• by David Goetzl  @dgoetzl, April 29, 2011

ESPN and NFL Network's combined viewership for Thursday's first round of the NFL Draft fell 16% compared to a year ago, but again topped competing NBA playoff games significantly. A year ago, the draft also substantially outdrew NBA playoff games.

The draft averaged 7 million viewers, down from 8.3 million a year ago on both networks in an 8:15-11:45 p.m. time slot.

A pair of playoff games on TNT -- Los Angeles vs. New Orleans and Dallas vs. Portland -- averaged 3.6 million, the NFL said.

The NFL Draft, which had its first round on a Thursday in prime time for the second straight year, may have been hurt by a lack of buzz given the league's labor woes. Commissioner Roger Goodell was booed when he took the stage to begin the draft.

The draft did face competition from "American Idol" and the final episode of the "The Office" with Steve Carell that it did not go against last year. The NBA duels on Thursday were each the sixth game in the first-round series.