Spectrum (March 2020): Pro Drafts Affected by Virus

Pro Drafts Affected by Virus

Andrew Laroo ‘22 Staff Writer

COVID-19 has taken the sports world hostage. Games and tournaments across the world have been cancelled or suspended as seasons are put on hold. Even activities off the field are now in jeopardy as the outbreak continues.

The original plan for the NFL draft was for it to begin on April 23 and run through April 25 and take place on Las Vegas’ world-renowned Strip. Due to virus concerns the Strip was shut down and it is still unknown if it will even be back at full function by the time draft day rolls around.

The league is now stuck with a difficult decision: whether to still hold the draft and if so, how. At this point, it seems like the draft will still take place, but instead of a typical large scale environment, it would most likely take place in an enclosed studio. The draft would be held without fans in attendance and all front office members of teams would stay home and make decisions in their respective cities. Teams have already banned their scouts from travelling before the draft to scout players, which has made this draft far different than others.

That ban has created conflict for some teams who want to look at players who are coming off of injuries sustained in college, notably former Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. That could cause many players’ draft stocks to fall.

Most team owners and NFL executives are pushing for the draft to still be held at its regular time, but many team GMs have been asking for the draft to be pushed back (mostly for the aforementioned issues with scouting). At this point, though, it still seems that the draft is on for its regular time.

Another league with a tough decision to make is the MLB. The draft was originally scheduled to take place in June but due to the virus, it will most likely be pushed back to July. The biggest change, however, to the draft would be that it could be shortened. There would be fewer rounds, which would obviously result in fewer players being drafted. This would create a problem as many players would lose their chance to be taken with a pick and would go undrafted, creating a large sense of uncertainty for them and their careers.

As time goes on, the leagues will have a big decision to make, a decision that could impact the dreams and future careers of many.