By Lewis Gould
Call it the Fox Effect.
The first round of the NFL draft was on broadcast television for the first time, and the resulting ratings were way up over last year.
The combined viewership on FOX, ESPN, NFL Network totaled an 8.3 rating, a big increase over the 6.7 rating last year on ESPN and NFL Network.
However, this was not the most-watched first round ever. That distinction still goes to the 2014 NFL draft, which totaled an 8.7 rating on ESPN and NFL Network. That year, Johnny Manziel’s stardom fueled huge interest until he fell to the Browns at No. 22.
