Such as Whoopi Goldberg. Charles Coplin, the NFL programming vice president overseeing the show at Manhattan's Radio City Music Hall, Tuesday said Goldberg and actors Alyssa Milano, Josh Charles and Dan Lauria as well as weight loss guru Jillian Michaels will be working the draft's first-ever red carpet for entrances shown live Thursday on ESPN and NFL Network (6 p.m. ET).

Don't laugh. With prime-time, first-round coverage Thursday (7:30 p.m. ET) and the second and third rounds starting at 6 p.m. ET Friday, this year's draft seems a shoo-in to set TV ratings records, which is saying something. In the past year, only 27 events on ESPN — excluding NFL games — outdrew the 4% of U.S. cable TV households who tuned into last year's draft coverage. NFLN, in about 56 million households compared to about 99 million for ESPN, last year drew 1.3% of its households for its draft show.

And because more is never enough, cable TV's CBS College Sports Network and cbssports.com Tuesday announced that they'll simultaneously air what's billed as "the most comprehensive multimedia coverage" of the draft — even though CBS won't actually be at the draft itself.

For kiss-and-cry moments in the green room Thursday, the NFL will bring in a record 17 potential draftees — up from nine last year. And with a member of the military and a Make-a-Wish patient slated to announce first-round picks, says Coplin, "there'll be more of a focus on compelling figures at the podium."

So, will red-carpet walkers ever announce picks? Says Coplin: "If they were appropriate celebrities that maintain credibility, we'd look at it."

Not bad for an event — "The NFL Players Selection Meeting" — that over the years has changed just about everything but its name. Chris Berman, who first joined ESPN's draft coverage in 1981, recalls how then-NFL commissioner Pete Rozelle responded when ESPN asked to first air the draft in 1980: "Pete said, 'Why would you want to do that? It'd be like reading the Manhattan phone book.' "