How COVID-19 is impacting the 2020 NFL draft

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The COVID-19 outbreak is impacting sports in the United States in unprecedented fashion, and while the NFL technically isn't 'in season,' one of its biggest events of the year will likely be affected by the pandemic

The 2020 NFL Draft is scheduled to kick off in Las Vegas on April 23 and run through Saturday, April 25 in front of a crowd that will rival last year's record-setting turnout of 600,000 people in Nashville. Holding a public event like that would be in direct opposition to the social distancing theory suggested to contain the spread of COVID-19, and the NFL is in a difficult position.

Teams around the league are already changing how they approach the run-up to the draft. The Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins, New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers have pulled area scouts off the road, and the expectation is that more teams will follow suit. Pre-draft workouts are being canceled, too, even for highly-touted prospects. Pro days are being limited to ‘essential personnel,' and NFL clubs are contemplating shutting down training facilities.

Even the all-important top-30 visits have been nixed.

The NFL is taking action, too. Non-critical staff at their New York City headquarters have been instructed to work from home “out of an abundance of caution and with the health and safety of our communities” as their foremost priority.

As ESPN’s Adam Schefter suggested, the COVID-19 outbreak could threaten the start of the NFL’s new league year on March 18.

“If NFL teams, in fact, shut down their training facilities, as many are now discussing, then it would be challenging at best to start the new league year next week when buildings are closed and more pressing issues face their communities and this country," Schefter tweeted.

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The NFL has long been viewed as the most powerful sports league in the United States. And while other leagues and organizations, like the NBA, MLS, and NCAA, are suspending and canceling games, seasons and tournaments, the NFL has little to no choice but to follow suit. 

As a result, we could see a significant change in how the draft is conducted this year.

“The league office, the players association, and the city and the state are working together,” Las Vegas Raiders owner Mark Davis said in a phone interview on Wednesday, via the Dallas Morning News. “They’re making a measured decision. Health and safety will always be No. 1.”

There are roughly six weeks between now and the start of draft weekend. Hopefully, COVID-19 will be contained by then. If it is, then there might be a chance a smaller-scale draft event occurs. 

But if it’s not contained soon, the NFL Draft will be the last thing on anyone's mind.

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