In a normal offseason, NFL teams attend college pro days and have draft prospects visit their facilities in the weeks leading up to the draft.
COVID-19 ruined any normality for this year’s offseason.
Pro days have been canceled and NFL facilities have been closed, which will prevent teams from hosting players on pre-draft visits.
The Broncos will still talk with prospects, but it will be over the phone (or via a video service) instead of in person.
“We’ll hold interviews with the players over the telephone or whether it be in Zoom instead of having the 30 visits that we’ve had,” president of football operations/general manager John Elway said during a conference call with reporters on Tuesday. “We’ll be able to get the coaches — [they will] be able to interview the players over the phone.”
Denver did not take assistant coaches to the combine, which allowed those coaches to spend time studying film of draft prospects.
“[That] helped us tremendously,” Elway said.
The draft is now less than a month away and the Broncos don’t know if they will be allowed back in their facility for draft weekend.
“We don’t know if we’re going to be back in our complex by the time the draft comes around,” Elway said. “We’re in the process now of making those preparations if we’re not able to get back into our complex and how we go about that. I actually feel pretty good about where we are.
“With the draft staying where it is, it is fine. We’ll just move ahead and deal with the hand we’re dealt.”
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