<P> The 1960 NFL Draft marked a turning point in the draft's history because of the pending arrival of the American Football League (AFL), as it became a "high - stakes, competitive affair ." </P> <P> In 1976, former NFL wide receiver Paul Salata first coined the moniker "Mr. Irrelevant" to refer to the last overall player selected in the draft . </P> <P> In 1980, Chet Simmons, president of the year - old ESPN, asked Pete Rozelle if the fledgling network could broadcast coverage of the draft live on ESPN . Although Rozelle did not believe it would be entertaining television, he agreed . In 1988, the NFL moved the draft from weekdays to the weekend and ESPN's ratings of the coverage improved dramatically . </P> <P> In 2006, ESPN received competition when the NFL Network, which had launched in October 2003, began to produce its own draft coverage . ESPN pays the NFL a rights fee for the non-exclusive rights to draft coverage, a fee that is included in its overall contract to televise games (ESPN Sunday Night NFL from 1987 to 2005, and Monday Night Football from 2006 to the present). </P>

When did they start televising the nfl draft