EAGAN, Minn. — The 2021 NFL Draft is back in nearly full swing a year after numerous modifications.
Although the Thomson Reuters Vikings Draft Room inside Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center won't be at full capacity as it was in 2019 before the COVID-19 pandemic, Vikings personnel will be able to work together from the same building after spending last year's draft scattered across the country.
View photos ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft in Cleveland, Ohio.
Multiplatform content — including live national television broadcasts to local radio coverage by KFAN 100.3-FM, as well as a breadth of video, written and photo content on Vikings.com, the team's official mobile app, social media channels and Connected TV app — will be featured throughout the weekend.
Signature content from the Vikings Entertainment Network will include calls by General Manager Rick Spielman and Head Coach Mike Zimmer to draft picks, interviews with players, video and audio reactions and analysis, written news and features, game highlights and coverage of press conferences. Special 2021 Draft Editions of the Minnesota Vikings Podcast will be presented by Hy-Vee.
The NFL's "Draft-a-Thon," which launched in 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, is also returning this year, enabling fans to support nonprofit organizations that work to resolve health disparities, reduce the digital divide, end food insecurity and support mental health. Fans can connect with "Draft-a-Thon LIVE," a livestream on the NFL's official Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube accounts.
View every Vikings first round draft pick through the years.
RB Tommy Mason (1961, Tulane)
DE Carl Eller (1964, Minnesota)
DT Alan Page (1967, Notre Dame)
OL Ron Yary (1968, USC)
RB Chuck Foreman (1973, Miami)
QB Tommy Kramer (1977, Rice)
DB Joey Browner (1983, USC)
DL/LB Chris Doleman (1985, Pittsburgh)
OL Randall McDaniel (1988, Arizona State)
RB Robert Smith (1993, Ohio State)
OL Korey Stringer (1995, Ohio State)
WR Randy Moss (1998, Marshall)
QB Daunte Culpepper (1999, Central Florida)
DT Kevin Williams (2003, Oklahoma State)
LB Chad Greenway (2006, Iowa)
RB Adrian Peterson (2007, Oklahoma)
WR Percy Harvin (2009, Florida)
LT Matt Kalil (2012, USC)
S Harrison Smith (2012, Notre Dame)
DT Sharrif Floyd (2013, Florida)
CB Xavier Rhodes (2013, Florida State)
WR Cordarrelle Patterson (2013, Tennessee)
LB Anthony Barr (2014, UCLA)
QB Teddy Bridgewater (2014, Louisville)
CB Trae Waynes (2015, Michigan State)
WR Laquon Treadwell (2016, Mississippi)
WR Justin Jefferson (2020, LSU)
CB Jeff Gladney (2020, TCU)
T Christian Darrisaw (2021, Virginia Tech)
S Lewis Cine (2022, Georgia)
WR Jordan Addison (2023, USC)
National TV Broadcasts
All three days of the draft will be broadcast on NFL Network, ABC, ESPN, the ESPN app, ESPN Radio and ESPN Deportes.
Start Times
Round 1: 7 p.m. (CT) on Thursday, April 29
Rounds 2-3: 6 p.m. (CT) on Friday, April 30
Rounds 4-7: 11 a.m. (CT) on Saturday, May 1
NFL Network
This will be the 15th year for NFL Network to provide live, on-location coverage of an NFL Draft.
Emmy-nominated host Rich Eisen, NFL Draft expert Daniel Jeremiah, analyst Charles Davis, Stanford Head Coach David Shaw, Hall of Fame QB/analyst Kurt Warner, FOX Sports' lead college football analyst Joel Klatt, NFL Insider Ian Rapoport and Melissa Stark will be in Cleveland for the opening night.
NFL Network's Peter Schrager and Chris Rose will join Eisen, Jeremiah, Davis, Klatt, Rapoport and Stark on Friday.
Saturday's NFL Network coverage will feature Eisen, Jeremiah, Davis, Schrager and Rapoport.
ESPN
This will be ESPN's 42nd telecast of an NFL Draft.
Mike Greenberg will host Thursday and Friday telecasts with NFL Draft analyst Mel Kiper, Jr., analysts Louis Riddick and Booger McFarland, NFL Insiders Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter, and Suzy Kolber.
ABC
Rece Davis, NFL Draft analyst Todd McShay and college analysts Kirk Herbstreit and Desmond Howard will lead ABC's prime-time presentations on Thursday and Friday. Maria Taylor and college analysts Jesse Palmer and David Pollack will cover the draft from a nearby set.
On Saturday, ESPN and ABC will air a simulcast with Davis, Kiper, McShay, Riddick, Mortensen and Schefter.
KFAN 100.3-FM/Vikings.com Coverage
KFAN 100.3-FM will relay the excitement of opening night with a broadcast of a Vikings Draft Show that starts at 6:30 p.m. It will feature analysis by "Voice of the Vikings" Paul Allen, Ben Leber and Paul Charchian.
Vikings.com will provide coverage, including live programming by the Vikings Entertainment Network. Other elements will include 1-on-1s with Spielman, Zimmer and draft picks. All Vikings.com content will be available live or on-demand on the Vikings App, Vikings Now (Connected TV app) and the team's official social media channels. Vikings.com/draft will provide a centralized landing spot for coverage, and this handy-dandy fan guide provides details for other ways fans can engage with the draft. The Draft Tracker Presented by Thomson Reuters will help you follow content for each pick.
Vikings I.Q. Presented by Pepsi
Pepsi is partnering with the Vikings to offer fans an interactive, free-to-play social and gaming experience through the Vikings App called Vikings I.Q. Fans will have an opportunity to make real-time draft predictions, socialize with other Vikings fans and win prizes from Pepsi!
To play, simply download or open the Vikings App.
Vikings I.Q. Presented By Pepsi
Pepsi will partner with the Minnesota Vikings to offer fans an interactive, free-to-play social and gaming experience through the Vikings App called Vikings I.Q. Fans will have an opportunity to make real-time Draft predictions, socialize with other Vikings fans and win prizes from Pepsi! To play, simply download or open the Vikings App then click Menu > Fantasy Games > Vikings I.Q.
