2020 NFL draft: When and how to watch, order, top picks – here’s everything you need to know

We know COVID-19 has ruined a lot of your plans, but sports fans everywhere are feeling it a little extra right now with tonight being the NFL Draft. While you might be able to take the draft out of Vegas (and into the NFL Commissioner's basement...), can you ever fully take the excitement out of the draft?

We say no, no you can't.

Here's everything you need to know about the 2020 NFL Draft: How and when to watch it, the draft order, top picks, a little history and of course, your military tie in for this year's festivities.

ProFootball Hall of Fame

The history

The NFL was founded in Canton, OH in 1920. For those first magical years, players could sign with any team that wanted them. As you can imagine, this led to quite a disparity of level of play -- the best players kept going to the best teams, leaving the other teams scrounging for talent.

According to the ProFootball Hall of Fame:

The league owners adopted a plan for a college player draft on May 19, 1935. Proposed by the Eagles and owner and future NFL commissioner Bert Bell, the plan called for teams to select players in inverse order of their finish the previous season. The first draft had nine rounds and was increased to 10 in 1937. It was expanded to 20 rounds in 1939. Adding a twist to the procedure in 1938 and 1939, only the five teams that finished lowest in the previous season were permitted to make selections in the second and fourth rounds.

1940s: The NFL faced competition in drafting for the first time when the All-America Football Conference came onto the pro football scene in the latter part of the decade. The NFL also added a bonus selection - the first pick overall - in 1947.

1950s: The idea of the bonus pick, which began in 1947, ran full cycle and was abandoned after the 1958 draft. By that time, each team in the league had been awarded the first overall pick in the annual draft, and teams resumed picking in reverse order of league standing.

1960s: The draft became the battleground for a war between the National Football League and American Football League. The rival leagues held separate drafts through 1966 before holding joint drafts from 1967-1969. When the leagues merged at the end of the decade, the draft rivalry was over, and a new rivalry, the Super Bowl, had begun.

1970s: The NFL, drafting as one unified league, eventually reduced the number of rounds to 12. The fierce competition for top talent saw the number one overall pick being secured through trades four times during the decade.

1980s: The NFL again fended off competition from a potential rival as the United States Football League attempted to tap into the talent pool in the mid-1980s. Perhaps the highlight of the decade, draft wise, came in 1983 when a rare group of college quarterbacks dominated the first round of that year's draft.

1990s: Many of the decade's elite teams, like so many franchises before them, have built through the draft. There may be no greater example than the Dallas Cowboys, who used multiple picks to go from a 1-15 team in 1989 to winning three Super Bowls in the 1990s.

2000s: In back-to-back drafts in the 2000s, an NFL team made trades in order to select three players in the first round. In 2000, the Jets drafted in the number 12th, 13th, and 27th spots of the first round. One year later, the St. Louis Rams had the 12th, 20th, and 29th overall picks of round number one.

2010s: The St. Louis Rams selected quarterback Sam Bradford with their first overall pick. This set the trend as other teams used their first overall pick to also select quarterbacks as the face of their franchise including Cam Newton, Andrew Luck, Jameis Winston and Jared Goff.

2020 format

Fast forward to 2020 and it's a new decade with a whole new sort of feel. Tonight's draft will be done completely virtually. Teams will draft online and picks will be announced by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell at his home. For anyone who's ever done a fantasy football draft online, it's going to look a lot like that. Only a few small differences: we doubt anyone will miss their pick because they're getting kids a snack and also, there will be 58 camera crews at the presumed top 58 picks' homes to catch their reactions.

The format remains the same: time allotted to select picks will be: 10 minutes in Round 1, seven minutes in Rounds 2 and 3, and five minutes in Rounds 4 through 7.

When to watch

The draft starts tonight, April 23 at 8:00 pm eastern with Round 1. Rounds 2 and 3 are tomorrow, Friday, April 24 starting at 7:00 pm eastern. Rounds 4 through 7 will be held on Saturday, April 25 starting at 12:00 pm eastern.

How to watch/listen

Here's how you can watch the 2020 NFL Draft on TV and on live stream:

Television

ESPN and NFL Network will simulcast all rounds. ABC will have its own prime-time telecast for Rounds 1-3 tonight and tomorrow, but will simulcast with ESPN and NFL Network on Saturday for the final rounds on Saturday. According to CBS, the draft telecasts will originate from ESPN's Bristol, Connecticut, studios and a majority of the analysts and reporters will contribute from at-home studios.

