When you talk to executive producers at both ESPN and NFL Network, they project giddiness about the prospect of this year’s NFL Draft as it relates to television interest. What usually drives a draft are star quarterbacks and some kind of drama — such as a well-known player sliding down in the first round.

This year presents something particularly unique: According to NFL research, if it holds up, it will be the first time since 2014 that no first-round selections in the upcoming draft were moved between the start of the league year and the first night of the draft. What this means, as far as television purposes, is that every team’s fan base has a reason to watch Round 1.

Now, the likelihood is we will see some trades but you start with a base of fans in all of the NFL media markets tuning into the opening round. Last year, the first round of the NFL Draft had its best audience in three years as the combined broadcasts averaged around 12 million viewers. That was the most-watched first round of the draft since 2021 (12.5 million). The most-watched opening round of all-time came in 2020 when sports shut down due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. That draft — a QB-loaded opening round with Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert and Jordan Love — drew a whopping 15.26 million viewers.