Editing NFL draft (section)

==History==
{{See also|List of NFL drafts}}
[[File:Commissioner Goodell at the 2010 NFL Draft podium.jpg|thumb|League commissioner [[Roger Goodell]] announcing a team's selection at the [[2010 NFL draft]]]]
In the early 1930s, [[Stan Kostka]] had an excellent college career as a [[University of Minnesota]] [[running back]], leading the [[Minnesota Gophers]] to an undefeated season in [[1934 Minnesota Golden Gophers football team|1934]]. Every NFL team wanted to sign him. Kostka took advantage of the lack of a draft and held out for the highest possible offer. While a free agent, he even ran for Mayor of [[Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota]]. Although his political career did not take off, Kostka's nine-month NFL holdout succeeded and he became the league's highest-paid player, signing a $5,000 contract with the [[Brooklyn Dodgers (NFL)|Brooklyn Dodgers]] on August 25, 1935. As a response to the bidding war for Stan Kostka, the NFL instituted the draft in 1936.<ref>{{cite news|author=HipsterGopher|title=The NFL Draft exists because of a Minnesota Football star| url=http://www.thedailygopher.com/2017/4/27/15453054/nfl-draft-minnesota-football-philadelphia-eagles-stan-kostka|website=[[SB Nation|The Daily Gopher]]|date=April 27, 2017|access-date=June 7, 2017}}</ref>

In late 1934, [[Art Rooney]], owner of the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]], gave the right of usage of two players to the [[New York Giants]] because Rooney's team had no chance to participate in the postseason. After the owner of the [[Boston Redskins]], [[George Preston Marshall]], protested the transaction, the president of the NFL, [[Joe F. Carr]], disallowed the Giants the ability to employ the players.<ref name="Coenen, 2005, pp. 92-93.">Coenen, 2005, pp. 92–93.</ref> At a league meeting in December 1934, the NFL introduced a [[Waivers (American football)|waiver rule]] to prevent such transactions. Any player released by a team during the season would be able to be claimed by other teams. The selection order to claim the player would be in inverse order to the teams' standings at the time.<ref name="Coenen, 2005, pp. 92-93."/><ref>{{cite news|title=Pros Make Five Changes in Rules To Improve Game|date=December 11, 1934|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=HbMVAAAAIBAJ&pg=6169%2C2107110|work=[[Milwaukee Sentinel]]|page=13|access-date=October 9, 2011}}{{Dead link|date=May 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

Throughout this time, [[Bert Bell]], co-owner of the [[Philadelphia Eagles]], felt his team's lack of competitiveness on the field made it difficult for the Eagles to sell tickets and to be profitable.<ref name="Lyons, 2010, p. 54.">Lyons, 2010, p. 54.</ref> Compounding the Eagles' problems were players signed with teams that offered the most money,<ref name="MacCambridge, 2005, p. 43.">MacCambridge, 2005, p. 43.</ref> or if the money being equal, players chose to sign with the most prestigious teams at the time,<ref name="Maule, 1964, p. 15.">The three most prestigious teams at the time were the Bears, Giants, and the Packers. Maule, 1964, p. 15.</ref> who had established a winning tradition.<ref name="Dunscomb">The players had an auxiliary financial incentive to play with the best teams because 60% of the profit for the NFL championship game went to the players on the winning team and 40% went to the players on the losing team. {{cite news | first = George | last = Dunscomb | title = $6,000 for a Touchdown: George Halas of the Chicago Bears Tells of Costs of Running a Pro Team | date = December 12, 1936 | work = [[Saturday Evening Post]] | pages = 16, 40, 42 }}</ref> As a result, the NFL was dominated by the [[Chicago Bears]], [[Green Bay Packers]], Giants, and Redskins.<ref name="Lyons, 2010, p. 56.">Lyons, 2010, p. 56.</ref><ref name="RUCK, p. 108.">Ruck; Patterson and Weber, 2010, p. 108.</ref> Bell's inability to sign a desired prospect, [[Stan Kostka]], in 1935,<ref name="MacCambridge, 2005, p. 43."/><ref name="Lyons, 2010, KOSTKA, p. 56.">Lyons writes Bell tried to sign Kostka in 1933.Lyons, 2010, p. 56.</ref><ref name="Willis, 2010, p. 338.">Willis, 2010, p. 338.</ref> eventually led Bell to believe the only way for the NFL to have enduring success was for all teams to have an equal opportunity to sign eligible players.<ref name="Lyons, 2010, p. 56."/><ref name="Peterson, 1997, p. 119.">Peterson, 1997, p. 119.</ref><ref name="Williams, 2006, pp. 41-42.">Williams, 2006, pp. 41–42.</ref> At a league meeting on May 18, 1935, Bell proposed a draft be instituted to enhance the possibility of competitive parity on the field in order to ensure the financial viability of all franchises. His proposal was adopted unanimously that day,<ref name="Didinger; Lyons, 2005, p. 256. Draft Accepted">Didinger writes the proposal was accepted the next day, on May 19, 1935. Didinger; Lyons, 2005, p. 256.</ref><ref name="Lyons, 2010, p. 57–58.">Lyons, 2010, p. 57–58.</ref><ref name="Willis, 2010, p. 341–343.">Willis, 2010, p. 341–343.</ref><ref name="DeVito, 2006, p. 84.">DeVito, 2006, p. 84.</ref> although the first draft would not occur until the next off-season.<ref name="Peterson, 1997, p. 119."/><ref name="Williams, 2006, pp. 41-42."/>

