The ongoing coronavirus pandemic threatens the traditional college football schedule. One of the proposed modifications to the college season could have some significant ripple effects on the NFL, too.
College football could move to the spring instead of being played in the fall. The principle is that contact sports like football are inherently riskier to expose participants to the COVID-19 virus, and delaying until the spring buys more time for a possible vaccine or more ways to avoid or treat infections.
That could be a problem for the 2021 NFL Draft and the cycle of postseason events leading up to the draft, which will be held in Cleveland in late April.
If the college players are still playing their season, it means NFL teams won’t be able to execute private workouts or visits. Things like the NFL Scouting Combine and the Senior Bowl would need to be rescheduled. The college season might not even be completed before the scheduled draft date.
As of now, the NFL has no plans or interest in altering the schedule to help accommodate any college football changes, according to Dan Wolken of USA TODAY.
One nugget I picked up today. College football officials have quietly inquired with the NFL about whether they’d be willing to push back the 2021 draft in the event of a spring season. Unsurprisingly, the NFL isn’t interested
— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) July 2, 2020
Any potential move to the spring for college football is still in the planning stages. Recent outbreaks of positive tests among student-athletes at several major colleges make it a viable possibility, as unsavory as that might seem.