The NFL Draft for 2014 is finally here after weeks of mock drafts and speculation and the live coverage for the event is on radio and TV with a stream from ESPN and the WatchESPN website along with ESPN Radio, as the network has full coverage of the first round from Radio City Music Hall on Thursday night and things start up at 8 pm and the Texans have the number one overall pick and everyone is wondering who they will select and rounds 2 and 3 are on Friday at 7 pm.
The draft is coming from Radio City and the first round will be in primetime and then on Friday the next rounds pick up at 7 pm ET and that will have the second round and the third round of the draft. The fourth round through the seventh round comes on May 10 on Saturday and that could still have some big names on the board and many will be watching where Michael Sam gets drafted and that could happen over the weekend as well. ESPN has the main TV coverage, but ESPN2 will also be picking up some of the rounds this weekend.
The coverage from ESPN is online as well as on TV and the NFL.com website will also be streaming the draft this year and the NFL Network has wall to wall coverage. The draft has only gotten bigger and bigger over the years and the delay this year of two weeks should make it an even bigger draw for the NFL than it already is. The teams will each have specific coverage of their picks on their official websites and players like Jadeveon Clowney and Johnny Manziel will be getting the most attention in the first round. 30 players are coming into NYC for the draft this year and many of those names will be taken in the first round as their dreams come true and they get the jersey from Roger Goodell.
The Houston Texans have the number one pick in the draft and this comes after they went just 2-14 last season and while many think a QB is going to be an option at one, the team is likely taking Clowney, who is looked at as the best athlete in the draft. The draft has a very deep class this year and that means the ratings for the later rounds could be very good, as players like AJ McCarron, Aaron Murray and Zach Mettenberger all could be latter picks, while names like Carlos Hyde and Tre Mason could go in the second round or later.
The storyline of the draft this year goes through Clowney and goes through the Texans and along with that, the QBs are a major part of it and where Manziel, Bortles, Bridgewater and Derek Carr go will be very interesting to see. Once the draft gets past the Vikings at number eight, it could be a free for all, as those teams between nine and 20 with the Cardinals don't "need" a quarterback, but they could be tempted if those names slip. One report said the Giants would consider drafting Manziel if he was there at number 12 and that would be a fascinating development if that happens.
Check here for the ESPN radio coverage for the NFL draft.