A lot has changed in the sporting world, and our world at large, over the past month, as much of the globe has come to a screeching halt due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
While it took an NBA player testing positive for COVID-19 to knock the first domino of cancelations in America, the rest of the sporting world quickly followed suit. All but the NFL — they’re in a position where, in their offseason, things can for the large part stay on schedule, with a few minor tweaks here and there.
We’ve seen free agency feel the effect, as teams are being forced to strike deals with players without the benefit of a physical being given. This hasn’t shut down the process at all together, but there are maybe a couple of deals that were delayed or are still up in the air because of health questions.
Next on the schedule is the NFL Draft, which is set to start on April 23rd. There were many questions about whether or not NFL Commissioner, Roger Goodell, would postpone the event, or alter the structure. He said on Thursday that the league has no such plans.
So the date won’t change, but some things will be changed, and teams will have to adjust their strategies. Reports surfaced that the NFL was considering holding the draft in a studio-type setting, with cameras at each team’s headquarters, and teams have been given a limit as to how many personal visits they can have with players ahead of draft day. This means no Pro Days, no team doctor physicals, and minimal interviews. In essence, 32 teams are being asked to draft with one arm tied behind their back.
For the Washington Redskins, there might be some confidence that they can perform better than other teams despite this handicap.
“If you have good area scouts, they’re going to know the history of these players,” former NFL GM Charley Casserly said, via NBC Sports Washington. “They’ll know that guys that haven’t had any injuries, the guys that didn’t go to the Combine, and those who should be healthy. You might make some mistakes. But you won’t make as many as you think if you got good area scouts.”
It seems simple, but it’s worth repeating: if you have a solid scouting department, you’ll likely be able to adjust on the fly and evaluate the best talent, finding a way to get them onto your roster. Luckily for the Redskins, they have a great scouting department, headed up by Kyle Smith, the VP of Player Personnel. Washington’s draft success over the last 3-4 years have been noted, and they’re coming off a season where they had the most productive rookie-class in the NFL, finding steals like Terry McLaurin in the third round, and Cole Holcomb in the fifth round. Just two weeks ago, an NFL scout declared that the Redskins have one of the top 5-10 scouting departments in the league.
By no means will this be a “normal” draft, as war rooms will be gutted, and decision-makers will be forced to teleconference with one another when the clock is ticking, and the pressure is on. Trades with other teams will also take a hit as well, with so many balls in the air that one more offer could easily cause a team’s operation to tumble.
But nonetheless, it’s easy to trust in the Redskins core group here — a sentence I can’t believe I just wrote. Ron Rivera is steady as a rock, and Smith is as capable as they come. Some teams might flounder, making a risky pick or letting a player fall, but we feel confident that Washington can navigate this new challenge.
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