COVID-19 has left America devastated. There have been over half a million confirmed cases and 20,000 deaths. In addition to businesses and schools shutting down, COVID-19 has also caused all major sports in the US to suspend their seasons. 

March Madness, NBA playoffs, and The Masters are just some of the major sporting events that have been postponed. Another major event in sports is the NFL draft. Everyone was expecting the NFL to postpone the draft, similar to other major sporting events, but the NFL decided to take a different route than other leagues. 

Instead of postponing the draft, the NFL decided to have a virtual draft. NFL team personnel will be in their own homes video chatting with each other deciding on what player they should pick to help their team. Players will receive a call in their homes about which team they will be heading to. 

This virtual form of the draft is very risky. There could be technical difficulties with communication between teams negotiating trades, calling in their pick to the NFL, and communicating with their own personnel. Because of these issues, it is rumoured that the NFL will allow teams more time to select their draft picks.

Originally, when the players are drafted in the NFL they are either at the draft or at home surrounded by many family members. This year, players are required to stay home and not have more than 10 family members in a room, and all must be six feet apart. This is unfortunate for players, as they won’t get to have all their family members around for one of the biggest moments in their life.

The draft will still be televised on national television. It will be aired on ABC and ESPN and pre-draft predictions will still be held by NFL analysts. There will be cameras inside the homes of the top picks to be able to capture their reaction. 

The draft is always a big event, but for COVID-19 to affect this year’s draft is certainly a let down. This year’s draft was supposed to take place in Las Vegas. The red carpet for players in family was going to be in the Bellagio fountain on the Vegas strip, and players were going to ride a boat out to the draft stage to receive their jersey from commissioner, Roger Goodell. This draft will be certainly different than any other draft before and it will be exciting to see how it all takes place.