Thursday, April 23 (8-11:30 p.m. ET)

Round 1: ABC, ESPN, NFL Network, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio

Rounds 2-3: ABC, ESPN, NFL Network, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio

Saturday, April 25 (12-7 p.m. ET)

Rounds 4-7: ABC, ESPN, NFL Network, ESPN Deportes, ESPN Radio

Live stream

FuboTV (try for free)

Live coverage: CBS Sports HQ

WatchESPN app or the NFL Mobile app will also provide livestream. You can also use streaming services such as Sling TV or YouTube TV.

Radio

SiriusXM, Westwood One, and ESPN Radio will have draft coverage.

Draft order

Note: Compensatory picks are marked with an asterisk (*)

Round 1

1. Cincinnati
2. Washington
3. Detroit
4. NY Giants
5. Miami
6. LA Chargers
7. Carolina
8. Arizona
9. Jacksonville
10. Cleveland
11. NY Jets
12. Las Vegas
13. San Francisco f/IND
14. Tampa Bay
15. Denver
16. Atlanta
17. Dallas
18. Miami f/PIT
19. Las Vegas f/CHI
20. Jacksonville f/LAR
21. Philadelphia
22. Minnesota f/BUF
23. New England
24. New Orleans
25. Minnesota
26. Miami f/HOU
27. Seattle
28. Baltimore
29. Tennessee
30. Green Bay
31. San Francisco
32. Kansas City

Round 2

33. Cincinnati
34. Indianapolis f/WAS
35. Detroit
36. NY Giants
37. LA Chargers
38. Carolina
39. Miami
40. Houston f/ARI
41. Cleveland
42. Jacksonville
43. Chicago f/LV
44. Indianapolis
45. Tampa Bay
46. Denver
47. Atlanta
48. NY Jets
49. Pittsburgh
50. Chicago
51. Dallas
52. LA Rams
53. Philadelphia
54. Buffalo
55. Baltimore f/NE via ATL
56. Miami f/NO
57. LA Rams f/HOU
58. Minnesota
59. Seattle
60. Baltimore
61. Tennessee
62. Green Bay
63. Kansas City f/SF
64. Seattle f/KC

Round 3

65. Cincinnati
66. Washington
67. Detroit
68. NY Jets f/NYG
69. Carolina
70. Miami
71. LA Chargers
72. Arizona
73. Jacksonville
74. Cleveland
75. Indianapolis
76. Tampa Bay
77. Denver
78. Atlanta
79. NY Jets
80. Las Vegas
81. Las Vegas f/CHI
82. Dallas
83. Denver f/PIT
84. LA Rams
85. Detroit f/PHI
86. Buffalo
87. New England
88. New Orleans
89. Minnesota
90. Houston
91. Las Vegas f/SEA via HOU
92. Baltimore
93. Tennessee
94. Green Bay
95. Denver f/SF
96. Kansas City
97. Cleveland f/HOU*
98. New England*
99. NY Giants*
100. New England*
101. Seattle*
102. Pittsburgh*
103. Philadelphia*
104. LA Rams*
105. Minnesota*
106. Baltimore*

Round 4

107. Cincinnati
108. Washington
109. Detroit
110. NY Giants
111. Houston f/MIA
112. LA Chargers
113. Carolina
114. Arizona
115. Cleveland
116. Jacksonville
117. Tampa Bay
118. Denver
119. Atlanta
120. NY Jets
121. Las Vegas
122. Indianapolis
123. Dallas
124. Pittsburgh
125. New England f/CHI
126. LA Rams
127. Philadelphia
128. Buffalo
129. Baltimore f/NE
130. New Orleans
131. Arizona f/HOU
132. Minnesota
133. Seattle
134. Baltimore
135. Pittsburgh f/TEN via MIA
136. Green Bay
137. Jacksonville f/SF via DEN
138. Kansas City
139. New England f/TB*
140. Jacksonville f/CHI*
141. Miami*
142. Washington*
143. Atlanta f/BAL*
144. Seattle*
145. Philadelphia*
146. Philadelphia*

