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What was essentially confirmed about the 2020 NFL Draft a few days ago has officially been confirmed today.
The NFL has announced that every scout, coach, and general manager will be subjected to work from home during the draft in an effort to abide to social distancing guidelines due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A memo was shared with ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter, who broke the news.
Now official: NFL now has informed teams it will do a virtual draft this year. GMs and HCs now will be drafting from their homes. pic.twitter.com/t2mbdjWvVZ
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 6, 2020
Last week it was reported that multiple teams were preparing to do conduct draft responsibilities in their homes in preparation of this announcement. There were rumors about teams using non-NFL facilities to gather in groups of less than 10, but this order officially eliminates those possibilities.
With members of every war room now spread out, online communication is the most valuable asset teams have now. This may limit the amount of trades we see during the draft, as teams need to prioritize communication with their own personnel.
The broadcasting plans for the draft have not changed. The NFL remains committed to televise the draft in a completely virtual manner, featuring player animations provided by the Madden NFL video game developers at EA Sports.
For all of us, nothing really changes. For those making the draft happen, this will be unlike anything they’ve ever experienced. The potential for technical disaster seems very high, and we can’t wait to see what unfolds.