The 2020 NFL draft will almost certainly be a chaotic mess.
Originally scheduled to take place in Las Vegas, the coronavirus epidemic made it impossible for the draft to be conducted in a physical space. Therefore, all 32 teams will take part in a virtual selection process which will be exclusively online.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will announce picks from his home in New York.
A mock draft was conducted on Monday, and the NFL’s general managers quickly encountered some communication problems. The Cincinnati Bengals ran into technical issues with the very first pick, while one head coach reportedly lost internet connection because his kids were soaking up bandwidth on their iPads.
Denver Broncos president John Elway said the second half of the mock draft ran more smoothly, but Friday’s first round could prove a disaster if the practice run is anything to go by. Thankfully, the NFL will stop the clock if a team runs into a technical issue.
Text from a GM during this mock draft “there are early communication issues because 32 of us GMs are on conference call and we didn’t hit mute. Sounds awful”
I really hope the NFL Draft is a circus…the whole reason they're doing this is for a television event and it would make for better tv if it completely collapses into chaos.
Here’s everything you need to know for the 2020 NFL draft.
COMMISSIONER’S BASEMENT BECOMES CENTRE OF NFL WORLD
Kyler Murray after the Arizona Cardinals selected him No. 1 overall in the first round at the NFL Draft in 2019.Source:AP
Roger Goodell will be presiding on the NFL Draft from the coronavirus-safe confines of his man cave in Westchester County on Thursday night – joined by a few socially distancing technicians for the virtual extravaganza, according to a report.
The NFL commissioner — who ordered all team facilities closed on March 26 and has extended that ban indefinitely — will announce the draft picks from the basement of his Bronxville home, The Journal News/lohud.com reports.
“It’s the first fully virtual draft,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told the news outlet. “It’s different, but so too are these times. We’ve adapted and we’ve embraced the challenge to do this.”
The draft, which last year drew more than 600,000 people in Nashville, will be beamed across the nation to sports-starved fans from a solitary camera focused on Goodell while selectors and prospects sit in their homes during the spartan affair.
The league has dispersed 122 tech kits around the US, the news outlet reported.
There will be one in the homes of all 32 coaches and general managers, in addition to 58 provided to the top college prospects, including projected No. 1 overall pick, LSU quarterback Joe Burrow.
The kits will allow them to broadcast from their homes — with Goodell’s garage serving as a de-facto production truck staffed with no more than seven or eight technicians following CDC guidelines.
“A number of alternatives were looked into, but we thought this was the proper way to conduct it,” McCarthy said. “It’s very compact. A limited number of people are involved and there will be no disruption to the local community. Everything will take place inside the house.”
To prepare for the virtual draft, the league’s top decision-makers have had their home offices and basements turned into personal war rooms.
— New York Post
SCHEDULE
Round 1: Friday, April 24th, 10am AEST
Rounds 2-3: Saturday, April 25th, 9am AEST
Rounds 4-7: Sunday, April 26th, 2am AEST
HOW TO WATCH
The 2020 NFL Draft will be played live on Foxtel channel ESPN, and can also be streamed on Kayo.
DRAFT ORDER ( ROUND ONE)
EXPECTED TOP PICKS
Joe Burrow – quarterback, LSW
Chase Young – edge rusher, Ohio State
Justin Herbert – quarterback, Oregon
Tristan Wirfs – tackle, Iowa
Jeff Okudah – cornerback, Ohio State
Andrew Thomas – tackle, Georgia
Derrick Brown – defensive tackle, Auburn
Isaiah Simmons – defensive player, Clemson
C.J. Henderson – cornerback, Florida
Jedrick Wills – tackle, Alabama
Tua Tagovailoa – quarterback, Alabama
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