The 2026 NFL Draft is in the books, with the league using a different format. The first round was shortened to eight minutes per pick after many complaints from fans, and even though the numbers were still down from 2025, the draft still attracted more viewers than the NBA Finals.
2026 NFL Draft Dominates Viewership, Surpasses NBA Finals’ Average
With over two months since Super Bowl 60, fans were craving NFL content. There was a slight drop in viewership, with 13.2 million viewers in the 2026 draft, down from the 13.6 million who tuned in in 2025.
Even if the 2025 audience was higher, it still proved that football is the most dominant sport in the U.S., and sports anchor Trey Wingo shared the same perspective.
Wingo explained that the draft had a larger audience than the average NBA Finals game, also saying. He wrote, “Football reigns supreme. For perspective, the NBA finals last year averaged 10 -12 million per game.. with game 7 getting close to 16 million.”
Football reigns supreme. For perspective, the NBA finals last year averaged 10 -12 million per game.. with game 7 getting close to 16 million https://t.co/kCEQSKcLb4
— trey wingo (@wingoz) April 27, 2026
Sportswriter Jason McIntyre might have a good explanation of why the 2025 draft had more viewers. Shedeur Sanders, at the time, fell out of the first round.
“Good number, but was actually down from 2025 when Shedeur fell out of the first round,” Jason said.
Good number, but was actually down from 2025 when Shedeur fell out of the first round https://t.co/73XlxyixpG
— Jason McIntyre (@jasonrmcintyre) April 27, 2026
Scott Reichel, on the other hand, couldn’t understand the numbers. Scott is the host of the SGPNNBA Podcast, and said, “I will never understand why some sports fans would rather watch a ticking clock instead of actual playoff games. I know that people are constantly craving NFL content but it’s literally just Roger Goodell reading names from a podium for 3+ hours.”
I will never understand why some sports fans would rather watch a ticking clock instead of actual playoff games.
I know that people are constantly craving NFL content but it’s literally just Roger Goodell reading names from a podium for 3+ hours. https://t.co/Oy2NZSkWgF
— Scott Reichel (@ReichelRadio) April 27, 2026
NFL Analyst John Frascella was also impressed by the numbers, writing, “The NFL Draft gets viewership numbers like 1980s Wrestlemania now.”
The NFL Draft gets viewership numbers like 1980s Wrestlemania now https://t.co/PXWCFM6zMC
— John Frascella (Football) (@NFLFrascella) April 27, 2026
And finally, Green Bay Packers reporter Aaron Nagler praised the league for shortening each pick’s time. “I wanna commend the NFL for going from ten minutes per selection in the first round for eight minutes per selection. […] Got that thing done in three hours,” Nagler said in a video.
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While the numbers for the draft were impressive, they were just a small fraction of the biggest day of the year.
Super Bowl 60, held on February 8, drew 124.9 million viewers. And it’s good in a way that the most awaited game of the season reigns supreme over the other events.
