Word of advice to NFL general managers over the next week: Check those dusty landlines at home for a dial tone.
Teams will be expected to submit a pick by one method or another ahead of the expiring clock – without crying technology failure – during the first-ever fully virtual NFL Draft set for April 23-25, sources confirmed to The Post. A thought of adding formal timeouts to the draft was scrapped, according to NFL Network.
With team facilities closed under coronavirus stay-at-home guidelines and personnel prohibited from gathering together off-site during the draft, general managers, coaches, scouts and others with input will be connected via the internet from their respective residences.
A general manager will be able to submit a name by calling from a landline or cell phone, sending a text message, or saying a name over the conference call line simultaneously open to all 32 teams’ GMs and head coaches, a source said.
Forget to tap the mute button during private discussions at your own risk!
The redundancies �� email also could be an option – provide enough alternatives to prevent scrambling in case of an outage. The NFL is enlisting the help of technology partners Amazon Web Services, Bose, Microsoft and Verizon to create a smooth experience.
One clock-adjustment exception could be made for trade discussions, however. The league will be prepared to extend the window if made aware of a technological glitch disrupting negotiations, as ESPN reported.
Teams still will have the standard 10 minutes to select in the first round, seven in the second, five in the third-through-sixth and four in the seventh.
Anyone who ever has participated in an online fantasy draft understands the perils of the clock expiring and getting stuck with an auto-pick player that doesn’t fit the rest of the roster.
In the NFL’s case, if time expires before a selection is made the next team in the draft order can jump in front, possibly stealing a desired target. It can keep happening at rapid-fire pace until the expired team submits a selection. The 2003 Minnesota Vikings and 2011 Baltimore Ravens both were jumped while involved in down-to-the-wire trade talks.
The NFL will run a “mock” draft to connect all 32 teams and familiarize personnel with the new reality in advance of the Draft, a source said. Unlike the mock draft proliferating the internet – which NFL executives like to pretend they do not see – do not expect player names to be called out at risk of divulging secrets.
The draft will double as a three-day televised fundraiser for six non-profits committed to containing the spread of COVID-19 and offering relief through various means such as maintaining blood supply, funding clinical research, supplying food banks, providing shelter and hygiene kits to the homeless, offering childcare for first-responders and more.
Fans can donate to a central fund during any of the days. The virtual Draft-A-Thon will benefit American Red Cross, CDC Foundation’s All of Us: Combat Coronavirus Campaign, Feeding America’s COVID-19 Response Fund, Meals on Wheels COVID-19 Response Fund, Salvation Army and United Way’s COVID-19 Community Response and Recovery Fund.