While it'll be different, Bill Belichick will continue to be part of the NFL Draft. The six-time Super Bowl champion head coach will serve as co-host alongside Pat McAfee during ESPN's coverage of next week's draft.
The draft will likely be Belichick's first step in an expected partnership with ESPN and Peyton Manning's Omaha Productions.
"I'm looking forward to it," Belichick said Wednesday on the "Pat McAfee Show." "Draft Day, draft weekend, is always an exciting time for everybody. ... It's a great event. I'm looking forward to seeing it from the other side."
This draft will mark the first one in 50 years that Belichick is not associated with an NFL team. His upcoming role as a co-host, though, has kept him in his usual pre-draft routine.
"Sort of like what I've been doing," he said. "Watching players, specifically the ones that might be involved in our show, so the guys in the top part of the draft. ... Just trying to do some preparation. I watched a lot of these guys in the fall, even some last year when they weren't coming out but they were still factors. ... Just kind of an ongoing process. It's fun to keep up with it. I always enjoy this part of the season."
While he was largely known for his emotionless press conferences, Belichick has on occasion shown his more colorful side. He has often shown that side during appearances on NFL Films documentaries. He won an Emmy for his work on the "NFL 100 All-Time Team" series back in 2019.
Personality aside, it's hard to find anyone who is as qualified to discuss the draft than Belichick, who during his time with the Patriots drafted several future standouts that included Tom Brady, Rob Gronkowski, Vince Wilfork, Richard Seymour and Julian Edelman, among others.
Belichick also pulled off his share of notable trades during the draft, including the one with Oakland in 2007 that brought future Hall of Fame wideout Randy Moss to New England.
