How to Watch the 2025 NFL Draft: TV Schedule and Top Storylines

With buzz surrounding top picks like Travis Hunter and Shedeur Sanders, the 2025 NFL Draft should have plenty of surprises. Here's how to watch all the action with Sling.

The NFL Draft is like a combination of Christmas and New Year’s. Christmas in that fans are “gifted” new players for their teams, and New Year’s in that each draft represents a new start for each franchise, especially those looking to put the past year behind them.

Although NFL Draft Day isn’t an official holiday, you’ll still want to mark your calendars for it. The first round takes place Thursday, April 24, followed by rounds 2-3 on Friday, April 25, and rounds 4-7 on Saturday, April 26. Here’s everything you need to know to watch every round live with Sling.

How to Watch the NFL Draft with Sling

The 2025 NFL Draft will have coverage on three different networks: ESPN, ABC/ ESPN3, and NFL Network. To watch NFL Network or ABC coverage (in select markets) of the 2024 NFL Draft, subscribe to Sling Blue. To watch ESPN draft coverage, subscribe to Sling Orange. Or to watch the most NFL football with Sling (including NFL RedZone every Sunday this fall), use the link below to subscribe to Sling Orange + Blue with Sports Extras.

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Which Channels Have NFL Draft Coverage?

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There will be three different broadcasts featuring live draft coverage and analysis. Here’s what you can expect from each:

• ESPN (Sling Orange or Orange + Blue): ESPN’s coverage will look familiar to those who have been watching the Worldwide Leader in recent years. Mike Greenberg will anchor coverage for the fifth-straight year, with the legendary Mel Kiper Jr. at the desk for his 42nd NFL Draft. They’ll be joined by former NFL players turned analysts Booger McFarland and Louis Riddick, along with Adam Schefter for breaking news and Molly McGrath with athlete interviews. Saturday’s ESPN and ABC coverage will feature new addition Peter Schrager joining the crew, along with NFL Draft Analyst Matt Miller.
• ABC (Sling Blue in select markets; available with Sling Orange on ESPN3): ABC’s round one coverage will feature the College GameDay crew of Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, and Nick Saban, with NFL Live’s Field Yates and Laura Rutledge joined by Pete Thamel with up-to-the-minute news.
• NFL Network (Sling Blue): Rich Eisen will anchor NFL Network coverage of the Draft. Eisen will be joined by draft expert Daniel Jeremiah, CBS NFL analyst Charles Davis, FOX’s lead college football analyst Joel Klatt, and NFL Network staples Kurt Warner and Ian Rapoport. Good Morning Football host Jamie Erdahl will have interviews with the draftees.

Here’s a breakdown of Draft Coverage by day:

• Round 1: Thursday, April 24, beginning at 8pm ET.
• Rounds 2 and 3: Friday, April 25, beginning at 7pm ET.
• Rounds 4 through 7: Saturday, April 26, beginning at noon ET.

What are the Biggest Storylines of the Draft?

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• It’s no surprise given the attention they received in college at Colorado, but the biggest storylines in the 2025 NFL Draft center around Heisman winner Travis Hunter and QB Shedeur Sanders, son of Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders. With Miami QB Cam Ward widely believed to go No. 1 overall to the Tennessee Titans, the question of where the two Colorado stars will land begins at No. 2, which is held by the Cleveland Browns. Both Shedeur and Travis Hunter would make sense for Cleveland, and other top 10 teams with QB questions include the New York Giants (No. 3), Las Vegas Raiders (No. 6), New York Jets (No. 7), and New Orleans Saints (No. 9). As the son of one of the greatest players in NFL history AND the only coach he’s ever played for, Sanders is a completely unique prospect, but he’s likely to go sometime early in the draft, as will Hunter, whose biggest question mark is his ability to play both WR and DB in the NFL like he did in college.
• Penn State pass rusher Abdul Carter is almost certain to go in the top 5, and there’s talk about the Dallas Cowboys trading up from No. 12 to get him. Dallas owner/ GM Jerry Jones has shown a predilection for Penn State defenders in the past (see Micah Parsons), and it’s a position of need for a Cowboys team in the same division as Eagles QB Jalen Hurts and budding Washington superstar Jayden Daniels. It’s a fool’s errand to speculate about draft day trades, but they’re not uncommon and this one could make sense for a Dallas team whose opportunity window is closing fast.
• As the league has shifted to a more passing-oriented attack, running backs no longer hold the cachet that they once did. But a year after six QBs went in the first round, there is a glut of talented, plug-in-and-play RBs expected to go early. Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty i s coming off the best CFB season since Barry Sanders, while UNC bruiser Omarion Hampton, and OSU’s two-headed monster of TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins could follow in quick succession. Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson and Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo are also intriguing prospects, making this one of the most RB-loaded drafts in recent memory.

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