What Time & TV Channel Is the NFL Draft on Tonight?

Ezekiel Elliott is expected to be the first running back selected in the NFL Draft. (Getty)

The first day of the 2016 NFL Draft begins Thursday, April 28 with the first round. Both ESPN and NFL Network will broadcast the draft live beginning at 8 p.m. Eastern.

Here’s the details for the 2016 NFL Draft.

Date: April 28-30, 2016

Time: 8 p.m. Eastern (First Round)

Location: Auditorium Theatre, Chicago, Illinois

TV Channel: NFL Network and ESPN will both offer live broadcasts.

Radio: ESPN Radio will offer a live broadcast throughout its affiliates. A live stream of the radio broadcast will be offered online. Coverage begins at 7 p.m. Eastern.

Live Stream: NFL Network will offer a live stream of the broadcast here. ESPN will also offer a live stream through the Watch ESPN site and apps. A cable subscription is required to access either stream.

Draft Schedule: The first round will be conducted Thursday, April 28. The second and third rounds take place on Friday, April 29 beginning at 7 p.m. Eastern. Saturday, April 30 will be the final day with rounds four through seven beginning at 12 p.m. Eastern.

Draft Preview: Two trades by the Los Angeles Rams and the Philadelphia Eagles have made it clear quarterbacks will be selected with the top-two selections. Jared Goff and Carson Wentz headline the 2016 class.

Both ESPN and NFL Network will have wall-to-wall coverage of the draft. ESPN will begin coverage Thursday night at 7 p.m. Eastern with an hour preview show entitled SportsCenter Special: Draft Countdown. According to Sports Illustrated, Chris Berman, Jon Gruden, Louis Riddick and Mel Kiper will be on the main set. Adam Schefter will provide inside information on the draft, and Suzy Kolber will interview players after they are selected.

NFL Network will broadcast the NFL Draft Red Carpet Special beginning at 6 p.m. Eastern with Melissa Stark and Michael Irvin interviewing prospects before the draft. Rich Eisen will anchor NFL Network’s draft broadcast with Steve Mariucci, Stanford head coach David Shaw and talent expert Mike Mayock joining him on the main set.

Deion Sanders will conduct interviews with draftees prior to Kolber interviewing them for ESPN. Fans will have the choice of which channel they prefer to watch the draft. The main difference is the talent evaluators each network provides. Mel Kiper and Louis Riddick will offer a broad picture of each prospect for ESPN. Mike Mayock will serve in a similar role for NFL Network.