The rules for the selection of the players in the first draft were, first, that a list of college seniors<ref name="Baldwin, 2000, p. 192.">Baldwin, 2000, p. 192.</ref><ref name="CC-the Draft">{{cite web|url=http://profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/05-06-143.pdf|title=1936: The First Draft| author=Barnett, Bob|access-date=October 4, 2011| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120311103750/http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/05-06-143.pdf|archive-date=March 11, 2012|url-status=dead}}</ref> would be assembled by each franchise and submitted into a pool. From this pool, each franchise would select, in inverse order to their team's record in the previous year, a player. With this selection, the franchise had the unilateral right to negotiate a contract with that player,<ref name="Lyons, 2010, pp. 58-59">Lyons, 2010, pp. 58–59</ref><ref name="Willis, 2010, p. 342.">Willis, 2010, p. 342.</ref> or the ability to trade that player to another team for a player, or players.<ref>{{cite news | title = Pro Rules on Signing Up of College Players | date = February 10, 1936 | url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=i7cVAAAAIBAJ&pg=6650%2C1839038 | work = Milwaukee Sentinel | page = 10 | access-date =October 10, 2011}}</ref> If, for any reason, the franchise was unsuccessful in negotiating a contract with the player and was unable to trade the player, the president of the NFL could attempt to arbitrate a settlement between the player and the franchise. If the president was unable to settle the dispute, then the player would be placed in the ''reserve list'' of the franchise and would be unavailable to play for any team in the NFL that year.<ref name="Lyons, 2010, pp. 58-59"/><ref name="Willis, 2010, p. 342."/> In the [[1935 NFL season]], the Eagles finished in last place at 2–9, thus securing themselves the first pick in the [[1936 NFL draft|draft]].<ref name="MacCambridge, 2005, p. 44.">MacCambridge, 2005, p. 44.</ref><ref name="Didinger; Lyons, 2005, p. 256.">Didinger; Lyons, 2005, p. 256.</ref><ref name="Willis, 2010, p. 337.">Willis, 2010, p. 337.</ref>

