hardcore fans. So you have to ask yourself, what difference does Friday night make for the casual viewer as opposed to Saturday afternoon? I think a valid argument could be made that the average NFL fan would actually have more going on Friday after work as opposed to a Saturday afternoon in the early spring.

Second, even if the draft does net an initial increase in viewereship, there is a risk that viewership overall will be comparable to the current format, or even less. Think about it. What keeps you from watching after your team picks? Well for most people, it’s the anticipation of your team’s next pick. With rounds 1 and 2 on the same day, most teams are likely to have at least two picks. When the team makes it’s first selection, they start to get excited about the next one. Fans are in it for the long haul. Typically, teams only have one pick in the first round. By having round 1on it’s own day, the NFL risks the possibility of a mass exodus of fans departing as soon as their team makes their pick (e.g. a group of 20-something guys sit around, have a few beers at their buddy’s place and then as soon as their team makes a selection, it’s off to the bars!).

Finally, in it’s current format (or I should say former, now), the draft is split up into two days, but Day 1 is where all the excitement is at. Day 2 is preserved – at least viewership wise – for the diehards. Now that the NFL has spread the draft out over three days, Day 3 is going to become even more insignificant. In addition, they risk losing some off the allure of rounds 2 and 3. When rounds 2 and 3 are tied to the first round, they piggyback off of round 1’s success. Will they be as successful as a stand alone or will they become an afterthought like the later rounds have become?

Overall, I think this will backfire on the NFL and we will see a return to the current format.

I used to enjoy getting my wife to leave for the weekend so I can veg in my boxers, and gorge myself on beer, steak, and nachos, while watching the draft. This just ruins the whole thing.

I’m freaking out. The Office is on Thursday nights. I suppose if the draft doesn’t upset the Lost schedule, I’ll find a way to cope…

the draft is usually the only thing good on tv that sunday, so it stays on espn the whole day. i also hate that last years draft was on nfl network and espn, so dumb.

What makes the draft so enjoyable is getting your diehard football fan friends over for beer grilling and a day of football. With it broken up into 3 days, rather nights, the allure is gone and so is the idea of a day dedicated to sports. Boo. Three days means a lot of viewers will miss at least one. I know I’ll tune in for all three but a lot of people will simply not be able to have three free nights in a row for the draft. Boo.

Let me preface by saying I respect every sports fan opinion. Honestly, how is the NFL draft your second favorite sports weekend of the year? No offense my fellow Buffalonian, but there are more than just a couple weekends that top the NFL draft. Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE the NFL draft but dude, c’mon. AFC / NFC Championship weekend, SuperBowl, Wild Card, Divisional, The Masters, US Open, British Open, PGA Championship, any random NHL playoffs weekend, any weekend of March Madness. Which of these is your favorite?

Anyway. Can you blame the NFL? For a league that bogarts the majority of ESPN broadcast time and has more money than God, why the hell would they not try and make a move to making the draft prime time and essentially accessible to everyone? The NFL will get increased viewers, more money off “draft day” merchandise, increased exposure of future NFL stars, etc. etc. etc. etc.

I agree that, yes it sucks in a certain way. For true NFL and NCAA fans, the draft is a huge deal. We understand the importance of not only each individual pick for NFL teams but seeing beloved and hated former college players make the next step.

Let’s be serious everyone, the NFL would be absolutely insane to not make such a move.

Is there really a bigger audience for the draft than what already watches it? I can’t believe there are really that many more people who care to watch that aren’t already watching it. I DO NOT like splitting up rounds 1 and 2. Not really sure why you would put it over 3 days……I don’t think I can really pay attention for that long…or have my wife allow me to get away with paying attention for that long.

the NFL has ever made…it will regret this I hope!