CLEVELAND, Ohio – Interest in the Cleveland Browns and more than a dozen Ohio State football prospects helped to raise the viewership rating for ESPN on Thursday of the NFL Draft's first round.
According to ESPN's report Friday afternoon, Cleveland was the highest-rated market to view the telecast with a 13.3 rating ahead of Columbus with the second highest of 13.1.
Other top-10 metered markets included New Orleans (7.8), Dayton (7.7), Birmingham (7.5), Jacksonville (7.2), Philadelphia (7.0), Minneapolis-St. Paul (6.9), Buffalo (6.6) and Nashville (6.1).
ESPN said the NFL Draft opening round telecast is the company's best overnight rating of 5.