===The first draft (1936)===
The [[1936 NFL draft|first NFL draft]] began at the [[Ritz-Carlton Philadelphia|Ritz-Carlton Hotel]] in [[Philadelphia]] on February 8, 1936.<ref name="Peterson, 1997, p. 119."/><ref name="Williams, 2006, pp. 41-42."/> Ninety names were written on a blackboard in the meeting room from which the teams would choose.<ref name="Lyons, 2010, p. 60.">Lyons, 2010, p. 60.</ref><ref name="Willis, 2010, p. 350.">Willis, 2010, p. 350.</ref> As no team had a scouting department, the list was created from either print media sources, visits to local colleges by team executives, or by recommendations to team executives.<ref name="Lyons, 2010, p. 60."/><ref name="Willis, 2010, p. 350."/><ref name="Davis, 2005, p. 131.">Davis, 2005, p. 131.</ref> The draft would last for nine rounds,<ref name="Williams, 2006, pp. 41-42."/><ref name="Willis, 2010, p. 350."/><ref name="Lyons, 2010, Lyons 5 to 9 rounds, p. 60">Lyons and Willis write the draft was originally set up to have only five rounds, but it was changed to nine rounds during the selection meeting. Lyons, 2010, p. 350.</ref> and it had no media coverage.<ref name="Williams, 2006, pp. 41-42."/> The first player ever selected in the draft was [[Jay Berwanger]]. Bell, prior to the draft, was not successfully able to negotiate a contract with Berwanger so Bell traded him to the [[Chicago Bears|Bears]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Chicago Bears Granted Option on Jay Berwanger |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=XaVQAAAAIBAJ&pg=3397,1514709&hl=en |newspaper=[[Milwaukee Journal]] |page=D4 |date=February 10, 1936 |access-date=October 2, 2011 }}{{Dead link|date=May 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} The Milwaukee Journal implies the Eagles never attempted to negotiate with Berwanger.</ref><ref name="Lyons, 2010, Bell's offer to Berwanger, p. 60.">Lyons writes Bell offer of $150 per game was declined by Berwanger. Lyons, 2010, p. 60.</ref><ref name="Willis, 2010, p. 351.">Willis, 2010, p. 351.</ref> [[George Halas]], owner of the Bears, was also unsuccessful in signing Berwanger.<ref name="Davis, 2005, Halas' offer to Berwanger, pp. 131-132.">Davis writes Berwanger requested a two-year no cut contract for $12,500 per year which George Halas declined to meet. Davis, 2005, pp. 131–132.</ref> Berwanger's decision to not play in the NFL was not unusual, as only twenty-four of the eighty-one players selected chose to play in the NFL that year.<ref name="Willis, 2010, Players change their minds., p. 351.">Willis writes four players chosen in the draft eventually changed their minds and entered into the NFL in 1937. Willis, 2010, p. 351.</ref> The draft was recessed on the first day and it was continued and finished on the next day.<ref name="Lyons, 2010, p. 59.">Lyons, 2010, p. 59.</ref>

This draft saw the emergence of [[Wellington Mara]] as a savant, as he had been subscribing to magazines and local and out-of-town papers to build up dossiers of college players across the country, which resulted in the Giants' drafting of [[Tuffy Leemans]].<ref name="Devito, 2006, p. 85.">Devito, 2006, p. 85.</ref> As a result of the institution of the draft, [[Tim Mara]], owner of the Giants, reduced [[Ken Strong]]'s salary offer to $3,200 from $6,000 a year for [[1936 NFL season|1936]] because Mara felt the draft would alter the salary structure of the NFL.<ref name="Coenen, 2005, pp. 96-97.">Coenen, 2005, pp. 96–97.</ref> Generally, the franchises' exclusivity in negotiating with draft picks produced the immediate effect of, depending on sources, stopping the escalating salaries of new players,<ref name="Williams, 2006, pp. 41-42."/><ref name="Baldwin, 2000, p. 192."/> or reducing their salaries.<ref name="Coenen, 2005. p. 90.">Coenen, 2005, p. 90.</ref><ref name="Devito, 2006, pp. 84.">"The players coming out of college were not happy, as salaries dropped by almost half." Devito, 2006, pp. 84.</ref>  Consequently, contemporary critics charged it was anti-labor.<ref name="Peterson, 1997, pp. 119–120.">Peterson, 1997, pp. 119–120.</ref>

===Early drafts (1937–1946)===
[[Art Rooney]], owner of the [[Pittsburgh Steelers]], chose [[Byron White|Byron "Whizzer" White]] in the first round of the [[1938 NFL draft|1938 draft]] despite White's known public declaration that he would not play professional football and would instead begin work on his [[Rhodes scholarship]]. White did, however, agree to play for the [[1938 NFL season|1938 season]] after Rooney publicly gave him a guaranteed contract of $15,000, double what any other player had ever made in the NFL.<ref name="RUCK, pp. 138-140.">Ruck; Patterson and Weber, 2010, pp. 138–140.</ref> The size of the dollar amount brought condemnation from other owners because it altered the pay expectations of college draftees.<ref name="RUCK, pp. 143, 148.">Ruck; Patterson and Weber, 2010, pp. 143, 148.</ref> For the [[1939 NFL draft|1939 draft]] Wellington, for the first time, was put in charge of drafting players for the Giants. He submitted the list of players into the pool that the Giants—or other franchises—could choose players from. However, in the first round he selected a player, [[Walt Nielsen]], not on the list of players that the Giants or any other franchise had submitted. With a grin Wellington stated, "I didn't think I said I put every name on that list."<ref name="Devito, 2006, pp. 95-96.">Devito, 2006, pp. 95–96.</ref>

