Thursday night's first round of the 2013 NFL Draft averaged 7.7 million viewers across ESPN and NFL Network, which both carried the nearly four-hour event.
That was down 5% from last year's 8.1 million that tuned in to see marquee quarterback prospects Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III get drafted with the first two picks. It still ranked as the third-most watched first round, behind 2010 and 2012.
ESPN's coverage averaged 6.2 million viewers, down 7% from last year. It still ranked
as the third most-watched draft telecast in network history. NFL Network, meanwhile, saw its first-round coverage rise 7% to a record 1.5 million viewers.
Both networks' coverage of the 2013 NFL Draft
continues through the weekend with rounds 2-3 Friday and 4-7 on Saturday.
