To some, it’s an NFL Draft alert. To others, it serves as pre-game motivation. The catchy “dun-dun-dun-dun da-da-da da-dun” tune notifies draft-goers and those watching at home that a player’s dreams are about to come true.
Exploring the Origin of the NFL Draft’s Iconic Chime
Once an unheralded selection meeting, the NFL Draft has become a must-see television event. In an effort to make it more audience-friendly, the league worked on creating a chime to alert viewers when picks were being made. Here’s the backstory.
ESPN Originals explained some of the backstory behind the well-known chime within an Instagram slideshow collaboration with ESPN, Adam Schefter, and the NFL on Sunday. Steve Ackels detailed why the sound was introduced during the 2006 NFL Draft.
“Back then, I believe it was two days of draft coverage and it’s, you know, six-, seven-, eight-hour days,” said Ackels, who produces Monday Night Football. “The draft is on for so long, you know, this would be great for the viewer if there was some sort of chime to alert when someone was gonna come out to reveal a pick.”
Composer Bob Christianson played a part in crafting the jingle.
“I gave them a bunch of different things with a bunch of different sounds,” Christianson said. “Make it faster, make it slower. Instead of two seconds, make it three seconds. So, they basically took what I gave them, picked one and said, ‘Yeah, that’s the one.'”
However, as the chime was set to be unveiled, it curiously didn’t play before the Houston Texans took Mario Williams with the No. 1 overall pick. Reggie Bush (No. 2, New Orleans), Vince Young (No. 3, Tennessee), D’Brickashaw Ferguson (No. 4, New York Jets), A.J. Hawk (No. 5, Green Bay), Vernon Davis (No. 6, San Francisco), and Michael Huff (No. 7, Oakland) didn’t hear it, either.
Finally, it played before the Buffalo Bills selected Donte Whitner with the No. 8 overall choice.
“To this day, I have no idea why it wasn’t used until the eighth pick,” Ackels said.
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Now, it’s a staple, both on draft day and, for Boise State tailback Ashton Jeanty, game day. Jeanty, a likely first-round pick during Thursday’s 2025 NFL Draft, dominated at the college level this past season.
“My auntie, she sends the draft chime to me before every single football game, just to remind me what my goals and dreams are,” Jeanty said.
Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter won the Heisman Trophy. He figures to go before the No. 6 overall pick this week.
“When I hear the NFL Draft song? Picks and money. Nah, I’m playing,” Hunter joked.
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