ADVERTISEMENT NFL Draft 2026 ESPN/ABC, NFL Network Prepare for Record-Setting NFL Draft Presentation From Pittsburgh By: Mark J Burns, SVG Contributor • Posted on: April 23, 2026 • 10 minute read ADVERTISEMENT The 2026 event, the first Draft with NFL Network under the ESPN umbrella, will be broadcast on nine platforms The NFL’s premier offseason event begins tonight in Pittsburgh, and several hundred thousand fans will descend on the Steel City to witness their favorite team’s selecting what may be the missing piece for a Super Bowl title next February. This year’s NFL Draft will air on a record nine platforms across the ESPN/ABC family, including Disney+ and Hulu. That encompasses five distinct live broadcasts in Round 1 from the theater and main stage starting at 8 p.m. ET tonight outside Acrisure Stadium, home of the Pittsburgh Steelers. “The NFL Draft is a flagship event for ESPN,” says Tommy Mitchell, senior operations manager, ESPN . “This is the 47th year of the Draft on our network, and it has been a great partnership over the years. This year in Pittsburgh is another exciting opportunity to showcase a fantastic fanbase in a vibrant city with so much NFL history.” When asked to describe the way ESPN/ABC covers an event of this magnitude, the seasoned ESPN operations and media executive responds, “Big.” The main stage of the NFL Draft is located outside Acrisure Stadium on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. (Photo: Brittany Dippolito) He continues, “We can never be accused of doing events like this small. Making sure we have every aspect covered for the production is what we do. Operationally, we like to hand our production counterparts all the tools so they can do what they do so well, which is create compelling content and cover storylines throughout the entire process.” ‘Key Component’ of Spring Programming The annual NFL Draft — which also airs this year on NFL Network and ABC for 21st and eighth time, respectively — is the league’s spring showcase to kick off the 2026 football season. Coverage spans the ESPN App, ESPN Radio, ESPN Deportes, and the broadcaster’s social channels on YouTube, TikTok, and X. “The NFL Draft is a massively scaled show for ESPN and ABC,” Mitchell explains. “Among studio-specific remote events, this is by far the largest we do on a yearly basis, and it certainly rivals the largest-scale sport events that ESPN covers. The Draft content carries multiple networks for multiple days/nights and is truly a key component to our programming this time of year.” ESPN’s presentation is supported by Game Creek Flagship , the three-unit fleet that handles Monday Night Football production. ABC’s broadcast will be produced from Game Creek Moonshine, and Game Creek Discovery is handling The Pat McAfee Show . Illumination Dynamics supplies the generator needs for the broadcast compound. The compound — which also houses the Flagship office support trucks and multiple trailers, tents, and ground-level support units — is located alongside Reedsdale Ave. beneath the Pittsburgh Light Rail Allegheny Station. The team is deploying both REMI and REMCO workflows for multiple productions around NFL Draft coverage. “Beyond the presentations of the actual Drafts on ESPN and ABC,” Mitchell says, “we are also doing NFL Live , Draft Countdown, and multiple SportsCenter segments throughout the weekend.” To capture the excitement and drama around the selections, each team will have a camera inside its Draft War Room and facilities, with upwards of 25 player feeds coming in from NFL Media. Heisman Trophy winnerand former Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza , who won’t be attending the Draft in person, will have video accessibility, given his projected early selection in Round 1. Inside the NFL Draft Theater (Photo: Brittany Dippolito) ESPN/ABC will deploy 55 dedicated cameras for the Draft in addition to several additional feeds from NFL Network and Van Wagner, the latter supporting the overall in-house presentation, fan experience, and event setup. The highly touted SupraCam, a 1,700-ft.-line camera, returns to provide an aerial view of fans outside the NFL Draft theater in Pittsburgh. Multiple cameras will also be situated on rooftops across the downtown landscape, including one on the city’s highest building (U.S. Steel Tower/UMPC). ESPN/ABC has added a Jib this year and increased the number of virtual-graphics cameras to round out the technology. All hard cameras and buildups are Sony HDC-5500’s, and Sony P50’s will be used for the robotic cameras and SupraCam, according to Mitchell. The Ronin rigs will carry Sony FX3 and FX6. Several other POV cameras are being deployed, along with three drones. “With events like the NFL Draft, the most exciting thing is just the scale that we get to try things” he explains. “Our compound is about a half mile from the ABC stage and SupraCam operating positions. We have drone and camera coverage across the river in Point State Park, and