Antoine Winfield Jr., Thaddeus Moss Among 58 Prospects to Participate in Virtual NFL Draft

The NFL has announced a list of 58 prospects who will participate virtually in the 2020 NFL Draft. Among them are Minnesota safety Antoine Winfield Jr. and LSU tight end Thaddeus Moss – the sons of former Vikings cornerback Antoine Winfield and receiver Randy Moss, respectively – as well as many of the Vikings' projected early-round targets.

The prospects "will be featured on the NFL Draft television broadcast as well as across the NFL Media landscape," according to the league's official press release. Exact details on what that will look like haven't been announced, but it presumably means each prospect will have a live camera setup in their place of residence.

With NFL facilities remaining closed due to the ongoing coronavirus situation, commissioner Roger Goodell announced last week that the league was going forward with a fully virtual draft. There are expected to be broadcast hubs at ESPN's studios in Bristol, Conn. and Goodell's house in New York, in addition to the feeds for these 58 players. All 32 general managers will be making picks from their homes while communicating virtually with their front office and coaches.

This is a nice honor for Winfield Jr., who is coming off of a huge 2019 season with the Golden Gophers and is expected to be drafted in the first two rounds. Winfield suffered season-ending injuries in 2017 and 2018, but stayed healthy last year and broke out with seven interceptions, three sacks, two forced fumbles, and 83 tackles. He then ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash at the combine, cementing his status as an early-round pick. His father, Antoine Winfield Sr., played 14 NFL seasons at corner, including 2004 through 2012 with the Vikings.

Moss is the lowest projected pick to be included. Every other player on the list, with a couple possible exceptions, is expected to be taken in the first three rounds. Moss, who had 570 receiving yards and four touchdowns last year for LSU's national championship team, is considered a Day 3 pick. But considering his father works for ESPN and is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, his inclusion is not all that surprising.

Here's the full list of 58 prospects, listed alphabetically by last name:

The list includes many players who have been linked to the Vikings or would make sense for them at positions of need. A couple notable absences are that of TCU corner Jeff Gladney and USC receiver Michael Pittman Jr.

The draft begins on Thursday, April 23rd with round one, and ends on Saturday, April 25th with rounds four through seven. It will be broadcast on ABC, ESPN, and NFL Network.

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