Health and safety is undeniably the top priority. As the nation attempts to contain the sudden outbreak of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), numerous sporting events around the world have been canceled or postponed.
The Centers of Disease Control now recommends that Americans do not conduct gatherings of 50 or more people for the next eight weeks. Merely a day after this announcement, the 2020 NFL Draft committed to adjusting its plans.
There will be no fans at the NFL draft.
The league will continue with the draft as scheduled on April 23-25, but public events will be closed due to the coronavirus.
(via @nfldraftscout) pic.twitter.com/zcpOGLEd9f
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) March 16, 2020
The NFL Draft was scheduled to take place on April 23-25 in Las Vegas, Nevada. While the draft will still proceed without the typical public events or fans present, the league is still exploring innovative ways for how the process will be conducted.
It’s likely that all draft selections will be digital from remote locations. This shouldn’t impact NFL organizations from their usual selection process as they typically work from within the war room inside of their own headquarters. However, for some prospects, hearing your name called to the stage is a lifelong dream that unfortunately won’t materialize.
The Texas trio of safety Brandon Jones and wide receivers Collin Johnson and Devin Duvernay will be anxiously awaiting that special phone call.