NFL Teams Hold Mock Draft Amid Coronavirus Pandemic Ahead of Thursday's Live Event

The 2020 NFL Draft begins on Thursday night, officially marking the first time in league history [...]

By John Newby

The 2020 NFL Draft begins on Thursday night, officially marking the first time in league history that the event has been held virtually. There are numerous concerns among certain teams about technical glitches or hacks, so the league held a "mock draft" on Monday afternoon. The results were not entirely ideal for the teams involved.

NFL Network reporter Tom Pelissero spoke with several unnamed team sources following the mock draft, and he learned about some of the issues that became prevalent. Specifically, one of the teams did not bother to show up on time, which caused problems with the clock and the draft order. Additionally, multiple general managers did not mute their cell phones, which was a violation of rules. Pelissero remarked that it was funny at the time, but it will be an issue on Thursday night when the first round takes place.

"There were some issues because the initial NFL script had the Cowboys and the Bengals making a trade for the No. 1 pick," Pelissero said. "Jerry Jones and company had to figure out how the league wanted that to be done." Trades are a prominent part of the three-day team-building event, and the league wants to ensure that they will take place without issues.

Pelissero was not the only reporter that learned some details about Monday's mock draft. ESPN's Adam Schefter also learned that one team was dealing with technical glitches. Cincinnati was on the clock when an issue arose, which was not caused by the team. This resulted in a nearly three-minute delay at the beginning of the event.

There have been multiple GMs expressing concern about the potential issues that will arise during the three-day draft. They have been forced to set up multiple TV screens and computer monitors in areas of their homes that generally do not feature technology. One example is Bears GM Ryan Pace, who set up seven monitors in his dining room. He has a cord running downstairs to his route to provide uninterrupted internet, but he experienced a glitch when his wife unplugged the monitors while vacuuming.

The 2020 NFL Draft may experience glitches due to the unprecedented reliance on technology on Thursday night, as well as on Friday and Saturday. However, the league is striving to ensure that these issues are few and far between. Having the three-day event broadcast live across ESPN, NFL Network, Nickelodeon and ABC will put extra focus on the proceedings, as well as any hiccups.

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