O’Donnell: Any surprise will be a surprise at NFL draft ’26
A NEW-MILL NFL DRAFT is all about saturation coverage and predictability.
There is very seldom the baffling elements of a “Double Jeopardy!” board filled with nothing but correct responses about “13th Century Italian Poets.”
(Who is Guido Cavalcanti, after all — and the question doesn't involve an edge from Villanova?)
As the brilliant Frank Deford once noted, the sequential name calling is “a triumph of conventional wisdom.”
Throw in pro football philosophy on the tyranny of consensus and that pretty much outlines the orderly three-day bacchanal.
AS ANYONE WITHIN CONSUMING DISTANCE of major American sports media knows, the 2026 draft begins at 7 p.m. Thursday.
The host city is Pittsburgh, proving that the Rust Belt and echoes of The Immaculate Reception never really sleep.
Even seasonal ground-level hero Punxsutawney Phil will be in attendance at a pre-draft festival hours before commissioner Roger Goodell announces Pick No. 1.
ESPN, ABC AND THE NFL NETWORK — now all operating under the sleight-of-mouse of Disney — will carry varying perspectives of live coverage.
That includes Round 1 on opening night, Rounds 2 and 3 beginning at 6 p.m. Friday and the concluding four rounds starting at 11 a.m. Saturday.
IN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE CONSTANT NEED for more fan-friendly pace, the time between first-round selections has been shortened to eight minutes.
That means that barring a trade, with the 25th selection of Round 1, Ryan Poles and the Bears should be on the clock sometime around 10:15 p.m.
With the current bistate Marsh-kins, there's also always that chance that limelight-hogging president Kevin Warren may announce yet another fresh-leverage starter in the Bears New Stadium Derby some time before that 25th selection.
THE NIGHT ONE PROCEEDINGS are expected to draw a peak audience of close to 14 million. The “COVID Virtual” telecast of the 2020 draft, which drew 15.3M shut-in watchers, is expected to remain the league record.
That aggregate this time around will include: legacy TV (most popular with Cheetos-munching age 55 plus) and social media and streaming (No. 1 with Gen Z, ages 18-29).
Millennials are also tops with mobile apps.
IT'S ALL A FAR CRY from the 1980 draft. That was when the ambitious ESPN — then less than eight months old — offered the first full coverage of the multi-tribe ritual.
Commissioner Pete Rozelle had his doubts very many would watch, especially with a start time of midday Thursday from New York City.
ESPN aces Chet Simmons and Scotty Connal were thinking more foundational, even though their fledgling cable network was available in less than four million homes.
Bob Ley co-anchored, along with George Grande, once a teammate of Tom Seaver and Mount Prospect's own Dave Kingman on Rod Dedeaux's powerful baseball teams at USC.
VERY FEW AT THE TIME could perceive that the modest broadcast would be one small step for ESPN, one giant leap for all of the power and sustained imaging glory that the NFL has become.
“Will it play in Pittsburgh?” Thursday night isn't even a concern.
Even though the only absolute certainties are a general predictability inside of immersive coverage.
For sure, the 2026 NFL draft will be yet another triumph of conventional thought for the most brawny sports association on the planet.
STREET-BEATIN':
Speculation that Steve Kerr will retire as head coach of the Warriors and accept a post a president of the Bulls is slab of sports talk dream take — for now. If the keenly intelligent Kerr does step aside after his magnificent run with Golden State, most probable path is a season in some sort of fulfilling service recharging. He also knows far too much about the culture of the Bulls to fully trust ownership. …
Take a little nudge at Craig Counsell and the Wizard of Wrigleyville responds by managing the Cubs like the second coming of Frank Chance. Having the nose-diving Mets in town for the weekend was a godsend. At the rate he's hitting right buttons, Counsell may finally leapfrog Milwaukee mentor Pat Murphy atop the NL Central at season's end. …
Steve Kashul is putting the final touches on the first edition of his new “Kash and Matty Talkin' Golf” on CHSN. The showgram will debut at 7 p.m. Sunday. “Matty” is Arlington Heights native Matt Smith, a respected regional golf guru who has Len Ziehm on speed text. The new podcast will supplement Kashul's weekly “The Golf Scene,” which started in 1994 and is slated for a June return on CHSN. …
And call it piling on, but even Marquee/Cubs studio host Cole Wright snagged a piece of the snark following the Mets' 2-1 loss at Wrigley Sunday. Of the struggling NY manager, Wright said: “I don't work for CareerBuilder, but I think Carlos Mendoza may want to update that LinkedIn page — 'Former major-league manager, not great at managing late-game situations.'” Bark, bark. …
Jim O'Donnell's Sports and Media column appears each week on Sunday and Wednesday. Reach him at jimodonnelldh@yahoo.com. All communications may be considered for publication.