The coronavirus continues to shock the sports world.
The list of cancelations and postponements keeps growing: the Boston Marathon, the Masters, March Madness, Spring Training, NHL, NBA, MLS, etc. As of Friday morning, the NFL remains off the list, though, it’s unclear how long that will be the case.
NFL insider Dan Graziano explained Friday on ESPN’s “Get UP” that although the league plans to still have the draft, there’s no doubt it’ll be different.
“There will be a draft in that teams will select players, but the question is to what extent they can have a large public gathering,” he said. “As of now, obviously the reason these things are being cancelled is because we don’t want large public gatherings.”
The draft is scheduled to begin Thursday, April 23. The NFL has yet to decide how to adjust the draft due to the nature of the event. However, given the fact it’s just six weeks away, the league will need to make a decision soon.
“It seems as if it’s a fair expectation to think that there will have to be some adjustment to how the draft is conducted, whether you can do it with all those people,” he said. “There were 600,000 people in Nashville last year at the draft, so it’s unlikely that would be the case.”
"There will be a draft."@DanGrazianoESPN is hearing that as of now, the business of the NFL is still running as planned. pic.twitter.com/UzpUeuNG3L
— Get Up (@GetUpESPN) March 13, 2020
What are the alternatives? Graziano suggested it be conducted via conference calls or teams calling in their selections. While it may sound like a foreign concept to some, that’s how the NFL Draft used to operate before the event was first televised in 1980.
