The first round of the NFL draft is typically the most watched part of the league’s event, but plenty of people were still tuned into the weekend, likely because of Shedeur Sanders.
After the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft drew 13.6 million viewers across ESPN and NFL Network – second-highest ever – according to Nielsen, viewership remained strong on Day 2. There were 7.3 million viewers across rounds two and three on ABC, ESPN2 and NFL Network, according on Nielsen fast national figures.
It was the second-most watched second day of the NFL draft on record, and up more than 40% from 2024 viewership, NFL Media said.
There’s no definitive reason as to why viewership rose during the 2025 edition, but it can likely be pointed to the drama surrounding Sanders and his fall. He was projected to be a first-round pick, and possibly a top three selection by some experts. Instead, Sanders didn’t see his name get called in the first round as it was the biggest story of day one.
As people waited to see if Sanders’ name would be called on Day 2, Tyler Shough, Jalen Milroe and Dillon Gabriel were selected while the former Colorado quarterback didn’t get selected in the second or third round, creating further interest as to when Sanders would be selected. There was plenty of debate during the draft coverage as to what led to Sanders’ slide, resulting in some interesting speculation and fiery disputes.
Sanders ended up hearing his named called on the third day of the draft as he was the 144th overall pick, selected in the fifth round by the Cleveland Browns. Viewership numbers for day three haven’t been released yet, but given how there was an increase on Day 2, the figures could be higher for the final four rounds.
Even without the Sanders dilemma, the 2025 NFL Draft was still a success in terms of attendance. The three-day attendance for the draft was 600,000, shattering the pre-draft estimate of 250,000. It was equal to the 2019 draft in Nashville. The all-time record for draft attendance was set last year in Detroit with 775,000 attendees.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Shedeur Sanders NFL draft drama possibly led to higher viewership
