Video communication has become a daily part of people’s working lives during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The 49ers reportedly are no exception.
The Niners discussed their NFL draft trade with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week over video chat, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported Wednesday, citing a source with the Bucs. San Francisco traded back from the No. 13 overall pick to No. 14 -- using the selection to draft defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw -- and swapped a seventh-round pick for a fourth-round pick.
“Afterward, they had a personnel staffer call the 49ers to negotiate, report back to GM Jason Licht, then call the 49ers back to hash it out,” Fowler wrote.
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The coronavirus pandemic forced the 2020 NFL Draft to be remotely held, with commissioner Roger Goodell announcing picks from his basement and teams’ draft rooms primarily held in Zoom, according to Fowler. The 49ers, under normal circumstances, would have their personnel in the same room.
But with potential trade partners always located elsewhere, what exactly was stopping opposing teams from video-chatting with one another before? The technology existed well before people began working from home en masse under stay-at-home orders and movement restrictions, so it’s difficult to believe nobody thought of this as a possibility beforehand.
On the other hand, we’re talking about a league that relies upon chains to initially make precise measurements and that only just now seems to realize that the supposed competitive advantage 20-hour work days provide doesn’t necessarily outweigh not being able to see their families for weeks -- and sometimes months -- at a time.
The NFL has a lot of catching up to do, in other words.
San Francisco 49ers
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It will be fascinating to see which -- if any -- best practices from 2020’s virtual event become part of the norm in drafts moving forward. More teams should video chat in the future, especially if they were only communicating over the phone.
A little bit of face time never hurt anyone.