- 1 in 5 NFL Fans (23%) will attend an NFL Draft Watch Party
- 30 percent of Americans will watch the NFL Draft
All eyes will be on Green Bay, Wisconsin from April 24 through April 26, as the NFL Draft descends upon its smallest market and only public team’s home. The Draft has grown into a multi-week celebration and communal event. Nearly a quarter of NFL Fans (23%) will attend a Draft watch party. The Draft mimics the NFL’s own ultimate event – the Super Bowl – as a draw to bring fans together on a day in which every team pictures their top draft choice as the first piece in the road to a championship.
Will you be attending a draft watch party? Either in-person or online with friends and/or relatives?
Further insights from this question include:
- 14% of Americans, 22% of Sports Fans, 25% of Avid Fans will attend an NFL Draft watch party
- Younger fans are most engaged: 29% of the 18 to 34-year-old subgroup will attend an NFL Draft watch party
All Eyes on the Screen, Too!
The forecast for the NFL Draft audience is strong. Three in 10 Americans (30%) and more than half of NFL Fans (53%) intend to watch the Draft which will be televised and streamed domestically live on ESPN, ESPN Deportes, ABC, and NFL Network. Seven of 10 (70%) self-described Avid Fans will also watch.
Do you plan on watching any part of the 2025 NFL Draft on TV or any streaming platforms?
Further insights on this question include:
- 48% of Sports Fans intend to watch
- 43% of the 18 to 34-year-old subgroup intends to watch
- The 55+ subgroup is the only subgroup with a 3:1 ratio of non-watchers vs. watchers
“The NFL Draft event is unique and has no parallel in sports. Its closest rivals are the NCAA Basketball Tournaments’ selection shows,” says Charles Grantham, Director of the Center for Sport Management in the Stillman School of Business at Seton Hall University. “Where else do you find year-long speculation and experts on metrics and potential selection? It speaks to the interest and how followers of teams consider the Draft vital to the future of their team.”
These are the results from the most recent Seton Hall Sports Poll conducted April 4 – 8 among 1,501 adults across the country. The Poll, which is sponsored by the Sharkey Institute within Seton Hall University’s Stillman School of Business features a national representative sample from YouGov Plc. weighted on U.S. Census Bureau figures for age, gender, ethnicity, education, income and region. The Poll’s margin of error is +/-3 percent.
The NFL Draft Spurs Hours of Lead-up Programming
It is not just the actual draft that draws viewers. For up to two weeks prior to the NFL Draft, nearly 1 in 4 (24%) Americans follow mock drafts, coverage of trades and the depth of the player pool. That number rises to 42 percent among NFL Fans and 63 percent among Avid Fans.
In the two weeks prior to the 2025 NFL Draft, were you following the sports coverage on topics like: mock drafts, who will go #1, trades, and who your favorite team may have on their draft board, or other draft coverage, in the sports media?
Further insights on this question include:
- Nearly 2 in 5 (39%) of Sports Fans will watch pre-draft coverage
- 1 in 3 (34%) of the 18 to 34-year-old subgroup will watch pre-draft coverage
“The NFL Draft is now a Must Watch event. How many player selection shows attract a capacity crowd to Lambeau Field?” asked Dr. Daniel Ladik, Marketing Professor in the Stillman School of Business and Methodologist for the Poll. “It is a rite of Spring for all 32 fan bases to share their passion for the most popular sports league in America. ESPN introduced the Draft to fans in its second year on-air in 1980. It used to be communicated via phone. It is a function of the interest in the Draft that produces the metrics, the heartfelt storylines, and the parade of experts.”
The 2025 NFL Draft begins Thursday April 24 at 7 p.m. local time at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI.
April 2025 Seton Hall Sports Poll FINAL
Daniel Ladik, Ph.D., Chief Methodologist – Daniel.Ladik@shu.edu
This Poll was conducted April 4th through April 8th and includes responses from 1,501 U.S. adults with a margin of error of 3%. The sample mirrors the U.S. census percentages on age, gender, income, education, ethnicity, and region.
Q1. Which of the following statements best describes you?
*Note: Presented in each table Avid + Casual = total sports fandom in the data. Some table break out the Avid and Casual segments.
How interested, if at all, are you in each of the following?
Q4a. National Football League (NFL)
Q4b. 2025 NFL Combine
Q4c. 2025 NFL Draft
Q5a. Do you plan on watching any part of the 2025 NFL Draft on TV or any streaming platforms?
Q5b. In the two weeks prior to the 2025 NFL Draft, were you following the sports coverage on topics like: mock drafts, who will go #1, trades, and who your favorite team may have on their draft board, or other draft coverage, in the sports media?
Q5c. Will you be attending a draft watch party? Either in-person or online with friends and/or relatives?
