By Jessica Costello
SteelerNation.com
Although the Coronavirus pandemic continues to put a stop on the sports world, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell decided the NFL Draft will continue as planned -- with a few changes.
The league's annual draft will be held from April 23rd to 25th still, but won't be held in Las Vegas as originally planned. Teams will instead make their picks remotely - assuming team facilities won't be open by that time, scouts won't be together in the 'war room' either.
This means draft picks and their families won't be together at the draft site -- creating a substantially different feeling for everyone.
This gave the general managers' committee worry - holding to delay the draft. But the decision to stick with the original dates held up.
“I would move forward with it,” ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. said. “Everyone needs normalcy to set in. We’re doing the radio (shows). We’re doing all the draft stuff. We’re doing the mocks. Everything is going along."
“Free agency went along as scheduled even though everything wasn’t perfect and ideal. We saw players moving all over the place, trades being made. Everything is being done. The draft can be done without having everyone together.”
Most of the concern lies around the fact that not all colleges held their pro days before the pandemic halted all action. Pittsburgh Steelers GM, Kevin Colbert, and head coach Mike Tomlin, got to attend Clemson’s pro-day March 12 before the team stopped travel.
“We value the pro days to be able to get up and close and interact with the player, watch him work out, meet his family,” Colbert said. “That part has been taken away from us, but we’re not alone in that endeavor.”
Prospect visits were also stopped at team facilities meaning gathering information on players who didn't attend the NFL Combine in February has been harder.
“Art Rooney Jr., Bill Nunn and Dick Haley, they put together the best draft in NFL history, and they didn’t have pro days, they didn’t have combines,” Colbert said. “They relied on what they felt those guys were as football players. If we have to go into this draft with that same mentality, that’s our challenge, and we’ll do the very best we can.”
The Steelers and the rest of the league have 24 days to focus in on the new process and trust spotting great players by just - seeing them.
What do you think, Steeler Nation? Can the Steelers still have a successful draft with all the new guidelines in place? Let us know what you think in the comments below.
#SteelerNation
