How to watch the NFL Draft 2024: stream online or watch on TV

It's been more than two months since the Kansas City Chiefs won Super Bowl LVIII and about four and a half months before the next meaningful NFL game is played, but NFL fans are donning their jerseys once again for the NFL Draft. And if you're one of the millions excited to see who your favorite team picks, we've got all the info you need on how to watch the NFL Draft 2024 right here, as the event starts Thursday, April 25, and runs through Saturday, April 27. 

While the annual event may on the surface be little more than the reading of names, the NFL Draft has become one of the sport's marquee events, as fans eagerly await to see which star players from college football are added to their teams' rosters, possibly as the starting pieces of a hopeful rebuild or as exciting new contributors to Super Bowl contenders. Among some of the big-name players fans are excited to see picked are quarterbacks Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, Drake Maye and JJ McCarthy, wide receivers Marvin Harrison Jr., Malik Nabers and Rome Odunze, and defensive stars like Dallas Turner, Quinyon Mitchell and Terrion Arnold.

The NFL Draft has become so big that it's not just airing on one TV channel, but four different channels over its three days. In addition, there are going to be streaming and other online viewing options for the draft. Find out everything you need to know about how to watch each, as well as other key details on the NFL Draft right here.

How to watch the NFL Draft 2024 in the US

Football fans have their choice of coverage for the NFL Draft, with four channels airing wide-ranging coverage of the draft in ESPN, ESPN2 (on Friday, April 26), ABC and NFL Network, each with their own unique qualities.

ESPN and NFL Network will be on site at Campus Martius Park in Detroit, where the draft is being held, with their NFL draft analysts offering insights and opinions on the picks and what they could mean for the NFL teams. ABC, meanwhile, will have its own unique coverage on April 25 and 26 that tells more of the individual stories of each player selected and their careers in college.

There are going to be various ways to watch this coverage. All of ABC, ESPN/ESPN2 and NFL Network are available through traditional pay-TV providers and live TV streaming services, including Fubo, Hulu with Live TV, YouTube TV. 

Sling TV also carries ESPN/ESPN2, NFL Network and ABC (in select markets), but which channels are available depends on what plan you sign up for. Sling TV's Orange package features ESPN/ESPN2, while NFL Network is available on Sling TV Blue. You can get all of them if you opt to sign up for the combined Sling TV Blue/Orange plan.

There are also going to be a number of online and streaming options available to watch some, if not all, of the draft coverage. First, all of NFL Network’s coverage is going to be available through NFL Plus, the NFL app or NFL.com/watch (for the latter you need a TV plan that carries NFL Network). ESPN's streaming platform ESPN Plus is going to have its own special coverage of the event, including a one-night special presentation from personality Pat McAfee (which is also going to be available on YouTube, TikTok and the ESPN app) as well as nightly recaps of the draft. A subscription to NFL Plus and ESPN Plus is required to watch their specific content.

How to watch then NFL Draft 2024 in the UK

NFL diehards in the UK can also watch live coverage of the NFL Draft on the Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports NFL channels. It will also be streaming on the Sky Go app. Of course, you must be a Sky TV subscriber in order to watch the coverage.

It will be a late night if you want to watch the NFL Draft live in the UK, as the first round is slated to begin at 1 am UK time on Friday, April 26. Second and third-round coverage will air at midnight on Saturday, April 27, again on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports NFL. The last four rounds of the draft will air at the more reasonable hour of 5 pm UK, but only on Sky Sports NFL.

Watch the NFL Draft 2024 from anywhere

If you're going to be away from your normal TV setup but still want to watch the NFL Draft, you might run into some problems. Thankfully, you can solve this exact issue with a Virtual Private Network (VPN). 

A VPN lets you change your IP address to that of the area of what you want to watch, meaning you can tune in to your favorite events or other content even if you're not there. Our favorite is NordVPN, which is the No. 1-rated VPN in the world right now according to our sister site, TechRadar.

How to use a VPN to watch any stream

• Download the app at NordVPN
• Choose the location of the streaming service you want to watch (UK, US, etc)
• Navigate to the streaming service and start watching!

NordVPN is one of the simplest and most affordable ways to watch what you want, from wherever you want to watch it.

It's straightforward and easy to use, has great security, is available on loads of streaming devices and, best of all, it comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can try it out 100% risk-free. Give it a go.

NFL Draft 2024 FAQs