Less ‘Bull****’ with Home-Based Draft

Here’s the latest on what the NFL draft will look like in just more than a week, courtesy of SI.com’s Albert Breer.

The ESPN/NFL Network simulcast will be helmed from the World Wide Leader’s campus in Bristol. And commissioner Roger Goodell will, indeed, be announcing the picks from a camera set up in the basement of his home in Westchester County, just north of New York City. To make sure all this is efficient, there’ll be a mock draft held among teams, with fake trades and everything, early next week to test the technology. And each team will be connected to the league in multiple ways. Primary among them will be a Microsoft Teams conference, with each team allowed to have up to three officials patched in from their homes. As a backup, there’ll also be a league-wide conference call, through which teams can make picks and trades. And to provide another failsafe, each team will be tasked with designating a “decision-maker” (be that the head coach, GM or owner), and that decision-maker will be allowed to have one IT support professional on hand at their house.

Obviously, there are a lot of moving parts here. But I can tell you, after the stories I’ve heard the last few weeks, it’ll probably be necessary. Remember, these teams are trying to move technological resources that are supported by palatial facilities with wired, business-grade Internet. You don’t just make that all go at someone’s house by pushing a few buttons.

There is an upshot here. Lots of teams I’ve talked to, after some fits and starts at the beginning, have actually really taken to the current setup, believing they’ve become more efficient in cutting out the clutter that working in an office can create. And obviously, owners are seeing savings, especially those that have routinely flown in and housed scouts from all across the country for the two or three weeks leading into the draft. “I could see this changing everything for us,” one NFC exec said. “It allows you to be more efficient, you’re saving money, and honestly our meetings have been better than ever before. There’s not as much bull----.”

For more on Breer, including how Trent Dilfer crafted Tua Tagovailoa’s predraft workout, CLICK HERE.

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