Joel Klatt has likely worked his final NFL Draft for NFL Network.<\/p>\n
With the ESPN-NFL Network merger<\/a> now complete, Klatt recently told Kay Adams<\/a> on Up & Adams that he\u2019s under the impression Fox Sports won\u2019t let him work for ESPN in any capacity, which would end the informal arrangement that had placed him alongside Rich Eisen<\/a>, Daniel Jeremiah<\/a>, and Charles Davis<\/a> on NFL Network\u2019s draft main set<\/a> since 2021.<\/p>\n \u201cI guess no one can predict the future,\u201d Klatt said.<\/a> \u201cBut with the merger, my place isn\u2019t going to let me work for ESPN. And I doubt ESPN would want someone so prevalent on Fox. I\u2019m loaned out. I\u2019m a loaner. They loan me out for the lone weekend on the draft. I don\u2019t know, maybe I\u2019ll take my show and cover it as my show. We\u2019ll see what happens.<\/p>\n \u201cI love working the draft. Mostly because I really enjoy working with DJ and CD and Rich. We have such a great time. I\u2019ll definitely miss it, but at the same time, it is the way the world turns. I was at one point a minor league baseball player and left that, and then ended my football career. I learned a long time ago that you don\u2019t get too caught up and nostalgic about things because they will change.\u201d<\/p>\n What does the future of NFL Draft coverage look like in a post NFL Media-ESPN merger?<\/p>\n Joel Klatt on potentially his last time covering the Draft at the NFL Network desk@joelklatt<\/a> | @heykayadams<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/ZJrwbrDmTJ<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) April 27, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n ESPN formally acquired NFL Network on April 1 as part of a deal that gave the Worldwide Leader ownership of NFL Network, and linear distribution rights to RedZone, with the NFL receiving a 10 percent equity stake in ESPN in return. NFL Network employees became ESPN employees that same day<\/a>. The 2026 draft was the first produced under ESPN\u2019s ownership, and Kyle Brandt\u2019s appearance on the ESPN broadcast<\/a> alongside Rece Davis and Mel Kiper Jr. on day three offered the first glimpse of what cross-network integration might look like going forward.<\/p>\n Klatt, under contract with Fox, doesn\u2019t appear likely to cross that line, and the same question remains to be seen with CBS Sports analyst Charles Davis, who is set to become the network\u2019s lead college football analyst alongside Brad Nessler following Gary Danielson\u2019s retirement.<\/p>\n\n