ESPN Adds College GameDay Built by The Home Depot and Saturday Simulcast on ABC to 2018 NFL Draft Plans

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ESPN Adds College GameDay Built by The Home Depot and Saturday Simulcast on ABC to 2018 NFL Draft Plans

  • College GameDay Built by The Home Depot will be in Arlington, Texas, April 26-27 for Its First-Ever NFL Draft Shows
  • ESPN2 to Offer a College-Themed Viewing Option for Round 1
  • ESPN’s Telecast of Rounds 4-7 on April 28 will be Simulcast on ABC
  • ESPN’s NFL Draft Marathon Will Present 26 Consecutive Hours of Coverage Leading into Round 1

Photos via ESPN Images

College GameDay promo

College GameDay Built by The Home Depot – college football’s longest-running and most-celebrated pregame show – will make its first visit to the NFL Draft this spring as part of ESPN’s extensive coverage of the three-day event (April 26-28) in Arlington, Texas. On April 26-27, ESPN will feature a GameDay pre-draft show in the afternoon. GameDay will also be part of a college-themed option of Round 1 in prime time on ESPN2 in addition to the traditional pick-by-pick coverage on ESPN.

The NFL Draft Presented by Courtyard – ESPN’s 39th consecutive year of presenting the NFL’s annual player selection event – will include another first: a simulcast on ABC of Rounds 4-7 on Saturday, April 28 (12-7 p.m. ET).

On Thursday, April 26, Rece Davis will host a special two-hour College GameDay Built by The Home Depot (5-7 p.m., ESPN) from the NFL Draft Experience outside AT&T Stadium prior to the draft’s opening round. Davis will be joined on-set by GameDay regulars Lee Corso, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard and David Pollack. At 8 p.m., the GameDay-themed draft telecast will offer reactions and analysis to the picks from college and NFL experts on ESPN2, while ESPN will feature host Trey Wingo with Mel Kiper Jr., Louis Riddick and Herbstreit, who will make his debut on the main set. Todd McShay, Chris Mortensen, Adam Schefter and Suzy Kolber will also be key contributors to Round 1 on ESPN.

On April 27, GameDay will have a one-hour special (5 p.m.) before the telecast of Rounds 2-3 airs on ESPN/ESPN2 at 7 p.m.

“ESPN has presented the NFL Draft for nearly 40 years and we take great pride in finding new and exciting ways to continue to elevate and differentiate our coverage,” said Burke Magnus, ESPN executive vice president, programming and scheduling. “The draft is the perfect intersection of college football and the NFL, so giving fans the opportunity to experience Round 1 through the lens of College GameDay makes perfect sense. Building off the success of our NFL Wild Card and Pro Bowl simulcasts, we are also excited to present the NFL Draft on ABC for the first time with Saturday’s coverage of Rounds 4-7.”

On April 28, Rounds 4-7 will be televised live on ESPN and simulcast on ABC. The entire three-day NFL Draft telecast will be streamed live on the ESPN App. Additionally, ESPN Radio will broadcast the first two nights of the NFL Draft with Dari Nowkhah, Bill Polian and Chris Canty. ESPN Deportes will offer a Spanish-language telecast of Round 1, while Rounds 2-3 will air in Spanish on ESPN3.

Leading into Round 1, ESPN will offer an unprecedented 26 consecutive hours of NFL Draft coverage, beginning Wednesday, April 25, with the 6 p.m. edition of SportsCenter. Other popular programs will be part of the marathon, including ESPN Radio’s Golic and Wingo and NFL Live, which will originate from the NFL Draft Experience in Arlington.

ESPN Programming Originating from the NFL Draft in Arlington, Texas: 

Date Time (ET) Show Network(s)
Thu, Apr 26 6-10 a.m. Golic and Wingo ESPN Radio, ESPNEWS*
3-5 p.m. NFL Live Presented by Corona Extra ESPN
5-7 p.m. College GameDay Built by The Home Depot ESPN
7-8 p.m. NFL Draft Countdown ESPN
8-11:30 p.m. NFL Draft Presented by Courtyard

(Round 1)

ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Radio
Fri, Apr 27 6-10 a.m. Golic and Wingo ESPN Radio, ESPNEWS*
3-5 p.m. NFL Live Presented by Corona Extra ESPN
5-6 p.m. College GameDay Built by The Home Depot ESPN
6-7 p.m. NFL Draft Countdown ESPN
7-11:30 p.m. NFL Draft Presented by Courtyard

(Rounds 2-3)

ESPN/ESPN2,

ESPN Radio

Sat, Apr 28 12-7 p.m. NFL Draft Presented by Courtyard

(Rounds 4-7)

ESPN, ABC

*Golic and Wingo will also be simulcast on ESPN2 from 6-7 a.m.

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Bill Hofheimer

I oversee ESPN’s College Sports PR, while also working on ESPN soccer, Around the Horn, PTI and more. Previously oversaw communications for ESPN's Monday Night Football and NFL studio shows.
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