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VIDEO - 'Protecting the Nest' Atlanta Falcons & COVID-19: Behind the scenes at Thomas Dimitroff's draft lair

How different is the Atlanta Falcons draft setup this year?
VIDEO - 'Protecting the Nest' Atlanta Falcons & COVID-19: Behind the scenes at Thomas Dimitroff's draft lair
VIDEO - 'Protecting the Nest' Atlanta Falcons & COVID-19: Behind the scenes at Thomas Dimitroff's draft lair

Falcon Report's 'Protecting the Nest' Atlanta Falcons & COVID-19 is back for its third week. Every Wednesday, our video covers the latest impacts the coronavirus is having on the Falcons and the NFL.

The 2020 NFL Draft will go on as planned with the first round starting on Thursday, April 23, but for the first time in the draft's history, it will be conducted completely virtually offsite away from team facilitates. There also won't be any host city where first-round picks congregate waiting to be selected.

Quite a few front office personnel around the league have complained how much harder their jobs are this year with the draft occurring virtually. But Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff couldn't have disagreed with that sentiment much more.

During a video teleconference interview with NBC's Peter King, Dimitroff admitted that his draft setup in his house isn't all that different from the usual setup at the team facility. His office as been transformed into a draft room with multiple televisions, touchscreen laptops, phone lines to the 31 other general managers and a wireless speaker to communicate with the rest of his staff.

Dimitroff provided King a virtual tour of his setup during the interview. Readers can check out the interview here.

The Falcons GM also said one technical staffer will be present in his basement in case there's a technical issue. If everything goes well, the staffer will enter and leave Dimitroff's house without the two people ever interacting with one another to keep their social distance. But if Dimitroff has a problem, he's already there to fix it.

He may be out of his suit and wearing a baseball hat during the King interview, but it's hard envisioning any general manager being more professional than Dimitroff was when discussing his draft situation. Coronavirus has dealt everyone in the league a curveball, but Dimitroff isn't letting it be an excuse this draft season.

As of Tuesday night, more than 25,000 people have died in the United States from COVID-19. To stop the spread of the coronavirus, follow the CDC guidelines.

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Dave Holcomb
DAVE HOLCOMB

Dave Holcomb writer covering the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta Braves and Fantasy Sports for On SI. Holcomb has lived in the Atlanta area since 2017. He began his sports journalism career with The Star Ledger in northern New Jersey in 2013. During his career, he has written for numerous online and print publications. Holcomb has also self-published four books, including a novel in 2021. In addition to On SI, Holcomb also currently writes for Heavy.com and Athlon Sports.

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