We're just hours away from the start of the first round of the he 2015 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. For the first time since 1963, the draft won't be held in New York City in some form. Radio City Music Hall, the draft's usual venue, was booked for the dates that the NFL was considering in 2015.
The first round of the draft will take place on its own night, starting at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday. The second and third rounds will take place Friday night beginning at 7 p.m, and rounds four through seven will take place Saturday beginning at noon. The third day of the draft will be a bit different this year. Teams will be announcing their draft picks from locations across the country instead of staying in Chicago.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on the clock for the No. 1 overall pick, having earned the top spot with a 2-14 record last season, and it seems unlikely they'll be trading it away.
Tampa Bay could go a number of ways with the top pick, but many have suggested it'll take a quarterback, likely one of Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota. The next several picks could also be in play for one of those guys, with the Tennessee Titans (No. 2 overall), Washington (No. 5 overall) and New York Jets (No. 6 overall) potentially interested in getting one of the young quarterbacks.
Whatever the case, it should be an exciting first round. There has been plenty of talk about teams being interested in trading up into the first round for one of Mariota or Winston by making a deal with Jacksonville and/or Oakland, two teams in the top five who don't have a need at quarterback at this time.
Television coverage of the first round will be carried by both the NFL Network and ESPN, with coverage beginning at 8 p.m. There will be plenty of pre-draft coverage on both networks.
How to Watch
Date: April 30
Time: 8 p.m. ET
Location: Auditorium Theatre, Chicago
TV: NFL Network, ESPN
Online: WatchESPN, NFL.com