Giants Draft Preparations Taking on a Much Different Look Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

With social distancing currently in place, here's a look at how the Giants will likely have to see up their critical pre-draft meetings and war room.

The 2020 NFL Draft will go on despite the uncertainty the COVID-19 pandemic has cast on the rest of the league's calendar. 

With the draft set to begin on schedule, the Giants executives have a daunting task ahead of them in trying to manage these remaining meetings, prospects "visits" and the draft itself from the area hit the hardest by the pandemic in the U.S.  

While there are some NFL clubs such as the Saints, who will set up their draft headquarters at team owner Gayle Benson's private New Orleans Brewery, other teams might not have that option.

The Giants, whose East Rutherford, New Jersey headquarters lies within one of the hardest-hit areas, won't have that option.

The Giants have been using video teleconferencing to hold their draft meetings as well as their pre-draft "visits" with the prospects, of which they're allowed up to 30 such "visits"--three per week--not to exceed one hour.

Come draft weekend, the Giants will likely continue using teleconferencing to create a virtual "war room" in which their draft board, usually set up in a large conference room where it's kept under lock and key until the draft, will be made available electronically.

Although this contingency plan should suffice, it remains to be seen if the scaled-back draft meetings in which teams might typically collaborate on watching film of the various prospects they're thinking of drafting affect some of the decisions that will be made.

"It’s all going to have be independent film work, then discussing it," an unnamed AFC general manager told MMQB's Albert Breer. "We probably won’t do meetings as a, ‘Let’s watch these guys’ thing anymore. It’ll probably be more going to coaches and scouts and saying, ‘Watch these five guys, and come back and let’s talk about it.’"

However, the Giants do set up their these final weeks and the draft itself, the fact remains that this year's selection process is still a critical one for the Gettleman regime.

After two straight losing seasons, Gettleman acquired some veterans in free agency but didn't make any blockbuster signings or trades with the cap space he had. Instead, they appear to be committed to getting younger and building through the draft, making this one critical for getting back to a winning record moving forward.

Gettleman has the fourth overall pick this year, and this could be the last draft he'll ever have the authority to make with the Giants unless the team starts to turn things around.