In 1939, [[Kenny Washington (American football)|Kenny Washington]] was, to no small extent, viewed as one of the greatest college football players of all time. After information was made available to at least one owner of a franchise that Washington was [[African-American]], he was not drafted by any team for the [[1940 NFL draft]].<ref name="Pervin, 2009, p. 16.">Pervin writes that "Some NFL owners, including Tim Mara, were encouraged to draft Washington but none chose to break the racial barrier." Pervin, 2009, p. 16.</ref>

The draft would be eventually codified into the ''NFL Constitution'',<ref name="NFL Constitution">{{citation | contribution = Organized Professional Team Sports, Part 3 | title = Hearings Before the Antitrust Subcommittee (Subcommittee No. 5) of the Committee on the Judiciary | publisher = United States Government Printing Office | place = Washington | pages = 2580a–2580at | year = 1957|url = https://web.lexis-nexis.com/congcomp/getdoc?HEARING-ID=HRG-1957-HJH-0012 | access-date =October 9, 2011 |url-access=subscription}}. Password protected except at participating U.S. Library.</ref> although no information is available on when that originally occurred.

[[Bill Dudley|"Bullet Bill" Dudley]] was the first overall pick in the [[1942 NFL draft|1942 draft]] and he would eventually become the first player picked first overall in the draft to enter the [[Pro Football Hall of Fame]].<ref name="All Time #1">{{cite web |url=http://www.nfl.com/draft/history/alltimeno1 |title=1936: All Time #1|website=[[NFL.com]]|access-date=October 10, 2011}}</ref>

===Scouting era begins (1946–1959)===
[[Eddie Kotal]] became the first player [[talent scout|scout]] in 1946 when he was hired by [[Dan Reeves (NFL owner)|Dan Reeves]] of the [[Los Angeles Rams]].<ref>{{cite news | first = Pete | last = Dougherty | title = Rams ushered in modern era of with help from former Packers player, coach Eddie Kotal | date = October 14, 2011 | url = http://packersnews.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20111014/PKR07/111014148/Pete-Dougherty-column-Ex-Packer-Kotal-helped-Rams-transform-NFL-scouting | work = [[Green Bay Press-Gazette]] | access-date = October 28, 2011 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120717172928/http://packersnews.greenbaypressgazette.com/article/20111014/PKR07/111014148/Pete-Dougherty-column-Ex-Packer-Kotal-helped-Rams-transform-NFL-scouting | archive-date = July 17, 2012 | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name="MacCambridge, 2005, pp. 55-57.">MacCambridge, 2005, pp. 55–57.</ref>

The NFL's competition with the [[All-America Football Conference]] (AAFC) in 1947 resulted in a temporary institution of a ''bonus pick''. Under this system, the first overall selection was awarded as a bonus pick by a random draw, while the last place team picked second, and so on. The team that won this draft lottery then forfeited its selection in the final round of the draft. The winner was then also eliminated from the draw in future years. By 1958, all twelve clubs in the league at the time had received a bonus choice and this system was abolished.<ref>{{cite book |title=Official 2013 National Football League Record & Fact Book |year=2013 |publisher=[[National Football League]] |location=New York |isbn=978-1-603-20980-9 |url=https://archive.org/details/official2013nati0000unse/page/525 |editor1-last=Zimmer |editor1-first=John |editor2-last=Marini |editor2-first=Matt |access-date=October 11, 2013 |format=PDF |page=[https://archive.org/details/official2013nati0000unse/page/525 525] |url-access=registration }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Draft History: 1940's |url=http://www.profootballhof.com/history/general/draft/1940s.aspx |publisher=[[Pro Football Hall of Fame]] |access-date=October 16, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001024342/http://www.profootballhof.com/history/general/draft/1940s.aspx |archive-date=October 1, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Competitive parity did not, however, quickly arrive in the NFL  as perennial losers, such as the Eagles and [[Chicago Cardinals (NFL, 1920–59)|Chicago Cardinals]], standings' did not improve until 1947.<ref name="Coenen, 2005. p. 90."/><ref name="MacCambridge, 2005, p. 41.">MacCambridge, 2005, p. 41.</ref>

