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“NFL Live” Host Laura Rutledge Leans on “SEC Nation” Know-How Ahead of 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City

Wearing multiple helmets in her football reporting duties, Rutledge shares her unique perspective on Alabama’s Bryce Young and Will Anderson, Jr., Florida’s Anthony Richardson, and Georgia’s Nolan Smith, all currently projected to be first-round selections


BRYCE YOUNG, ALABAMA QB

ESPN host/reporter Laura Rutledge pulls double duty in the fall, leading ESPN’s NFL Live throughout the week and anchoring SEC Nation every Saturday morning on SEC Network.

Those four-and-a-half months every football season require a juggling act, one that Rutledge has done since 2020 when she first took on hosting duties for the daily NFL studio show while kicking off her fourth season anchoring SECN’s signature Saturday programming.

Now finishing her third season on NFL Live and about to embark on her eighth season overall on SEC Nation, balancing both football worlds benefits Rutledge each spring when the NFL Draft rolls around.

She has cultivated strong professional relationships with collegiate and NFL teams, coaches, and athletes throughout her work on both shows. The Florida alum also serves as a sideline reporter for various Monday Night Football matchups and the College Football Playoff Semifinals every year, further fostering those connections.

The latest three-round NFL mock draft from senior NFL Draft analysts Mel Kiper and Todd McShay features nine potential first-round picks from the Southeastern Conference, including four of the top five. In the following Front Row exclusives, Rutledge shares her unique perspective on Alabama’s Bryce Young (see video above) and Will Anderson, Jr., Florida’s Anthony Richardson, and Georgia’s Nolan Smith (see videos below), all currently projected to be first-round selections.

ESPN and ABC’s coverage of the 2023 NFL Draft kicks off on Thursday, April 27, from Kansas City. Rutledge will wear many helmets throughout the multi-day, multi-platform event, her last on-site programming before her maternity leave begins in May.

(SEC Nation: Zelman Platon Brounoff/ESPN Images; NFL Live: Kelly Backus/ESPN Images; Illustration: Amanda Brooks/ESPN)

Lily Blum and Spencer Jackson contributed to this feature

WILL ANDERSON, JR., ALABAMA LB



ANTHONY RICHARDSON, FLORIDA QB



NOLAN SMITH, GEORGIA LB


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