NEW YORK – Fans powered Round 1 of the 2026 NFL Draft (Thursday, April 23) to its third most-watched audience ever, averaging 13.2 million viewers on all linear and digital platforms including ESPN, ABC, NFL Network, ESPN Deportes, Disney+, Hulu, the ESPN App, NFL+, YouTube, TikTok and X. Round 1, in its current format, began in 2010.
This also marks the second most-watched Round 1 since the 2020 NFL Draft, behind only the 2025 NFL Draft’s record-setting Day 1, and up 8% from Day 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft.
The seventh edition of The Pat McAfee Show Draft Spectacular delivered more than 54 million total minutes consumed across YouTube, TikTok, X and the ESPN App on Day 1, along with 2.2 million total views.
The milestone viewership further adds to the success of this year’s event, including record-setting attendance and merchandise sales.
The 2026 NFL Draft in Pittsburgh drew a record attendance of 805,000 across the three days, including a record 320,000 on Thursday for Round 1.
In its first year as the League’s NFL Draft retail partner, Fanatics and the NFL broke the record for merchandise sales throughout NFL Draft weekend, originally set last year in Green Bay.
