The NFL has yet to make any formal announcement about how the coronavirus outbreak will impact the NFL Draft next month, but it is highly unlikely that the events that were supposed to be held in Las Vegas will proceed as scheduled. The league could hold a draft without fans or team personnel having to gather at one location, but even that could be postponed.
According to a report from Hub Arkush of the Daily Herald, the NFL has already decided to cancel all draft events that were scheduled to be held in Las Vegas from April 23 through April 25. Arkush has also been told the draft itself has been postponed until late May at the earliest. The league was reportedly waiting until a decision on the new collective bargaining agreement was reached before making any announcements about the draft, and the new CBA was officially ratified on Sunday morning.
It’s unclear why the NFL would feel the need to postpone the draft, as it could easily take place without groups of people even needing to be in the same room together. While that would remove much of the drama and excitement, modern technology would certainly allow for it. Some coaches reportedly believed as of recently that the league would take that approach.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said on “SportsCenter” Friday night that the NFL still plans to keep the draft in Las Vegas, so perhaps only half of Arkush’s report is accurate. If the league wants to still hold the draft in a month or so, it may have to do so without fans. Should the event be pushed back another month, Las Vegas could still be in play. A lot will depend on how quickly the coronavirus pandemic takes to control.