the camera on the UMPC building roof is more than 1.25 miles away. Getting all those things to work together is always an interesting plan to put together.” Key leadership and personnel involved in Disney’s broadcasts include Producer Bryan Ryder and Director Steve Zawalinksi for the ESPN presentation and Producer Jim Gaiero and Director Rodney Perez for the ABC broadcast. Production leadership includes Manager, Programming and Acquisitions, Mike Feinberg and VP, Production, Seth Markman . On the operations team are Senior Manager, Remote Operations, Mark Mignini ; Senior Remote Operations Producer Daniel Reifert ; Remote Operations Producer II Matt Bagan ; Remote Operations Specialist Jake Daigle ;and Senior Remote Operations Coordinator Leah Morgenstern . Also on the ESPN team are Remote Operations Producers II BJ Smith and Brittany Dippolito ; Senior Remote Operations Specialist Joe Rainey ; Remote Operations Specialists Kevin Cleary and Ryan Dobesh ; Senior Remote Operations Coordinators Sam Majewski and Kylene Hamulak ;and Remote Operations Coordinator Sascha Ford . Supporting the ESPN/ABC broadcasts are Game Creek, ID, CP Comms, BSI, Fletcher/NEP Specialty Capture, West River, and Filmwerks. New Parent for NFL Network The NFL Network has broadcast the NFL Draft for 20-plus years, but the 2026 edition is its first since the sports broadcaster acquired the brand and other assets from the league in exchange for a 10% equity stake in ESPN. “We have always collaborated with ESPN on some aspects of Draft,” notes Margaret Thompson, manager, production operations, NFL Media . “That is only increasing now that we are also part of ESPN . We worked closely with ESPN and TVU on the planning for the remote prospect and team Draft Room feeds and are making use of the in-house ESPN drone team this year.” ESPN/ABC is adding a jib camera for its NFL Draft 2026 event coverage. (Photo: Kylene Hamulak) ESPN/ABC’s Mitchell says the long-standing partnership between NFL Network and ESPN is “only fortified now” with the sports-media entities working in close collaboration around the sharing of feeds, information, and planning for the Draft. According to Thompson, NFL Network will have roughly the same crew complement and technical setup as last year’s Draft coverage in Green Bay, WI. Multiple additional scenic cameras will be deployed, including a dedicated NFL Network drone courtesy of the ESPN in-house drone team and an RF beauty camera at the Paul F Jones Overlook to provide views of the Pittsburgh skyline and surrounding landscapes. ESPN/ABC and NFL Network are sharing broadcast-compound space. NFL Network is working from NEP Supershooter CBS A, B, C, and D units for the broadcast, again similar to 2025, and executives will be housed in Supershooter 3. There will be 59 feeds transmitted via NFL Network’s Appear kits from the Draft site to its Los Angeles studios, with 20 return feeds, Thompson says. For Round 1 alone, 22 prospect feeds will be coming to Pittsburgh, along with Draft feeds from each team’s war room. More than 80 video feeds will be sent to ESPN from Supershooter CBS; NFL Network will receive 63 feeds from ESPN, including 13 Van Wagner house feeds. The NFL Network production will deploy 23 cameras, per Thompson, including a DJI Mavic 4 Pro drone, one JitaCam, one jib, one RF Steadicam, and seven robotic cameras. Most cameras will be Sony HDC-3500’s; a couple will be Sony HDC-5500’s. The RF Steadicam will be a Sony HDC-P50 supplied by BSI. When asked what NFL Network is trying to highlight during this year’s NFL Draft production, Thompson cites “our drone coverage and finding innovative ways to integrate the city of Pittsburgh into the broadcast.” To that particular end, the scenic camera at the Paul F. Jones Overlook is sending video via a BSI RF link. It is just under a mile from the NFL Network broadcast compound, a longer distance than the network has attempted before with an RF cam. NFL Network’s main desk for the Draft coverage is on a set built by Filmwerks in the GA area near Gold 1 Garage. There’s also a set (stools only) inside the NFL Draft Theater beside Acrisure Stadium. NFL Network’s technical team includes Lead Tech Manager Ethan Balcer ; Tech Managers Rhett Van Buskirk , Steve Joyal , and Tommy Corigliano ;and Transmission Tech Chad McKelvey . NEP EIC Steve Sontag leads the truck engineering team, along with Senior Coordinating Producer Chris Weerts , Coordinating Producer Alex Maloney ,and Director Steve Beim . In Los Angeles, Mike Cunningham oversees transmission; Lorey Andres and Alan Wollenstein , broadcast engineering. Jessica Lee leads the operations and production-management teams. Scott Sellz , Ferdinand Delostrinos , Scott Frissora ,and Thomas Huff manage the different team and prospect remote feeds. V1 Kevin Norris and A1 Peteris Saltans are heavily involved in the event’s production. Behind the scenes as ESPN/ABC personnel prepare for the three-day presentation in the Steel City. (Photo: