Virtual NFL Draft… Time for Better Changes
Following that bizarre Wednesday night in March, when the NBA abruptly suspended its season following COVID-19 concerns, the American people have faced the constant ups and downs of this global pandemic. While many of us have found ourselves quarantined and ‘socially distanced’ from the comfort of our homes, we’ve done so without our sports.
Tonight, the NFL will change this pattern. Or, try to. Viewers can tune in to ABC, ESPN, or the NFL Network at 8pm ET with the resumption of the originally scheduled 2020 NFL Draft.
Oh yeah, it’s going to look a little bit different this year.
Earlier this month, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that the league would be moving forward with the draft in a fully virtual format. My favorite part of this announcement? The draft will be held as a fundraiser benefiting six charities on the frontlines of COVID-19 defense. I applaud the NFL for that much.
Teams will set up operations to draft from their respective homes, communicating through our newly beloved platforms, Zoom and Skype, to make selections. The teams have designated an individual to make each pick through an encrypted draft channel, with several phone lines as contingency plans.
On the broadcast, viewers can tune in for a simulcast effort made up of staffers from multiple networks working together in different locations. This simulcast is made up of 180 remote video feeds granting access to draft picks, coaches, general managers and Goodell from their homes. Two words: technological nightmare.
Only time will tell how this once in a lifetime version of the draft will pan out, but we can hope for the best. I’m especially disappointed for the 250+ young men who will miss out on that life-changing memory walking across the stage to meet Goodell and start their new futures. But alas, we’re playing with the hand that COVID-19 has dealt us.
With so much concern around this year’s format, it got me thinking… are there better ways to move forward with the 2020 NFL Draft? Maybe not better, but I’ve got a few ways to make it more entertaining.
Twitter Fan Vote
Whether stuck at work, watching the kids, or unable to seize control of the lone television in your household (yeah, I get tired of Bravo’s Real Housewives too), sports fans know that social media is our savior.
Since its inception, Twitter has developed a harmonious relationship with sports. Breaking news updates from Adam Schefter, hilarious fan reactions via memes, or regrettable in-game tweets from Chad Ochocinco, have all added an entertaining outlet for sports fans to enjoy outside of watching live games on TV.
Let’s get the fans involved on this one. It’s only right. Our dollars fund a large majority of these teams. And I mean, we understand that we know more than the big wigs making these decisions on draft night anyways.
In order to let owners and GMs retain a small amount of their sanities, they can trim down each pick to their top-4 selections. Then send it out via the team’s official Twitter handle and give the fans 30 minutes to publicly vote on the official selection.
I’m still working out how to integrate pick-trades into this new version, but one step at a time.
Madden 2020 Contest
Big kudos to the NBA, NBA Players Association (NBPA) and 2K Games for taking the first shot at this experiment. The NBA 2K Players Tournament that aired on various ESPN networks throughout early April has been one of my favorite creations of COVID-19 sports programming yet.
I’m proposing the NFL adopts this method, with a little higher stakes. Draft picks.
The league could partner with the gaming system of their choice, EA Sports, a broadcast television station and as many advertisers as possible, creating a 300+ player Madden 2020 tournament. At the end of this month-long experiment, the winner is announced the No. 1 overall pick. And the reverse order of finish dictates the remaining seven rounds of NFL 2020 Draft selections.
This is a win-win in my book. Leave the results in the hands of the players (mostly their thumbs if you’ve ever held a video game controller), and create a month-long of television content for fans to consume. What could go wrong?
Individual Combine Workouts
We all know that football is a game played by the best athletes in the world (sorry, basketball, soccer, baseball). Keeping with the idea of leaving control in the individuals who keep sports alive (the athletes), let’s leave the NFL 2020 Draft results in their control.
Teams can decide a position they’d like to draft for each pick in every round, and every player who entered his name into the draft will be given a 1-1 combine workout by an NFL scout. The combine workouts are graded by the NFL on a scale from 1-100 and the best athletes are automatically drafted in order of these grades, according to the positions each team previously dictated.
Example: The Cincinnati Bengals have already indicated the No. 1 pick will likely be a quarterback. The front office will lock in for a QB to be selected in that pick. However, Joe Burrow will not be the presumably obvious selection. Instead, my boy Tua will take that spot based on his individual workout grade. And yes, I’m confident that Tua would measure better in workout grades such as speed, mobility, accuracy, and playmaking.
Conclusions
All jokes aside, I’ll be tuning in this evening to watch the 2020 NFL Draft, a draft unlike any we’ve ever seen. It’s a huge relief to see the NFL dedicating this stage (or screen) to the millions of people affected negatively by COVID-19. For the players creating a different version of their draft memories, and the fans missing out on that usual blockbuster content, I’m sorry we’re dealing with a different beast this year. But savor the distraction and look forward to the return of sports as we know it. I’ll be anxiously pacing my living room until then.
