The 2023 NFL draft starts Thursday, April 27th, at 8:00 PM Eastern Time and runs through Saturday, April 29th. Thursday night will air the complete first round. Rounds 2 and 3 will begin at 7 p.m. ET on Friday, and the remaining rounds start on Saturday at noon ET.
The channels ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network will be carrying every round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The details of each day of the draft and where to watch are as follows:
- Round 1: Thursday, April 27 at 8:00 PM ET on ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network. Each team will have 10 minutes to take their pick.
- Rounds 2-3: Friday, April 28 at 7:00 PM ET on ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network. Each team will have 7 minutes to take their pick.
- Rounds 4-7: Saturday, April 29 at Noon ET on ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network. Each team will have 4 minutes to take their pick.
Best Way to Watch: You can watch The NFL Draft on ABC and ESPN live using a 5-day free trial to DIRECTV STREAM.
How to Watch The 2023 NFL Draft Free
There are quite a few ways to watch the NFL draft live and for free this year. I list each below.
Use a Streaming Service’s Free Trial
Quite a few streaming services carry ABC, ESPN, and/or NFL Network and offer a free trial long enough to watch all 3 days of the 2023 NFL draft without spending any money. I recommend these options first because they all include a cloud DVR allowing you to record, pause, and playback any part of the draft. You can even record the whole event and watch it later.
There is no commitment with any of the trials as long as you cancel before the trial is over. Otherwise, you will pay the subscription for the first month. These services charge monthly, and there is no long-term contract required, so if you keep the service, you can cancel at any time. The service that offers free trials where you can watch the NFL draft are:
- DIRECTV STREAM – Offer a 5-day free trial and carries ABC and ESPN so you can watch every moment of this years NFL Draft
- fuboTV – Offers a 1-week free trial and carries ESPN, NFL Network, and ABC in most parts of the country. See my review of fuboTV for more details.
- YouTube TV – offers a 1-week free trial and carries ESPN, NFL Network, and ABC in most parts of the country. See our review of YouTube TV for more details.
All three of these services work on iOS and Android smart devices, Roku, Fire TV, Smart TVs, and more. All you need to do is use one of the free trials in the list above to sign up for an account to the service, download the services app to your mobile, streaming device, or smart TV, then watch the draft through the app on one of the channels carrying the draft (ESPN, ABC, NFL Network)
Watch The Draft Using an Antenna
Generally, if you live in a city or the suburbs, you can watch the NFL Draft on ABC using something as simple as this $25 Flat TV antenna. The free return policy makes it no risk. If it doesn’t get the channels you want, you can return it for your money back.
You can see if ABC is available over the air using this FCC page. If the flat antenna doesn’t perform to your expectations, then check out the following instructional guides for more details on over the air TV.
- Learn How to Choose a TV Antenna
- Learn How to Use One Antenna for Multiple TVs
- Learn How to Ground a TV Antenna
- Learn how to Improve Antenna TV Reception
- Record from your Antenna with an Over the Air DVR
Other Ways to Watch the NFL Draft
With the draft airing on ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network you can watch the NFL Draft on any of the following streaming services: Hulu Live TV, Sling TV, FuboTV, Vidgo, YouTube TV, and DIRECTV STREAM. You can also refer to any of the articles below for information on watching any of the channels that carry the 2023 NFL Draft:
What Time Is The NFL Draft
The 2023 NFL Draft begins on the following dates and times:
- Thursday, April 27 at 8:00 PM ET – Round 1
- Friday, April 28 at 7:00 PM ET – Rounds 2 and 3
- Saturday, April 29 at Noon ET – Rounds 4 through 7
