As many professional sports leagues across the country have stopped all the action, Roger Goodell has decided that the NFL Draft will continue. This draft will be like no other, going entirely virtual.
How it will work
Everyone involved in the draft will be working from home since every team facility is closed. All 32 teams will be connected online using a Microsoft Teams application. The NFL is allowing teams to place one IT specialist in the “decision maker’s” home, attempting to limit the issues with the virtual draft.
Different teams will have their own arrangements but will be able to debate and discuss with the general manager before the final decision is made. At first, the New Orleans Saints planned on meeting at a brewery together to draft, since the guidelines allowed less than 10 people to be together.
However, to keep things on a level playing field regardless of each state’s guidelines, the NFL decided that every person must remain in their own homes.
A 32-team walkthrough will happen before the draft to ensure everyone is on the same page. It is hard to believe that there will be no issues such as internet connection loss, hacking, or teams missing a pick, but hopefully, the draft can go as smoothly as possible.
They are also experimenting with ways to get fans involved with the broadcast. Roger Goodell can’t stand to not get booed, right?
The schedule is as follows:
- Round 1 on April 23, from 8-11:30 p.m. ET
- Rounds 2-3 on April 24, from 7-11:30 p.m. ET
- Rounds 4-7 on April 25, from noon-7 p.m. ET
Betting
With the lack of action as of late, online wagering operators will be taking advantage of the draft. As of April 14, FanDuel Sportsbook was seeing three times the volume in New Jersey for the draft than they did the same time last year.
Nine days before the draft, SportsBet had almost equaled the total amount from the 2019 draft. They are expecting it to be 2 1/2 times larger than last year.
Here are the five most popular bets as of now, according to Fanduel in New Jersey.
- Team to draft Tua Tagovailoa
- No. 1 overall pick
- First draft pick by New York Giants
- First WR drafted
- First 3 Picks — Exact Order
DraftKings Director of Sportsbook Operations Johnny Avello spoke on the rise in volume via njonlinegambling:
“When you put up three times as many markets as you had in the past, certainly by expanding the menu, you expand the volume. That’s one reason betting on the draft is up. The other is, in light of what other sports we’ve offered — I mean, ping-pong’s done great, but the core stuff is just not around — and with this being the first real big event since the virus situation, I’m not surprised that people are just chomping at the bit to wager on something that they’re very familiar with.”
DraftKings discussed doing live betting, but recently decided they will likely close betting once the draft begins. Avello said that would cause some complications. Whatever the case is, these operators are trying to give sports fans the most markets and promos they can think of.