Getty QB Joe Burrow of the LSU Tigers will be the likely No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft.
The 2020 NFL Draft is finally here, and it promises to be the most unique draft in recent memory.
Round 1 starts Thursday at 8 p.m. ET, Rounds 2-3 start Friday at 7 p.m. ET and Rounds 4-7 start Saturday at Noon ET. Coverage on all three days will be televised on NFL Network, ESPN and ABC.
If you don’t have cable, here’s how to watch the 2020 NFL draft live on your computer, phone, Roku, Fire TV Stick, Apple TV or other streaming device:
Heavy may earn an affiliate commission if you sign up via a link on this page
Watch NFL Network on FuboTV
The NFL Network is one of 95-plus live TV channels included in the main FuboTV bundle, which comes with a free seven-day trial:
Once signed up for your FuboTV free trial, you can then watch the NFL Draft live on your computer via the FuboTV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, or other supported device via the FuboTV app.
If you can’t watch live, FuboTV comes with 30 hours of Cloud DVR (with the ability to upgrade to 500 hours), as well as a “72-Hour Lookback” feature, which allows you to watch each day’s coverage up to three days after it airs even if you don’t record it.
Watch NFL Network on Sling TV
Sling TV’s “Sling Blue” package comes with 47 channels, including the NFL Network. Moreover, as part of Sling’s special “Happy Hour” deal, you don’t need a credit card (only an email address) to sign up for Sling Blue:
Once signed up for Sling TV, you can watch the NFL Draft live on your computer via the Sling TV website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, or other streaming device via the Sling TV app.
If you can’t watch live, Sling TV comes included with 10 hours of cloud DVR.
Watch ESPN on Hulu With Live TV
ABC (live in select markets), ESPN and ESPN2 are all included in Hulu With Live TV, which comes with 60-plus live TV channels and Hulu’s extensive on-demand library of TV shows and movies:
Once signed up for Hulu With Live TV, you can watch the NFL Draft live on your computer via the Hulu website, or on your phone (Android and iPhone supported), tablet, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Chromecast, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Echo Show, or other streaming device via the Hulu app. You can also watch on the ESPN app if you sign in using your Hulu credentials.
If you can’t watch live, Hulu With Live TV comes with 50 hours of cloud DVR space, as well as the option to upgrade to “Enhanced Cloud DVR,” which gives you 200 hours of space and the ability to fast-forward through commercials.
2020 NFL Draft Preview
Due to the coronavirus pandemic, the draft will be taking place from a multitude of locations and will primarily be a virtual experience for those involved this year. NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will be announcing each pick from his basement, while 58 of the best players in the country will have cameras set up at their respective abodes as they wait to hear the news about which team they’re about to join.
Goodell thinks the timing of the draft couldn’t be better considering the current state of the world. “People look to us for optimism,” Goodell said on ESPN’s Get Up Wednesday morning. “They look to us for bringing communities together. I think the draft is a great example of that, with restoring hope.”
Goodell hopes the diversion the draft will provide everyone from fans to players will be a welcome one. “It’s hope for our fans,” Goodell said. “It’s hope for our teams. It’s hope for our players, for these young men who are about to start their careers as prospects and players in the NFL. That’s what this is all about, and I think we need those diversions. I think we need that focus on the future and that way to bring communities together. I think we’ll be able to do that for the next three days, and then we’ll focus on the future immediately after that.”
So how will an all-digital draft work? All 32 NFL teams will connect to the same video conference, while also connecting to an additional Microsoft Teams app. Each of the 32 teams will also have a separate broadband connection to members of the league’s office headquarters. The person making draft selections for each team will vary, (it’s usually the general manager, but not always) and all individuals making the selections will have access to coaches, staff, owners, etc. via established, secure digital connections.
Some involved in the process, like Los Angeles Rams COO Kevin Demoff, say security remains their primary concern.
“You get into the security aspect, which is probably the most important for teams,” Demoff said. “How do you make sure your conversations are protected? … That would be my biggest concern, just from an encryption standpoint, of how do you have these conversations confidentially and make sure they go through?”
While there is bound to be a glitch or two, it will be fascinating to watch it all unfold. And when it’s all said and done, 255 athletes will have been selected by their new NFL teams.