The McBoard? ESPN's Draft Coverage Should be Fun

ESPN’s 30^th NFL Draft Telecast

Berman, Johnson, Kiper, Mortensen and Young Lead Coverage from Radio City

Chris Berman, Mel Kiper, Jr., and a team of hosts, analysts and reporters will be a part of ESPN’s 30^th consecutive year of televising the NFL Draft (April 25-26) from Radio City Music Hall in New York. The 16 hours of planned live coverage on ESPN and ESPN2 over two days will be supplemented by Draft-related content on multiple ESPN platforms throughout the weekend, including ESPN Radio, ESPNEWS and ESPN.com.

Berman and Kiper, working their 29^th and 26^th NFL Drafts for ESPN, respectively, will team with analysts Keyshawn Johnson and Steve Young on the main set from Radio City on Day 1. NFL Live host Trey Wingo and first-year analyst Herm Edwards, as well as NFL insider Chris Mortensen, will report from additional set locations in the hall, while reporter Erin Andrews will conduct green room and post-pick interviews with the prospects invited to the Draft. Also, ESPN Scouts Inc. director of college scouting Todd McShay will be a major contributor to the coverage from ESPN’s Bristol, Conn., studios.

SportsCenter Special: On the Clock at 11 a.m. ET on Saturday, April 25, will kickoff ESPN’s comprehensive coverage. The five-hour pre-Draft line-up will include Monday Night Football’s Mike Tirico hosting with Suzy Kolber and analysts Cris Carter, Trent Dilfer, Tom Jackson and Ron Jaworski, College GameDay’s Kirk Herbstreit, McShay, and correspondent Michael Smith in Bristol.

The focus will shift to Berman and the crew in Radio City in the 3 p.m. hour before the NFL Draft telecast officially begins at 4 p.m. ESPN’s Day 1 coverage will switch to ESPN2 at 9 p.m. through the conclusion of round 2.

ESPN will televise all eight hours on Day 2 (Sunday, April 26, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.) with Wingo hosting from Radio City with Edwards, Jaworski, Kiper and Mortensen. Kolber will co-host from Bristol and be joined by Carter, Dilfer, Jackson, McShay, and Smith.

What’s New in 2009:

• Draft telecast will be presented in high definition for the first time (ESPN HD and ESPN2 HD);
• Redesigned compression format will present information along the bottom of the screen and on the right-side HD bar (no graphics on left-side HD bar), offering a true 16x9 presentation;
• McShay will use a perceptive pixel touch screen (aka “the McBoard”) to react to picks and to identify best available players and player movement scenarios;
• McShay and Kiper discussion segments will be part of coverage both days;
• Former NFL head coach Herm Edwards will offer analysis both days in his first draft for ESPN;
• ESPN Axis technology will highlight players’ abilities and how their skills will translate to the NFL;
• EA Virtual Playbook segments with Jackson will identify NFL teams’ personnel needs and how draftees will fill specific needs in the pros;
• Five-hour SportsCenter Special (Sat., Apr. 25, 11 a.m.) before Draft telecast kicks off at 4 p.m.
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As part of its extensive NFL Draft coverage, ESPN will dispatch reporters throughout the weekend to team sites across the country for all the latest updates and reactions, including: Pedro Gomez (at Arizona), Rachel Nichols (Detroit), Wendi Nix (New England), Sal Paolantonio (N.Y. Jets-Day 1/Philadelphia-Day 2) and Ed Werder (Denver). Also, ESPN’s Los Angeles-based correspondent Shelley Smith will be with USC quarterback and projected first-round pick Mark Sanchez, who will be with his family in Southern California on draft day. Sanchez is one of many draftees whom ESPN will be tracking and speaking with beyond Radio City during the telecast.

ESPN NFL Draft TV schedule (Apr. 25-26):

Sat., Apr. 25 11 a.m. ET SportsCenter Special: On the Clock (ESPN)

1 p.m. SportsCenter Special: On the Clock (ESPN2)

3:30 p.m. SportsCenter Special: On the Clock (ESPN/simulcast on ESPN2)

4 p.m. 2009 NFL Draft (ESPN)

9 p.m. 2009 NFL Draft (ESPN2)

Sun., Apr. 26 10 a.m. 2009 NFL Draft - Day 2 (ESPN)

ESPNEWS

ESPNEWS will supplement its traditional multisport news coverage on Saturday, April 25 with eight hours (8 a.m. - 4 p.m.) of “On the Clock” team-by-team draft previews, analyzing one NFL division per hour -- 10 minutes per team concluding with the Detroit Lions. Mike Hill will host the first four hours with McShay and director of NFL scouting Jeremy Green of ESPN Scouts Inc., NFL analyst Qadry Ismail and Palmer. Kevin Connors will host from noon – 4 p.m. with Green, NFL analyst Marcellus Wiley and college football analyst Brock Huard.

