Report: NFL Holding Mock Draft on Monday to Test Technology

Before the entirely virtual NFL draft begins next Thursday, the league is planning on holding a trial run.

According to ESPN's Tim McManus, a virtual mock draft is set for Monday and GMs from across the league will be given the opportunity to redraft some of the sport's legends in an effort not to reveal their thoughts on current draft prospects. 

"We'll have fun making some mock trades," Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman told ESPN.

Many other teams are also expected to hold their own mock drafts to prepare for the league's annual event. 

Come Thursday, a league spokesman told ESPN that three separate team individuals will be able to submit the pick. 

"If a team is experiencing technological issues, the player personnel department would be in position to stop the clock to ensure a pick is submitted or a trade occurs," the spokesperson added.

However, there are other concerns the league is trying to deal with. As Sports Illustrated's Gary Gramling wrote on Thursday, the NFL draft will "almost undoubtedly, be targeted" by hackers. 

"Imagine my goal is to hack a team" Patrick Wardle, a former NSA hacker and now principal security researcher at Jamf, an Apple device management solution, told Sports Illustrated. "There’s now a whole new remotely accessible system that was put together quite rapidly, which handles a lot of sensitive information. To me, that's an intriguing new attack surface."

NFL spokesperson Brian McCarthy told Sports Illustrated they are confident in their protective measures. “We are working closely with our tech partners to ensure a smooth operation,” McCarthy said. “We are not disclosing our cybersecurity processes other than to say: They are comprehensive and thoughtful.”

The NFL draft is set from April 23-25.