Football Analyst Todd McShay Will Be Absent From the 2024 NFL Draft — Here's Why

It's that time of year again for prospective professional football players to get recruited during the NFL draft. This three-day period takes place every year at the end of every April and sees prominent up-and-coming football players get picked up for various professional teams. It's an exciting time for college athletes hoping to get noticed by the big leagues and for football fans to see which new players their favorite teams will end up recruiting by the time the draft is over.

As one might expect, this event receives plenty of news coverage from sports reporters and analysts who provide commentary on draft picks and future prospects. Most would look toward sources like ESPN for the latest and most insightful updates on the NFL draft. To that end, those who do tune in are probably used to seeing the same faces deliver the news. For a while, many looked to football analyst Todd McShay for their draft news. But what happened to him in recent years? You won't see him on ESPN anymore.

In case you weren't aware, Todd McShay is a sports commentator and football analyst who previously worked with ESPN. He joined the sports network back in 2006 and provided regular commentary on college football scouting. He frequently appeared on many of ESPN's programming, including SportsCenter, and was often featured with fellow football analyst Mel Kiper Jr. Like Steve Kornacki for election coverage, many looked to Todd for his commentary on the NFL draft every year.

After 17 years with ESPN, however, Todd was removed from his position. In June 2023, Todd McShay was laid off in the midst of a highly volatile time for media journalism. He was one of nearly 20 on-air personalities who lost their jobs in a massive string of layoffs.

His firing came only two years after a health scare caused him to take a brief hiatus. From September to October 2021, he took a break from his ESPN duties to focus on his health after he appeared unwell while on the air.

As of this writing, he still provides sports commentary on social media platforms like X, formerly Twitter. In terms of the 2024 NFL draft season, though, he's scaling back his annual duties.

Shortly before the 2024 draft, Todd tweeted, "I'm sitting this one out on TV due to obvious contract limitations, but it's business as usual around here [on X]."

He continues, "Thanks again for all the support and inquiries on where to find me during the 2024 draft. I can't wait to get back out there and will keep you posted on what's coming next."

He has since shared his own takes on who to look out for in the draft season.