NFL Network executive producer Charlie Yook calls this weekend his offseason Super Bowl, and it’s an apt description. The NFL Draft, which begins Thursday, is a massive content industry for both ESPN and the NFL Network. As we have seen in recent years, ESPN’s presentation will focus on the NFL teams, the prospects and how the selections will impact the play on the field. ABC focuses on more on storytelling and the prospects’ backgrounds. The NFL Network attempts to provide a hybrid of both. And having big names at the skill positions only helps.

“We are a quarterback-driven league,” Yook said. “When you have intrigue at the top of the NFL Draft with four and possibly five quarterbacks that are in the conversation for Night 1, it makes it that much more interesting. Then combine that with the fact that I don’t think anyone truly can say with full conviction that they know what’s going to happen at No. 1. All of us think it’s (Alabama quarterback) Bryce Young, but who is to say that? Curveballs happen. … Business is good in the NFL Draft when there’s chaos, when there’s trades, when there’s uncertainty, and business is always good beforehand knowing that there’s a solid group of quarterbacks that could be there in the first 10 picks.”

“I love having all these quarterbacks and a top-flight running back (Texas’ Bijan Robinson),” said ESPN vice president of production Seth Markman, who is Yook’s equivalent at ESPN as the point person of his company’s NFL Draft coverage. “There are good receivers too. As producers, we know that the skill position players and specifically the quarterbacks really help drive the ratings. The thing that hurt us last year was the amount of teams that traded away first-round picks. That’s not friendly for us. Last year eight teams did not have a first-round pick, and that’s eight fan bases potentially not as interested.”

Markman and Yook are right to be optimistic about a higher tune-in this year. Last year’s opening round of the NFL Draft averaged 10.03 million viewers across ESPN, ABC and NFL Network. That was the smallest audience for the first night since 2017. There was only one quarterback selected in the opening round last year (Kenny Pickett at No. 20) and the first seven picks consisted of edge rushers, cornerbacks and offensive linemen. Our NFL Draft analyst Dane Brugler has four quarterbacks (Young, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Florida’s Anthony Richardson, and Kentucky’s Will Levis) in the Top 14 of his NFL Draft player rankings.

This year’s live presentation features three networks again (ESPN, ABC and NFL Network) with coverage airing in prime time for Round 1 on Thursday starting at 8 p.m. ET. Round 2 and 3 on Friday begins at 7 p.m. ET. The Saturday coverage for Rounds 4-7 starts at noon ET. ESPN’s presentation will be simulcast on ABC on Saturday. After talking with Yook and Markman, here are some notes of interest for you as you devour the coverage.

Who will appear on each network’s coverage?

ESPN’s main desk includes host Mike Greenberg and analysts Mel Kiper Jr. (who will be working his 40th NFL Draft for ESPN), Booger McFarland and Louis Riddick. Suzy Kolber will interview prospects following their selection (Kolber will get the first TV interview for all the odd number picks, so she’ll be first with the No. 1 overall selection). Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen are the insiders. ESPN will have five reporters stationed at team facilities — Sal Paolantonio (Panthers), Ed Werder (Texans), Dianna Russini (Colts), Jeff Darlington (Seahawks) and Kimberley A. Martin (Lions).

The ABC set features host Rece Davis and analysts Todd McShay, Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard. Sam Ponder and Robert Griffin III will be on a second ABC set. Laura Rutledge will be in the green room interviewing players. Pete Thamel is the insider. David Pollack will join Howard, McShay and Davis on ABC’s set for Rounds 2-3.

ESPN’s coverage on Saturday includes host Davis and analysts Kiper, McShay, Riddick, and longtime Draft analyst Matt Miller, who makes his NFL Draft TV debut.

The NFL Network main set consists of longtime host Rich Eisen and analysts Daniel Jeremiah, Charles Davis and Joel Klatt. Analyst Kurt Warner will appear on a theater set with insider Ian Rapoport. Melissa Stark interviews the draftees on-stage following their selection (Stark gets the first TV interview for all the even-numbered selections). The NFL Network’s Rounds 2-3 coverage features Eisen, Jeremiah, Davis and Klatt again on the main set. Peter Schrager joins Rapoport on the theater set. Stark is back on the stage to interview picks. The final day of coverage for the NFL Network consists of Eisen, Jeremiah, Davis, Schrager on the main set and Rapoport on the theater set.

The NFL Network will have reporters at multiple team locations, including Judy Battista (Jets), Sherree Burruss (Lions), Bridget Condon (Seahawks), Stacey Dales (Colts), James Palmer (Eagles), Tom Pelissero (Chiefs), Omar Ruiz (Texans), Jane Slater (Cowboys) and Cameron Wolfe (Panthers).

What’s new in 2023?

Yook said one of the things he wanted to change from last year was to be more consistent with on-air staffing from Round 1 to Rounds 2-3. So Eisen, Davis, Jeremiah and Klatt will have the main set on both nights. In previous years, Stanford coach David Shaw appeared on the opening night. Yook said Shaw will be part of the NFL+ broadcast out of L.A. (That’s the NFL Network’s version of an alternate broadcast.)

Markman said Kiper Jr. pushed hard for Miller to join the main set for Day 3.

“I was kind of comfortable with who we had put out there, but when a guy like Mel calls you with an idea like that and wants to share the ball, it’s kind of a rare trait in our business,” Markman said. “We’ve changed the way we’ve broadcast Day 3 over the years. Years ago, we’d talk big-picture and do entertainment. The last few years, we realized we have these hardcore fans that watch on Saturday and let’s tell them about every player that’s picked in the draft. So we’re excited to have Matt and to continue to go after more of the hardcore viewers on that day.”