In the [[1949 NFL draft]], [[George Taliaferro]] became the first African-American selected when he was chosen in the thirteenth round. He however, chose to sign with an AAFC team. [[Wallace Triplett|Wally Triplett]] was chosen in the nineteenth and he would be the first African-American to be selected in the draft and make an NFL team.<ref name="AA in pro football">{{cite web |url=http://www.profootballhof.com/history/general/african-americans.aspx |title=African-Americans in Pro Football: Pioneers, Milestones and Firsts|access-date=October 10, 2011}}</ref> After the draft and prior to the start of the season, [[Paul "Tank" Younger]] was signed by the [[Los Angeles Rams]] as a [[free agent]] and became the first NFL player from an [[Historically black colleges and universities|historically black college]].<ref name="MacCambridge, 2005, pp. 55-57."/><ref name="AA in pro football"/> [[Eddie Robinson (American football coach)|Eddie Robinson]], Younger's coach at [[Grambling State University|Grambling]], promptly and unequivocally, impressed upon him that the future of the recruitment and drafting of his colleagues at other black colleges lay in the balance based on his success with the Rams.<ref name="Levy, 2003, p. 102.">Levy incorrectly writes Younger was drafted by the Rams. Levy 2003, p. 102.</ref>

===Technology (1960–1979)===
The [[1960 NFL draft]] marked a turning point in the draft's history because of the pending arrival of the [[American Football League]] (AFL), as it became a "high-stakes, competitive affair."<ref name="Williams, 2006, p. 46.">Williams, 2006, p. 46.</ref>

In 1976, former NFL wide receiver [[Paul Salata]] first coined the moniker "[[Mr. Irrelevant]]" to refer to the last overall player selected in the draft.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://w.espn.go.com/espnw/news-opinion/6450225/2011-nfl-draft-irrelevant-good-thing | title = Irrelevant can be a good thing | access-date = October 11, 2011 | last = Jacobs | first = Melissa | date = April 30, 2011 | archive-url = https://archive.today/20120715093548/http://w.espn.go.com/espnw/news-opinion/6450225/2011-nfl-draft-irrelevant-good-thing | archive-date = July 15, 2012 | url-status = dead }}</ref>

===ESPN and the digital age (1980–2017)===
In 1980, [[Chet Simmons]], president of the year-old [[ESPN]], asked [[Pete Rozelle]] if the fledgling network could broadcast coverage of the draft live on ESPN. Although Rozelle did not believe it would be entertaining television, he agreed.<ref name="Williams, 2006, pp. 52-53.">Williams, 2006, pp. 52–53.</ref><ref name="rsandomirnyt">Sandomir, Richard [https://www.nytimes.com/2010/03/27/sports/27simmons.html?ref=obituaries "Chet Simmons, a Founding Force of ESPN, Dies at 81"] ''The New York Times'', Saturday, March 27, 2010</ref> In 1988, the NFL moved the draft from weekdays to the weekend and ESPN's ratings of the coverage improved dramatically.<ref name ="Williams, 2006, pp. 52-53."/><ref name = "NYT 1991/04/22"> {{cite news | first = Richard | last = Sandomir | title = TV SPORTS; ESPN Show Was a Draftnik's Nirvana | date = April 22, 1991 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1991/04/22/sports/tv-sports-espn-show-was-a-draftnik-s-nirvana.html?src=pm | work = [[The New York Times]] | access-date =October 28, 2011}}</ref>

In 2006, ESPN received competition  when the [[NFL Network]], which had launched in October 2003, began to produce its own draft coverage. ESPN pays the NFL a rights fee for the non-exclusive rights to draft coverage, a fee that is included in its overall contract to televise games (''[[ESPN Sunday Night Football|ESPN Sunday Night NFL]]'' from 1987 to 2005, and ''[[Monday Night Football]]'' from 2006 to the present).<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/early-lead/wp/2017/04/27/espns-layoffs-will-not-even-come-close-to-solving-the-networks-issues/ |title=ESPN's layoffs will not even come close to solving the network's issues|newspaper=The Washington Post|date=April 27, 2017|access-date=November 11, 2017}}</ref>

In 2010, the NFL moved to a three-day draft with the first day encompassing the first round beginning at 8:00&nbsp;pm [[Eastern Daylight Time|EDT]] Thursday, the second day encompassing the second and third rounds beginning at 7:00&nbsp;pm EDT Friday, and third day concluding the process with the final four rounds beginning at 11:00&nbsp;am EDT Saturday.

