he NFL draft is set to be held Thursday, April 23rd at 8 Pm ET (check here for timezone details). Three months ago, the NFL announced its most ambitious live event to date. Traditionally, there is a red carpet for players as they enter the facility, a stage for drafting itself, and maybe a couple of other small side entertainment acts. The draft site was always in Chicago but over the past few years, it’s moved around like a traveling circus, most recently in Nashville.
NFL Announces Las Vegas as Host
This year the NFL stepped up their game. Now, the main stage will be outside the brand new Caesars Forum, including AN ENTIRE THEME PARK. One of the more ambitious spectacles was going to be this year’s red carpet, located in the middle of the Bellagio Fountain. Yes, you had to take a boat to the red carpet. No one knew exactly how it would work, but we were fascinated by the logistics.
NFL Announces a Virtual 2020 Draft
Continuing its rampage, COVID-19 put an end to this grand idea in a split second. Talks have been looming if the NFL draft would be postponed, held privately, or some other solution. The NFL landed on a virtual draft. The same way you and your buddies hold a fantasy draft while living in different cities. A lot of people questioned the production value of a virtual draft, but sports are needed back more than ever.
To make sure this goes off without a hitch, a Virtual Mock Draft- where GMs could test their internet speeds, monitor setups, and make sure it all ran smoothly, was held on Monday. Let’s just say different GMs had different ideas of how to draft…
The photo shows John Lynch’s (Top)- GM of the 49ers, spectacular 5 monitors, 3 phone set up. He’s can make 3 make trades while having two more lined without breaking a sweat. David Gettleman (bottom)- GM of the Giants, is a simpler man. He just needs a laptop, a binder thicker than a load of bread, a bottle of lotion for those cold New York nights (via The Checkdown).
As you’d expect, the mock draft, encompassing a bunch of 50-70-year-old men, using technology without their grandkid by their side, hit a snag on the very first pick…
Communications and internet speed issues were the main culprit. Now GMs everywhere are the phone with AT&T about how they need fibre installed in their neighborhood pronto.
The NFL could openly say the NFL Draft will be unentertaining and almost impossible to watch. But it doesn’t matter. Thursday’s draft will have the eyes of every Noth-American sports fan locked in. Whether they resolve the issues or make it worse, it will be fascinating TV.
