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4 hours ago
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The NFL Draft is always a well-watched event.
But the second and third days took on a whole new shine this year.
That's because Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders was in the midst of a historic free fall that only ended when the Browns took him in the fifth round at No. 144 overall.
If there was any winner from the tough saga, it was the pocketbooks the NFL and their broadcast partner, ESPN/ABC.
Friday night's coverage of the second and third rounds averaged 7.4 million viewers, according to Reuters, up 40 percent from 2024.
That's second all-time for Day 2 coverage behind just the 2020 draft in the middle of the pandemic.
Sanders already has the third-best selling rookie jersey, too.
He's going to be a commercial boom for the league.
It'll likely be bigger money if Sanders is successful rather than flames out, but the NFL won't ever turn down a bit of drama, too.
The league can't have the Browns on Hard Knocks, based on its current rules.
MORE: Why Shedeur Sanders can't be on Hard Knocks
But you can be ESPN will talk about Shedeur plenty as the new season approaches.
He clearly has piqued the interest of football fans everywhere who are waiting to see how this all turns out.
MORE NFL NEWS:
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- 3 potential issues with George Kittle's contract extension
- Deion Sanders' surprise role in Shedeur's draft slide revealed
- Deion Sanders fired by son after Shedeur's draft slide
- Full details of Shedeur Sanders prank call revealed
- Shedeur Sanders will start when he's ready and could rescue Browns QB woes
- Why Shilo Sanders, Buccaneers make sense together
- Why Giants 'need' to let Jaxson Dart start
- Sean Taylor's legacy lives on in Washington with new signing
- Giants' Daniel Jones mistake emphasized by Colts' Riley Leonard draft pick
- Travis Hunter could play 3 positions as a rookie
- Buccaneers' plan for Shilo Sanders revealed
- Buccaneers can play 464-pound, 350-pound linemen together
- Cowboys' Trevon Diggs is in trouble with contract
- The reason the Giants rejected Shedeur Sanders
- The Rams' $17 million reason a Jalen Ramsey deal is going to happen
- Saints reveal feelings on QB Tyler Shough's advanced age
- Bears' Colston Loveland makes NFL history before playing a snap
- Why Cowboys, Nick Chubb free agent signing makes sense
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