When the Draft telecast begins on ESPN at 4 p.m., ESPNEWS will provide expanded coverage -- along with highlights, news and information from other sports events of the day -- with host Suzy Kolber and analysts Carter, Dilfer, Jackson and college football analyst Jesse Palmer providing analysis and reactions to picks for the first two hours. From 6 p.m. to midnight, hosts Rece Davis, Jonathan Coachman and J.W. Stewart will be joined by Eric Allen, Pat Forde, James Hasty and Huard for interviews with coaches, general managers and draftees, as well as updates and analysis through the second round.

On Day 2, draft-related content on ESPNEWS kicks off at 1 p.m. with Ismail and Allen and will continue throughout the day. ESPNEWS will highlight the NFL Draft winners and losers on Monday, April 27 at noon.

ESPNEWS “On the Clock” Team-by-Team Divisional Previews:

AFC East: Dolphins (8 a.m.), Patriots (8:15), Jets (8:30), Bills (8:45)

NFC East: Giants (9 a.m.), Eagles (9:15), Cowboys (9:30), Redskins (9:45)

AFC South: Titans (10 a.m.), Colts (10:15), Texans (10:30), Jaguars (10:45)

NFC South: Panthers (11 a.m.), Falcons (11:15), Buccaneers (11:30), Saints (11:45)

AFC West: Chargers (12 p.m.), Broncos (12:15), Raiders (12:30), Chiefs (12:45)

NFC West: Cardinals (1 p.m.), 49ers (1:15), Seahawks (1:30), Rams (1:45)

AFC North: Steelers (2 p.m.), Ravens (2:15), Bengals (2:30), Browns (2:45)

NFC North: Vikings (3 p.m.), Bears (3:15), Packers (3:30), Lions (3:45)

ESPN Radio

ESPN Radio’s Freddie Coleman and ESPN.com senior NFL writer John Clayton will host ESPN Radio’s NFL Draft Day 1 coverage from Radio City Music Hall, joined by Ryen Rusillo from the network’s Bristol, Conn., studios. Day 1 coverage begins at 3 p.m. and will continue through the second round of the draft including interviews with top players and other newsmakers. Jon Stashower will host the ESPN Radio Draft Preview Show from 1-3 p.m. ET on Saturday.

ESPN’s 2009 NFL Draft Lineup:

ESPN – Day 1:

Radio City Music Hall in New York City –

• Set #1: Chris Berman, Keyshawn Johnson, Mel Kiper Jr. and Steve Young
• Set #2: Trey Wingo and Herm Edwards
• Stage set: Chris Mortensen
• Reporter: Erin Andrews

Bristol, Conn. –

• Perceptive Pixel touch screen: Todd McShay
• SportsCenter Special: On the Clock (11 a.m. – 4 p.m.): Mike Tirico, Suzy Kolber, Cris Carter, Trent Dilfer, Kirk Herbstreit, Tom Jackson, Ron Jaworski, McShay and Michael Smith

NFL Team Sites –

• Reporters Pedro Gomez (at Arizona), Rachel Nichols (Detroit), Wendi Nix (New England), Sal Paolantonio (N.Y. Jets/Philadelphia-Day 2) and Ed Werder (Denver)

ESPN – Day 2:

• Radio City Music Hall: Wingo, Edwards, Jaworski, Kiper, and Mortensen
• Bristol: Kolber, Carter, Dilfer, Jackson, McShay, and Smith

ESPN Radio:

• Freddie Coleman and John Clayton will host Day 1 coverage from Radio City Music Hall; Ryen Rusillo will also join from Bristol. Jon Stashower will host the ESPN Radio Draft Preview Show

ESPNEWS:

• Mike Hill and Kevin Connors will host “On the Clock” previews with McShay, Jeremy Green, Brock Huard, Qadry Ismail, Jesse Palmer and Marcellus Wiley beginning at 8 a.m. on Saturday, Apr. 25
• Suzy Kolber will host expanded draft coverage with Carter, Dilfer, Jackson and Palmer (4-6 p.m.)

Courtesy ESPN PR

Scott Wright from Draft Countdown

Scott Wright, the founder of Draft Countdown, joins Matty to talk NFL draft, and talks about Richmond's Lawrence Sidbury and UMaine's Jovan Belcher, along with Matthew Stafford, Pat White, Michael Crabtree, and Patriots draft stuff. Enjoy it, this guy is fantastic, and check out his website linked above. The audio of the interview is below...

