Draft Details and TV Coverage

The 2025 NFL Draft will take place April 24-26 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, marking the first time the event has come to one of the NFL’s most hallowed venues. The three-day spectacle will follow the traditional format:

• Round 1: Thursday, April 24th (8:00 PM ET)
• Rounds 2-3: Friday, April 25th (7:00 PM ET)
• Rounds 4-7: Saturday, April 26th (12:00 PM ET)

Television coverage will be comprehensive across multiple House of Mouse networks:

• ABC will broadcast all three days with a college-focused presentation.
• ESPN and NFL Network will provide their traditional in-depth draft analysis.
• Streaming options include ESPN+, NFL+, and the NFL and ESPN apps.

For those wanting a second-screen experience, both networks will offer companion shows on their digital platforms featuring alternative analysts and interactive elements.

Bulldogs Front And Center

At least two former Georgia Bulldogs are reasonably likely to hear their names called during Thursday night’s first round. Outside linebacker Jalon Walker has appeared in multilevel mock draft top tens. Walker has the size/speed/athleticism combo that dominates draft boards. Scouts have taken notice of something Bulldog fans have known for a couple of seasons, that Walker brings a pretty unique combination of pass rush and pass coverage skills. In today’s multiple front/scheme NFL that versatility is worth its weight in gold.

Edge rusher/linebacker Mykel Williams has also been popping up in the second half of the first round of a lot of mock draft discussions. Williams of course played with his hand in the dirt more in 2024 than prior seasons, with some rumors that he requested that in order to showcase his versatility to NFL personnel types. I think there’s a pretty decent chance that a team that doesn’t need a quarterback for #1 receiver decides Williams is the best available player and takes him inside the top 15 picks.

Safety Malaki Starks is another name to watch on Thursday evening. Starks has obviously been a star in Athens since day one, but as a pure safety he doesn’t play a marquee position that lends itself to high draft placement. The Pro Bowl is annually full of safeties who are the best in the game yet don’t hear their names called on the first night of the draft. Still, we’ve seen teams before draft a Bulldog defensive back higher than expected because Kirby Smart’s coaching and opinion of defensive backs is valued in the coaching ranks. And Kirby Smart will tell pretty much anyone who’ll listen that they’d be nuts to pass on Starks.

Ward Up. From There, Who Knows?

The other, non-UGA storylines for this draft are pretty pedestrian. Miami QB Cam Ward appears likely to go as the top pick to the Tennessee Titans. From there the QB pickings get a little dicey. After a 2024 draft that saw six quarterbacks go in the top twelve picks this class if full of signal callers no one appears fully sold on. Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders put up video game numbers in college, but his pocket presence and decision making are more questionable. Ole Miss’s Jaxson Dart has a pro arm, but was inconsistent at times.

While Ward is a safe bet to go #1 overall and Colorado athlete Travis Hunter will likely go to Cleveland at #2, the consensus seems to be that this draft is thin on truly elite NFL prospects, especially at some positions that traditionally earn a premium on draft day.

It’s possible for example that there may not be a cornerback taken in the top ten, or even top fifteen. There just aren’t a lot of obvious fast, long lockdown corners in this year’s class. And outside of Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty there may not be a single tailback with a first round grade. While that position has been slightly de-emphasized as offenses have evolved over the past decade, it’s still pretty striking.

All of which means that instead of seeing a clamor of teams trying to move up into and within the first round, this may be the first draft in recent memory in which there’s a sense of urgency to move down in the draft order. That could make for some pretty clunky television viewing. Everybody loves watching trade announcements followed by ten seconds of stilted silence and a commercial break, right?

But we could also see some surprises as teams left with first round picks they’d rather convert into a pair of second or third rounders have to bite the bullet and pick players their fans aren’t particularly jazzed about. Or watch teams trade up to get that one guy they’ve been quietly coveting and didn’t think would be around at pick 18 or 22.

We’ll have live coverage here beginning around 5:00 p.m. ET on Thursday as UGA and other SEC names come off the board. Feel free to swing by, offer your insights or ask a thoughtful question or two.