ESPN’s Louis Riddick: The journey to becoming an NFL Draft expert
Editor’s Note: ESPN will televise the 2016 NFL Draft beginning with Round 1 on Thursday, April 28, at 8 p.m. ET. The first hour will again air with limited commercial interruption.
NFL Front Office Insider Louis Riddick made his NFL Draft television debut in 2015, joining Chris Berman, Jon Gruden and Mel Kiper on ESPN’s main set for Round 1. This spring, he’s back with this crew and he’s also preparing for Rounds 2-7 when he will be paired with Trey Wingo, Kiper, and Todd McShay.
“I’m a football guy in the truest sense,” said Riddick, the former NFL player and pro personnel director who has been with ESPN since 2013. “From the time I was a kid there’s nothing else I’ve ever wanted to do. Being a part of our draft coverage is kind of a cherry on top. . .going from being a fan to a player to now talking about players and seeing them realize their dreams on one of the biggest nights of their lives. It doesn’t get much better than that.”
In the interview above with Front Row, Riddick details his football background, explains why this year’s Round 1 is must-watch TV and shares what it’s like working alongside Berman, the 36-year draft veteran; Kiper, who evaluated him when he was drafted in 1991; and Gruden, one of his former NFL head coaches.
Jon McLeod and Allison Stoneberg produced this video.
ESPN will televise a two-hour SportsCenter Special: NFL Schedule Release show in primetime coinciding with the National Football League’s announcement of the 2016 regular season schedule. The special will begin at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN and will switch to ESPN2 at 9 p.m. ET. The program will also be available via WatchESPN.
NFL Live’s Trey Wingo will host with analysts Herm Edwards, Ryan Clark and Brian Dawkins. NFL coach and player guests are also expected to be part of the program, which will breakdown team-by-team schedules, Monday Night Football games and other primetime matchups.
In addition to ESPN television coverage, ESPN.com’s NFL Nation team reporters will have comprehensive analysis of all 32 team schedules and other games of interest.