Scott Wright Draft Countdown.com 031309

2009 NFL Mock Draft

Chris Sedenka from WJAB and Matty sit down and hash out a mock draft. Picks 1-10 today, Chris takes the odd, Matt takes the even.

1st pick: Detroit Lions: Eugene Monroe, OT, UVA

Outstanding tackle, who could be someone to build around for years. We all know that Detroit will take Stafford though.

2nd Pick: St Louis Rams: Jason Smith, OT Baylor
After releasing Orlando Pace and neglecting the offensive line in last year's draft, the Rams look to lock up the wunderkid from Baylor.

3rd pick: Kansas City Chiefs: Aaron Curry, LB Wake
For a team that is rebuilding what is better than an impact Linebacker from Day 1

4th pick: Seattle Seahawks: Malcolm Jenkins, CB Ohio ST
In a division that has the high flying Arizona Cardinals offense, the Seahawks need to beef up their defensive backfield to compete. Jenkins should be a good addition.

5th Pick: Cleveland Browns: Brian Orakpo, DE/OLB Texas
This team desperately needs speed on the outside. Orakpo can step right in with his athleticism and give Eric Mangini the type of player he had hoped Vernon Gholston would be.

6th Pick: Cincinnati Bengals: Michael Crabtree, WR Texas Tech
TJ Houshmanzadeh has left the building, Chris Henry could show up on a police blotter any second, and Chad Johnson is dying to leave. What better way to re-stock Carson Palmer's arsenal than with the Red Raider wideout.

7th Pick: Oakland Raiders: Jeremy Maclin, WR, Mizzou
This team desperately needs a game breaker. Maclin has great open-field speed and will progress as a wideout.

8th Pick: Jacksonville Jaguars: Matthew Stafford, QB Georgia
A projected number one overall pick falls in the Jags lap, and if last year proved anything it was that David Garrard was not that good.

9th Pick: Green Bay Packers: BJ Raji, DT, Boston College
The new 3-4 defense needs an anchor. Raji is that anchor. He impressed at the combine and should be a starter right away.

10th Pick: San Francisco 49ers: Mark Sanchez, QB, USC
Do the 49ers finally admit Alex Smith is not going to pan out? Is Shaun Hill the answer? Have I sued too many question marks? Sanchez is a California guy, and the 49ers would love to keep that connection as they attempt to work out a new stadium deal.

Monday Thoughts and Links

As the NFL world starts to settle down after the Buffalo Bills and Terrell Owens seemingly became the football equivalent of the couple that gets married in Vegas after knowing each other for a few hours, the interesting thought is, who do the Bills take in the draft now? Do they go defense? Offensive line? There is a a possibility of going after Brian Orakpo from Texas, but he would be off the board before 11 if the draft experts have their way. Needless to say, if the Bills can hit a home run with pick 11, they may be able to challenge for the division this season. On to the links...

NFL Draft

The Examiner looks at possible running backs for the Indianapolis Colts.

Scout.com profiles Liberty running back Rashad Jennings, who could be a sleeper this season.

Ray Ratto takes time from eating creme horns to pen a column bashing the NFL Combine. Does anyone else think he looks like William Conrad?



Steve Hasler from Ravens 24x7 discusses the Ravens second round draft strategy and the fact that they may need to make some adjustments.

The Dallas Morning News points out that players from New Jersey are going to be a major part of the NFL draft.

The Bleacher Report re-ranks the top prospects by position.

There may be another battle of Ohio, as the Browns and Bengals are both looking at combine star Jared Cook.

The Football Expert interviews Utah DE Paul Kruger.

Fan IQ ranks the sleepers in the draft.

Nicholas Cotsonika of the Detroit Free Press has a bit of a man-crush on one Matthew Stafford.

UCA Sports has a profile on two of their recent grads looking to be drafted.

Russ Lande breaks down North Carolina wide receiver Hakeem Nicks, who made one of the all-time great catches against West Virginia.

CFL

It was a weekend for record breaking performances at the CFL's E-Camp this weekend, as the 40 yard sprint(dash if you will) has a new bench mark.

The Toronto Star does a nice piece on University of Toronto DB Matt Morris.

Today's Pro Days

Central Washington, Clark, Colorado, Eastern Washington, Georgia Tech, Montana, Southeastern Oklahoma, Tulsa, and Utah

Football Draft Talk Audio Content

The CMSB devoted some time to the NFL Draft this winter, and they have been kind enough to supply us with the audio of those interviews so you can find them all in one place.

This is Mel Kiper from ESPN in December



We try to make the Audio Interviews easy to find and we will post them whenever we get one in. More on the way...