ESPN exec: Tipping NFL Draft picks ‘doesn’t take that much skill’

One of the longest-running debates around NFL Draft coverage is whether broadcast networks — or reporters — should be allowed to tip picks. The reality is that most picks are known a few selections in advance. But these days, there’s at least a gentlemen’s agreement in place that networks airing the draft won’t tip picks early.

That said, if you work for an NFL Draft rights holder, tipping picks is strictly off-limits. And it has been for a while now.

You can post about a pick once it’s announced on TV — but not before — unless you’re Pat McAfee, of course. If you’re scrolling X, The Everything App, during Days 2 and 3 of the draft, chances are you’ll see the pick before it flashes across the scroll or you hear the famous jingle.

There are reporters like SNY’s Connor Hughes, who aren’t beholden to ESPN or NFL Network’s policies. Hughes can operate a little differently, but that doesn’t mean the networks are thrilled about it.

The Athletic’s Richard Deitsch recently asked ESPN executive producer Seth Markman how he views the situation, and he didn’t exactly speak highly of those who choose to tip picks ahead of time.

“The tipping picks thing, it doesn’t take that much skill for a reporter nowadays to find out who’s being drafted ahead of the TV broadcast,” Markman told The Athletic ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft. “Just so people know, the teams make their picks before they’re announced by the commissioner. All the other teams in the league have to find out who that pick is so they can proceed with the draft. It only takes one person in one building around the NFL to text a reporter what the pick is, and they can then tweet it out. We’ve seen that happening over the last couple years. We’re not going to do that.

“We’ve said it over and over again that our fans constantly have told us they want to hear from the commissioner. It’s not like our people can’t be on Twitter during the draft. They just can’t report the picks before they’re announced. They should be engaging and providing perspective. But I’ll tell you: Those people that are tipping picks, they’re not Edward R. Murrow Award-winning reporters for getting scoops.”

Markman’s point is the reality that tipping picks isn’t exactly a journalistic masterstroke. It’s a quick and easy way to get a moment of attention, but it doesn’t add much to the value of the broadcast. ESPN’s focus remains on keeping the draft’s drama without undercutting what keeps fans engaged.

And for those itching to beat the jingle, well, they’re getting a different kind of thrill, but it’s not the one the broadcast is designed to deliver.