===Fox, NFL Network, ESPN, and ABC (2018)===

[[2018 NFL draft|2018]] was the first time ever that the draft was carried on broadcast television. As a prelude to their new ''[[Thursday Night Football]]'' contract, [[Fox Sports (United States)|Fox]] and [[NFL Network]] simulcast the first two nights of the draft, with both nights featuring personnel from both NFL Network and Fox.<ref name="foxnfldraft">{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/14/sports/football/fox-nfl-draft.html|title=Fox to Broadcast N.F.L. Draft for First Time|last=Draper|first=Kevin|date=February 14, 2018|work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=February 14, 2018}}</ref> ESPN continued to produce its own coverage of the draft, with [[ESPN2]] simulcasting days 1 and 2, and [[ESPN on ABC|ABC]] simulcasting day 3. NFL Network's main set featured the crew of host [[Rich Eisen]], [[Daniel Jeremiah]], draft expert [[Mike Mayock]], and [[Stanford Cardinal football|Stanford]] head coach [[David Shaw (American football)|David Shaw]], with [[Steve Mariucci]], [[Steve Smith Sr.]], and [[Fox NFL]] lead analyst [[Troy Aikman]] joining from an outside set for day 1. Other analysts included: [[Fox College Football]] lead analyst [[Joel Klatt]], [[Charles Davis (defensive back)|Charles Davis]], and [[Deion Sanders]].

===NFL Network, ABC, and ESPN (2019–present)===

The Fox/NFL Network simulcast would only last one year, as ABC picked up the broadcast television rights for all 3 days of the draft in 2019. ABC's coverage would have the ''[[College GameDay (football)|College GameDay]]'' crew on days 1 and 2, with ''[[Good Morning America]]'' anchor [[Robin Roberts (newscaster)|Robin Roberts]], joined by [[2018 NFL season|2018 NFL MVP]] and [[Kansas City Chiefs]] quarterback [[Patrick Mahomes]], and [[Grammy Awards|Grammy Award winner]] [[Taylor Swift]], co-hosting with ''GameDay'' host [[Rece Davis]] on day 1. Also, on day 1, Swift announced her new single "[[Me! (Taylor Swift song)|ME!]]", featuring [[Panic! at the Disco]]'s [[Brendon Urie]], being released at midnight ET, with the music video debuting on [[YouTube]] at the same time. Day 3 featured the ESPN crew of [[Trey Wingo]], NFL insiders [[Louis Riddick]], and draft experts [[Todd McShay]] and [[Mel Kiper Jr.]], hosting ABC's coverage, which was a simulcast of ESPN's coverage.

For the [[2020 NFL draft]], which was supposed to be in Las Vegas but was moved to a virtual format due to the COVID-19 pandemic, NFL Network decided to simulcast ESPN's coverage of all 3 days. Personalities from NFL Network like: draft guru [[Daniel Jeremiah]], Hall of Fame QB [[Kurt Warner]], and Hall of Fame WR [[Michael Irvin]] joined ESPN personnel on all 3 days. ABC continued to carry a feed with the ''College GameDay'' crew for the first two days of the draft. Majority of the analysts joined remotely from their homes with Trey Wingo, [[Rece Davis]], [[Jesse Palmer]], and [[Maria Taylor (sportscaster)|Maria Taylor]] working from ESPN's Bristol, CT studios. Todd McShay was to also participate in the draft, but was unable to due to him testing positive for COVID.

[[2021 NFL draft|2021]] saw a return to normal as after a one-year hiatus, NFL Network returned to producing their own coverage of the draft. ESPN and ABC continued to carry separate feeds, one with all the "X's and O's" on ESPN, and the other with the ''College GameDay'' crew on ABC. After Wingo left ESPN in 2020, [[Mike Greenberg]], host of ''[[Get Up (TV program)|Get Up!]]'', took over as ESPN's host for the first two nights, while Davis, who continued as ABC's host, hosted ESPN's coverage of Day 3, which was also simulcast on ABC.

[[2022 NFL draft|2022]] saw the draft head to Las Vegas after a two-year wait. NFL Network saw no personnel changes, but ESPN and ABC took a few hits. ESPN announced that insider [[Adam Schefter]] would miss the draft to attend his son's college graduation, and Mel Kiper Jr. would participate virtually because of his COVID-19 vaccination status. Kirk Herbstreit meanwhile, announced himself that he would be dropping out of ABC's draft coverage due to blood clots.