Bill Belichick to co-host Pat McAfee's NFL Draft show on ESPN

Bill Belichick to co-host Pat McAfee's NFL Draft show on ESPN originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick has a new job.

On Wednesday, Pat McAfee announced Belichick as the co-host for his annual "Draft Spectacular." Belichick joined "The Pat McAfee Show" to discuss his involvement in the broadcast, which will air during Day 1 of the 2024 NFL Draft next Thursday.

"I'm looking forward to it," Belichick said in his first public comments since his farewell press conference with the Patriots. "Draft day, draft weekend is always an exciting time for everybody. For the teams that are building their teams, for the fans, for everybody involved in it. It's a great event and yeah, I'm looking forward to seeing it from the other side. It'll be fun to be in Detroit, be with you guys, and get your expertise."

With six Lombardi Trophies behind him, Belichick explained that he's been researching this year's draft class despite not having an NFL job for 2024.

"Sort of like what I've been doing. Watching the players, specifically the ones that might be involved in our show, so the guys in the top part of the draft," he said. "But the first round leads into the second round and there's a lot of correlation there, so we'll talk about that next Thursday night.

"But yeah, just trying to do some preparation. I followed a lot of these guys in the fall and even some from last year. ... It's just kind of an ongoing process and yeah, it's fun to keep up with it. I always enjoy this part of the season."

Belichick's new gig as a draft analyst means when the Patriots pick third overall, he'll get to break down the selection. New England earned the No. 3 pick after going 4-13 in Belichick's final year as head coach, ending an illustrious 24-year run.

The timing of McAfee's announcement was interesting, to say the least. Earlier on Wednesday, ESPN published a report detailing Belichick's failed pursuit of the Atlanta Falcons' head coaching job. ESPN claimed Patriots owner Robert Kraft told Falcons owner Arthur Blank not to trust Belichick. The Patriots have since denied that report.

McAfee's "Draft Spectacular" with Belichick will air on YouTube and ESPN+.