The NFL Draft is a little Different this Year...as They Go PRIME TIME !
Here's some Info as to How it will work..................
The biggest stars at this year’s NFL draft won’t be the prospects themselves.
With the first round being held in prime time Thursday night, the league has upped the “Hollywood” factor for its live presentation from New York City. Among the celebrities scheduled to walk the red carpet into Radio City Music Hall are actresses Whoopi Goldberg and Alyssa Milano, who is featured in an NFL marketing campaign. The league also has invited some of its own legends to help commemorate the draft’s 75th anniversary. Joe Montana, Dan Marino and Barry Sanders will be among those in attendance.
“We started meeting earlier than ever before in terms of planning all the different ideas and concepts to try and build the biggest draft of all time,” said Charles Coplin, the NFL’s vice president of programming and planning.
This will be the NFL’s biggest draft in terms of exposure. With the selection process being spread over three days -- including two nights in prime time -- the league is expected to eclipse the 39 million viewers who watched last April’s two-day weekend draft coverage.
But the NFL also is aware that the final two days could use some bells and whistles to help keep casual fans interested. To that end, the league has invited a record 16 prospects to New York City expecting that some will last until Friday night’s second and third rounds. A few more players may still be added.
The draft’s third day (rounds four to seven) will feature something new. Rather than the fourth-round picks being announced from the podium, the choices will be made by retired players seated at their team’s Radio City Music Hall draft table. Mark Bavaro (New York Giants) and Tony Boselli (Jacksonville) will be among those participating Saturday.
Coplin believes the buzz after Thursday night’s picks will help fuel interest heading into Friday night.
“You’ll have the post mortem on the Thursday decisions and the implications of what it means for the Friday selections,” Coplin said. “There will be a frenzy on websites, Twitter and from all the people covering the draft. All this activity will really be unprecedented.”
Trades may give fans and media even more to talk about. Because of the format change, there will now be an 18-hour window between the first and second rounds. The extra time could lead to more player movement among teams that weren’t able to address a need on Thursday.
“By having more time, you’re going to come up with more ideas and it will lead to more conversation,” New Orleans general manager Mickey Loomis said. “Now, whether that leads to more deals, who knows? I’m anxious to see how it works.
“At the end of the day, you still have your (draft) board and you’re going to follow it. You may tweak it overnight like you might not have done otherwise. But you do too much work in the months leading up to the draft to let 24 hours make that much of a difference to you.”
Here's some Info as to How it will work..................
The biggest stars at this year’s NFL draft won’t be the prospects themselves.
With the first round being held in prime time Thursday night, the league has upped the “Hollywood” factor for its live presentation from New York City. Among the celebrities scheduled to walk the red carpet into Radio City Music Hall are actresses Whoopi Goldberg and Alyssa Milano, who is featured in an NFL marketing campaign. The league also has invited some of its own legends to help commemorate the draft’s 75th anniversary. Joe Montana, Dan Marino and Barry Sanders will be among those in attendance.
“We started meeting earlier than ever before in terms of planning all the different ideas and concepts to try and build the biggest draft of all time,” said Charles Coplin, the NFL’s vice president of programming and planning.
This will be the NFL’s biggest draft in terms of exposure. With the selection process being spread over three days -- including two nights in prime time -- the league is expected to eclipse the 39 million viewers who watched last April’s two-day weekend draft coverage.
But the NFL also is aware that the final two days could use some bells and whistles to help keep casual fans interested. To that end, the league has invited a record 16 prospects to New York City expecting that some will last until Friday night’s second and third rounds. A few more players may still be added.
The draft’s third day (rounds four to seven) will feature something new. Rather than the fourth-round picks being announced from the podium, the choices will be made by retired players seated at their team’s Radio City Music Hall draft table. Mark Bavaro (New York Giants) and Tony Boselli (Jacksonville) will be among those participating Saturday.
Coplin believes the buzz after Thursday night’s picks will help fuel interest heading into Friday night.
“You’ll have the post mortem on the Thursday decisions and the implications of what it means for the Friday selections,” Coplin said. “There will be a frenzy on websites, Twitter and from all the people covering the draft. All this activity will really be unprecedented.”
Trades may give fans and media even more to talk about. Because of the format change, there will now be an 18-hour window between the first and second rounds. The extra time could lead to more player movement among teams that weren’t able to address a need on Thursday.
“By having more time, you’re going to come up with more ideas and it will lead to more conversation,” New Orleans general manager Mickey Loomis said. “Now, whether that leads to more deals, who knows? I’m anxious to see how it works.
“At the end of the day, you still have your (draft) board and you’re going to follow it. You may tweak it overnight like you might not have done otherwise. But you do too much work in the months leading up to the draft to let 24 hours make that much of a difference to you.”