Ideas for How the 2020 NFL Draft Broadcast Might Look

How creative will the NFL get in its presentation of this year's draft, now that the originally-planned event has been scrapped? Commissioner Roger Goodell invited the public to share their ideas and we have a few we think are worth sharing.

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The COVID-19 pandemic won't stop the 2020 NFL Draft from happening, but it has altered the league's original plan to include numerous public celebrations hosted in Las Vegas that would have likely drawn tens of thousands of fans. 

That won't happen, as the NFL, who has remained in close contact with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) officials, has canceled any public events that would draw people near each other and risk the further spread of the novel coronavirus. 

For younger NFL fans, this will be the first time they experience the league's marquee offseason event without the modern bravado for which it's become known. But for older NFL fans, this year's presentation might strike a nostalgic chord. 

In 1980, the NFL draft was merely a player selection meeting, set in a hotel ballroom, and attended only by select representatives of each franchise. 

That year, ESPN proposed the idea of televising the meeting, kicking off America's romanticizing of watching college players begin their NFL careers, and seeing which new players their favorite teams will select each year.

That simple format of televising a ballroom full of league executives was the starting point in growing the event into the big-budget production it's become in recent times.

Forty years later, a global pandemic crisis has forced the league to significantly scale back that production to a presentation that might resemble the intimacy of early draft broadcasts.

The NFL hasn't released any details about plans for the broadcast, but a sent by commissioner Roger Goodell in March suggests what the league might emphasize.

"Planning for the Draft is a good example of how we need to think differently, embrace technology, and collaborate," Goodell's memo said. 

"We will also use the draft to help support fans and those people impacted in our communities. While there have been changes to the way we work and some of our plans, we have an unwavering commitment to upholding the NFL's legacy of unifying and lifting the spirit of America, and bringing out the best in our fans and in our communities around the world."

Goodell placed a vague emphasis on embracing technology. This could imply the use of massive live video conference streaming. While most top prospects typically attend the draft in person, occasionally, the broadcast will televise a prospect watch their name called from home, surrounded by the intimate cheers of family. 

This utility might take center stage in this year's broadcast, as there won't be a massive central draft event on which to focus. 

Viewers watching the draft from the comfort of their quarantined homes would be treated to the spectacle of NFL prospects watching the draft from their homes. 

The raucous crowd reactions to each pick would be replaced by the intimate cheering of family members in celebration of an NFL dream being realized. It's a dynamic that could make this year's prospects and their conditions more relatable to fans. 

It would undoubtedly contrast the over-the-top decadence of a prospect donning a premium tailored suit and being transported to the stage by boat at the Las Vegas Strip. 

It might also serve as a positive example for viewers that even future NFL stars have dealt with the consequences of the current pandemic, and are responsibly following the quarantine protocols. 

Goodell's memo even mentioned using the draft to help support those who have been impacted. While those ideas are being discussed, one idea we have is to see a larger-than-usual portion of the broadcast devoted to awareness on counter-measures related to the pandemic, with special kudos offered to those who have been on the front lines in fighting the virus.

Considering the gravity of the current pandemic, Goodell, who typically announces all 32 picks in the first round, should consider deferring that privilege to guest announcers as early as number one overall. Doing so might play right into Goodell's other goal of unifying and lifting the spirit of America in times of crisis.

The draft typically competes with all three of the other major American sports leagues, as it coincides with the NBA and NHL Playoffs and the first month of the MLB regular season. But with the postponement of those leagues' respective games, sports fans only have the NFL Draft to distract from the current crisis. 

Ratings for this year's NFL Draft might achieve all-time television records, leaving the league with a lofty pressure for the fans in search of any semblance of normalcy. It's a pressure that Goodell is even asking fans to help alleviate, as his memo concluded with an invitation for fans to share their ideas on how this year's draft should commence.  

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