Round 5

147. Cincinnati
148. Carolina f/WAS
149. Detroit
150. NY Giants
151. LA Chargers
152. Carolina
153. Miami
154. Miami f/JAC via PIT
155. Minnesota f/CLE via BUF
156. San Francisco f/DEN
157. Jacksonville f/ATL via BAL
158. NY Jets
159. Las Vegas
160. Indianapolis
161. Tampa Bay
162. Washington f/PIT via SEA
163. Chicago
164. Dallas
165. Jacksonville f/LAR
166. Detroit f/PHI
167. Buffalo
168. Philadelphia f/NE
169. New Orleans
170. Baltimore f/MIN
171. Houston
172. New England f/SEA via DET
173. Miami f/BAL via LAR
174. Tennessee
175. Green Bay
176. San Francisco
177. Kansas City
178. Denver*
179. Dallas*

Round 6

180. Cincinnati
181. Denver f/WAS
182. Detroit
183. NY Giants
184. Carolina
185. Miami
186. LA Chargers
187. Cleveland f/ARI
188. Buffalo f/CLE
189. Jacksonville
190. Philadelphia f/ATL
191. NY Jets
192. Green Bay f/LV
193. Indianapolis
194. Tampa Bay
195. New England f/DEN
196. Chicago
197. Indianapolis f/DAL via MIA
198. Pittsburgh
199. LA Rams
200. Chicago f/PHI
201. Minnesota f/BUF
202. Arizona f/NE
203. New Orleans
204. New England f/HOU
205. Minnesota
206. Jacksonville f/SEA
207. Buffalo f/BAL via NE
208. Green Bay f/TEN
209. Green Bay
210. San Francisco
211. NY Jets f/KC
212. New England*
213. New England*
214. Seattle*

Round 7

215. Cincinnati
216. Washington
217. San Francisco f/DET
218. NY Giants
219. Minnesota f/MIA
220. LA Chargers
221. Carolina
222. Arizona
223. Jacksonville
224. Tennessee f/CLE
225. Baltimore f/NYJ
226. Chicago f/LV
227. Miami f/IND
228. Atlanta f/TB via PHI
229. Washington f/DEN
230. New England f/ATL
231. Dallas
232. Pittsburgh
233. Chicago
234. LA Rams
235. Detroit f/PHI via NE
236. Green Bay f/BUF via CLE
237. Tennessee f/NE via DEN
238. NY Giants f/NO
239. Buffalo f/MIN
240. Houston
241. Tampa Bay f/SEA via NE
242. Green Bay f/BAL
243. Tennessee
244. Cleveland f/GB
245. San Francisco
246. Miami f/KC
247. NY Giants*
248. Houston*
249. Minnesota*
250. Houston*
251. Miami*
252. Denver*
253. Minnesota*
254. Denver*
255. NY Giants

Who to watch

Our fave guy? None other than military brat and Auburn superstar Derrick Brown.

Have some fun and win Super Bowl tickets!

As the first-ever Official Casino Sponsor of the National Football League, Caesars Entertainment is proud to introduce the all-new NFL Draft Pick'em Online Game. From now through the start of the NFL Draft—Thursday, April 23— contestants will compete to win Super Bowl LV tickets, trips to Las Vegas to see a Raiders game and more by competing against other participants to correctly predict first round picks.

"With the NFL Draft no longer taking place in Las Vegas due to COVID-19, we still wanted to offer everyone a fun and interactive way to be a part of the action while they're at home," said Caesars Entertainment Chief Marketing Officer, Chris Holdren. "The all-new NFL Draft Pick'em online game is the perfect blend of entertainment to enhance the experience of seeing the next generation of NFL stars selected by their teams."

How to play? Visit Caesars.com/DraftPickEm and attempt to pick the perfect first round Draft from a pool of 100 prospects for a chance to win:

1st Place – Two tickets to Super Bowl LV, plus ,500 for travel accommodations

2nd - 4th Places - Two tickets to a 2020 Las Vegas Raiders home game and a two-night hotel stay

5th - 9th Places - 0 NFLShop.com Gift Card

Players can also test their skills as a running back, quarterback and wide receiver in arcade games for even more chances to win prizes.

COVID-19 might have us all down, but tonight we're just a bunch of socially distant people, united through football.