Kylene Hamulak) NFL Network partnered with several third-party companies and vendors for its production of the NFL Draft: NEP (trucks, cameras, and miscellaneous other equipment), Fletcher (robo cams), BSI (RF video), CP Comms (RF audio), Jitacam (jitacam), AY Productions (communications), Arctek (satellite backup truck), Pure Polish Fiber (fiber), Sunbelt (generators/UPS), Filmwerks (set structures), and Lumen and AT&T (transmission). Multiple Stages and Vantage Points The ESPN main stage is located inside the NFL Draft theater. The ABC stage, housing the College GameDay team; a stage for the Pat McAfee programming; and two other small standup stages will be located in the crowd to provide different vantage points for fans onsite and at home. Mike Greenberg , Rece Davis ,and Rich Eisen will host the ESPN, ABC, and NFL Network coverage, respectively. Football experts and insiders Mel Kiper Jr. , Booger McFarland , Louis Riddick , and Adam Schefter will contribute to ESPN’s coverage. Kirk Herbstreit , Desmond Howard , Nick Saban , Molly McGrath , Field Yates , and Pete Thamel will appear on ABC’s broadcast. Additionally, Daniel Jeremiah , Charles Davis , Joel Klatt , Ian Rapoport , and Kurt Warner will provide analysis and commentary on NFL Network. ESPN/ABC’s Laura Rutledge will interview every prospect in attendance from the NFL Draft stage. The Pat McAfee Show Draft Spectacular returns for Thursday’s first round. College football reporter McGrath will interview prospects live on tonight’s red carpet and will speak with draftees’ families following their selection. In addition, College GameDay reporter Jen Lada will contribute onsite. More than 60 commentators will be in Pittsburgh for NFL Draft coverage across ESPN/ABC and NFL Network. Combined, NFL Live , College GameDay , The Pat McAfee Show , SportsCenter , and NFL Draft Kickoff will present more than 50 hours of programming from the Steel City. Sharing Upcoming Events Top Stories NFL Draft 2026 ESPN/ABC, NFL Network Prepare for Record-Setting NFL Draft Presentation From Pittsburgh By: Mark J Burns, SVG Contributor Posted on: April 23, 2026 Sportradar Report: ‘The Viewing Experience Is the Product’ as Sports Media Enters New Era of Personalization, Data-Driven Storytelling By: Brandon Costa, Director of Digital Posted on: April 23, 2026 Bleacher Report's Live NFL Draft Stream Builds on Record-Breaking Audience With Player-Driven, Interactive Production By: Brandon Costa, Director of Digital Posted on: April 23, 2026 NAB Reports 58,000+ Registered Attendees at 2026 NAB Show, Up From 2025 but Down From 2024 By: Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S. Posted on: April 23, 2026 NAB Show 2026 Is In The Books! Our Coverage Continues at SVG’s SportsTech@NABShow Blog Posted on: April 23, 2026 SVG Students To Watch: Jason Weitz, University of South Florida By: Brandon Costa, Director of Digital Posted on: April 23, 2026 Churchill Downs Inc. Acquires Preakness Stakes for $85 Million Posted on: April 22, 2026 Live From NAB 2026: NEP's Dan Murphy on NEP Platform, TFC, and the Shift to Software-Defined Workflows By: Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director Posted on: April 22, 2026 Live From NAB 2026: NEP's Martin Stewart Talks 40 Years, the NEP Platform, and Scaling for FIFA World Cup By: Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director Posted on: April 22, 2026 SportsTechBuzz at NAB 2026, Day 4: Live Reports From the Show Floor in Vegas Posted on: April 22, 2026 Live From NAB 2026: Blackmagic Design’s Bob Caniglia on Implementing Cinematic Looks in Live Broadcasts By: Kristian Hernández, Senior Editor Posted on: April 22, 2026 Live From NAB 2026: Dolby's Giles Baker on the Growth of Dolby OptiView, Immersive Vision and Audio for Live Sports By: Brandon Costa, Director of Digital Posted on: April 21, 2026 Read more Latest Headlines posts ADVERTISEMENT Related Articles Sportradar Report: ‘The Viewing Experience Is the Product’ as Sports Media Enters New Era of Personalization, Data-Driven Storytelling From immersive audio to live streaming, Dolby Laboratories is focused... By: Brandon Costa, Director of Digital • Posted on: April 23, 2026 • 5 minute read Bleacher Report's Live NFL Draft Stream Builds on Record-Breaking Audience With Player-Driven, Interactive Production From immersive audio to live streaming, Dolby Laboratories is focused... By: Brandon Costa, Director of Digital • Posted on: April 23, 2026 • 4 minute read NAB Reports 58,000+ Registered Attendees at 2026 NAB Show, Up From 2025 but Down From 2024 From immersive audio to live streaming, Dolby Laboratories is focused... By: Jason Dachman, Editorial Director, U.S. • Posted on: April 23, 2026 • 3 minute read NAB Show 2026 Is In The Books! Our Coverage Continues at SVG’s SportsTech@NABShow Blog From immersive audio to live streaming, Dolby Laboratories is focused... Posted on: April 23, 2026 • 0 minute read
Curated by Taleb Kabbara · Source: www.sportsvideo.org