ESPN’s First Round NFL Draft Coverage Slips from Last Year

By ( Broadcasting & Cable ) published

ESPN drew 7 million viewers for its coverage of the NFL Draft’s first round Thursday, which fell 29% from last year.

The 2014 draft, which drew nearly 10 million viewers for its first-round coverage, featured top prospect Johnny Manziel’s fall into the end of the night, which boosted ratings to a record high. This year’s draft was also the first to be held outside of New York, moving to Chicago.

The 7 million was still the third-best for the first round since the NFL Draft went to the three-day coverage in 2010.