2015 NFL Draft: Schedule, TV Channel, Broadcast Teams and More
By Jim Oxley
It’s finally here: the 2015 NFL Draft kicks off tonight in Chicago.
The 2015 installment of the NFL Draft will be the 80th in league history. This year, the draft moves from Radio City Music Hall in New York City (where it has been held since 2006) to the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. This is the first NFL Draft in 50 years that won’t be held in New York.
Here’s everything you need to know about the draft:
• Round 1: Thursday, April 30, 7 p.m. central
Teams will be allotted 10 minutes to make their selections in the first round of the NFL Draft.
• Rounds 2-3: Friday, May 1, 6 p.m. central
Teams will have 7 minutes to select second round prospects, and will have a 5-minute limit in the third round.
Wisconsin Badgers
• Rounds 4-7: Saturday, May 2, 11 a.m. central
Rounds 4, 5, and 6 will also feature 5-minute time limits, while teams will have 4 minutes to make selections in the 7th round.
• TV Channel
The draft can be seen in its entirety on either ESPN or the NFL Network.
Here’s ESPN’s draft coverage:
"On Thursday, April 30, Chris Berman (covering his 35th draft) will host Round 1 with NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. (his 32nd), Super Bowl winning head coach and Monday Night Footballanalyst Jon Gruden, and two-time Super Bowl champion Ray Lewis. NFL Insiders Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter will report from another set inside the theatre and NFL Insiders host Suzy Kolber will conduct interviews on the gold carpet and inside the green room.On Friday, May 1, NFL Live’s Trey Wingo will host Rounds 2 and 3 with Super Bowl-winning quarterback Trent Dilfer, and NFL Draft analysts Kiper and Todd McShay. Mortensen, Schefter and Kolber will also contribute to the telecast.On Saturday, May 2, Wingo, Kiper, McShay and six-time National Football League Executive of the Year Bill Polian, a 2015 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, will cover Rounds 4-7 with Mortensen and Schefter."
Here’s NFL Network’s draft coverage:
"Rich Eisen hosts the NFL Network’s main set coverage, with analysts Mike Mayock, Steve Mariucci, and Stanford head coach David Shaw. The NFL Network’s outside (Grant Park) desk for the opening round consists of host Rose and analysts Marshall Faulk, Michael Irvin and Kurt Warner. Charles Davis and Daniel Jeremiah will provide additional analysis. Ian Rapoport is the NFL Network insider and will be based in Grant Park for all three days. Deion Sanders will ask questions on stage while Melissa Stark will appear backstage."
• Prospects attending the draft (courtesy NFL.com):
Arik Armstead, DL, Oregon
Vic Beasley, DE/LB, Clemson
La’el Collins, OL, LSU
Landon Collins, S, Alabama
Bud Dupree, LB, Kentucky
Cameron Erving, OL, Florida State
Dante Fowler, DE/LB, Florida
Melvin Gordon, RB Wisconsin
Randy Gregory, DE/LB, Nebraska
Todd Gurley, RB, Georgia
D.J. Humphries, OL, Florida
Kevin Johnson, CB, Wake Forest
Byron Jones, CB, Connecticut
Benardrick McKinney, LB, Mississippi State
Cedric Ogbuehi, OT, Texas A&M
DeVante Parker, WR, Louisville
Andrus Peat, OL, Stanford
Breshad Perriman, WR, Central Florida
Shane Ray, DL, Missouri
Brandon Scherff, OL, Iowa
Danny Shelton, DL, Washington
Devin Smith, WR, Ohio State
Donovan Smith, OT, Penn State
Jaelen Strong, WR, Arizona State
Laken Tomlinson, OL, Duke
Trae Waynes, CB, Michigan State
Kevin White, WR, West Virginia
Leonard Williams, DL, USC
Stay tuned to Badger of Honor for updates throughout draft weekend.