If it were a League, the NFL Draft Ranks 5th in America

1 in 3 Americans (35%) are interested in the NFL Draft
3 in 4 Avid Fans (75%) are interested in the NFL Draft
2 in 5 Fans (40%) in the 18–34-year-olds are interested in the NFL Draft

The NFL Draft popularity retains its lofty ranking in the eyes of sports fans. It is the highest ranked non-game sports event in America. How did this happen?

In fact, the NFL Draft is an event that rivals watching games itself. More than a third of the general population (35%) say they are interested in watching the Draft. That places the three-day event in the same range as NCAA Men’s Basketball tournament (34%) and the U.S. Men’s National soccer team (33%), ranking only behind its parent NFL (55%), Major League Baseball (39%) and College Football (39%). These results mirror the March 2024 Poll which also reveals the Draft was in the top five with the same quartet of the NFL, MLB, NBA, and College Football.

“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 Sillman 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^th– 8^th 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 was first televised by ESPN in 1980. The Draft results had previously been communicated by telephone.

The NFL Draft is the League’s Spring Juggernaut

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 on 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 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^th at 7:00 PM local time at Lambeau Field in Green Bay, WI.

April 2025 Seton Hall Sports Poll

Daniel Ladik, Ph.D., Chief Methodologist – Daniel.Ladik@shu.edu

This Poll was conducted April 4^th through April 8^th 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.

FAN INTEREST METHODOLOGY: In an analysis of fan interest across 24 different leagues and sport competitions, the NFL Draft is one of the top 10 sports interest in America. The Poll asked all 1,501 respondents to rate each of the 24 different leagues and sport competitions (from high to low) on the following four answer choices: “TOP interest” – “Somewhat interested” – “Not very interested” or “Not interested at all.”

The ranking is created by measuring the top two “TOP” + “Somewhat” versus the bottom two answer choices “Not very” + “Not at all.” In sum, the NFL is extremely popular among American and would be the 5th most popular league or sport competition with only the NFL, MLB, NBA and College football featuring higher fan interest.

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?