How will Kansas City play a role in the production?

The host city will definitely be a character for the NFL Network coverage.

“We got a glimpse of the city with the Super Bowl parade and seeing a million people show up, so it has to be a character on our show,” Yook said. “Weather permitting, we all feel that this is going to be a really good turnout. The Chiefs’ presence, Kansas City, celebrities, barbecue, jazz — it’s all going to be woven into our coverage.”

Markman said ESPN made an attempt to get Jason Sudeikis for opening night given Ted Lasso is a noted Chiefs fan, but the actor had a scheduling conflict.

How many tapes of prospects does each network have in its arsenal?

The NFL Network has highlights for 600 prospective draftees and 1,800 total highlight packages. ESPN has tape on 500 or so prospects.

How about the commercials?

The opening night of draft coverage will have 14 commercials, but the networks have flexibility as to when those breaks come.

“We all agree to burn a break before we even go on the clock,” Yook said. “That certainly helps, and then as long as we burn another break before 9 p.m. ET, we’ll make it up if we are late. It’s not a disrespect to the teams that are coming in the back end.”

What if I can’t get to a television or another device?

SiriusXM will feature live announcements of every selection from every round and in-depth analysis on the SiriusXM NFL Radio channel. They will broadcast onsite in Kansas City. The on-air talent includes host Jason Horowitz and analysts Pat Kirwan, Jim Miller and Rick Neuheisel.

Anything else interesting?

The ABC production is much more challenging than ESPN because they have more elements to navigate given the emphasis on storytelling and player vignettes as opposed to how a player fits in with a team.

“We want to talk to the player, to their family members if they are there, and we want to hear from our guys,” Markman said. “We spend a lot of time on ABC putting together the storytelling vignettes because we think viewers would enjoy them. Sometimes commercials get in the way as all three networks sync up commercials. We have meetings before the draft between the networks to identify break zones, and we try to project if a team might draft say an offensive lineman, so that might be a good spot to take a break. We all need to take breaks together at the same time or else it would be a giant mess of the show.

“Part of our goal on ABC is not to get too Xs and Os heavy. We remind our ABC talent during the draft that they are talking to a different audience that doesn’t know the players maybe as well, or doesn’t know the terminology as well. There is a lot more on the ABC production’s plate.”

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There are a ton of behind-the-scenes staffers at ESPN and the NFL Network who clock endless hours putting together highlight tapes of NFL Draft prospects. So a shoutout to NFL Network senior manager of production Zach Arnstein, segment producer Ben Fennell, segment producers Chris Jenkins and Nick Shepro, associate producers Marcus Davis and Aaron Housenga, and production assistant Christian Gonzalez.

Those responsible for the highlight tapes appearing on ESPN include Matt Brooks, Jeremy Drummond, Mike Logan, Kaila Burns-Heffner, Adam Bauer, Andrew McConville, Eric Robinson, James Williams, Cesar Becerra, Brooke Steach, Mikell Harvey and Aaron Cropper. Jason Rickel and Meghan Black were charged with generating 500-plus graphics for the highlights.

Those responsible for the highlight tapes appearing on the ABC presentation include graphics lead Matt Diamond; associate producers Cordell Cumming, Eric Feinstein and Matt Reed; and production assistants Harry Colvin, Will Desautelle, Val Figueira, Roger Max, James Morgan, Erika Plunkett, Christine Taylor and Kyle Taylor.

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Episode 295 of the Sports Media Podcast features ESPN national NHL reporter Ryan Clark and Austin Karp, managing editor/digital of Sports Business Journal. In this podcast, Clark discusses the league’s biggest storylines for the postseason; how much the ESPN name carries weight in hockey; the teams that are press friendly; how the war in Ukraine has impacted the season; Pride Night; Stanley Cup predictions; and more. Karp discusses the second season of the media rights deal the NHL has with Warner Bros. Discovery, ABC and ESPN; ABC/ESPN averaging 583,000 viewers for its regular season; TNT averaging 364,000 viewers for its regular-season games; what the numbers mean in context; the best final matchup based on viewership; and more.

You can subscribe to this podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play, Stitcher, and more.

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Some things I read over the last week that were interesting to me:

• If you read any of these pieces, make it this one: The crime-scene investigators are the ones who document, and remember, the unimaginable. This is what they saw at Sandy Hook. By Jay Kirk for The New York Times Magazine.

• Via Robert Cribb of The Toronto Star: Inside the culture of fear that muzzled and penalized women who exposed abuse at Canada Soccer.

• The Athletic’s Richard Sutcliffe on Wrexham getting promoted out of the National League after 15 years in the wilderness.

• Dominion’s CEO, John Poulos, wrote a thoughtful essay on why his company settled the lawsuit against Fox News.

• My Transplanted Heart and I Will Die Soon. By Amy Silverstein for The New York Times.

• The Bestselling Author and the Sea. By Kevin Koczwara for Esquire.

• BuzzFeed News Is Dead. By Hillary Frey of Slate.

• When Will I Retire? How About Never. By Demetria Gallegos of The Wall Street Journal.

• Faith, Family, and Fastballs: Clayton Kershaw Has Always Belonged To Dallas. By Mike Piellucci of D Magazine.

• How cable changed sports and what happens when fans cut the cord. By Ben Strauss of The Washington Post.

• Pain, hope, science collide as athletes turn to magic mushrooms. By Markian Hawryluk and Kevin Van Valkenburg of ESPN.

• The deputy and the disappeared. By Thomas Lake, Catherine E. Shoichet and Rosa Flores of CNN.

(Photo: Kevin Sabitus / Getty Images)