Great coaches are known for their ability to diagnose good talent, and every year in the month of April football coaches put that skill to the test when the NFL has its biggest offseason event, the NFL draft.
Because of the Coronavirus pandemic, the National Football League was forced to adjust their normal format for the draft— the league successfully conducted the draft virtually, with coaches, general managers, and draftees participating while remaining quarantined in their household.
The three day event is a highly anticipated spectacle with fans of all teams in attendance ready to welcome the commissioner with boos, and this year wasn’t different besides the virtual setup. Fans, analysts, and of course players and coaches joined in on a massive Zoom party, filled with fans in costume, executives and analysts in suits, and Roger Goodell along with coaches and general managers from the comfort of their expensive homes.
On the surface, the draft seemed ordinary. Perhaps, just watered down with the addition of more talking heads; but underneath the surface and from the perspective of college athletes there were some subtle differences and problems that were caused by COVID-19 that subsequently affected the draft that should be pointed out.
There were also some decisions, like there always are, made during the draft that made headlines and caused outrage amongst fans. The three nights of the draft did run fluidly in terms of business, however, the role the current pandemic has played makes this draft different not only in format but in the events which led up to the draft. This resulted in different outcomes for some players, which leaves the 2020 draft an event that will be observed carefully over the course of time.
The draft opened up with Commissioner Roger Goodell at his home giving praise to first responders during this pandemic followed by a moment of silence for those who have lost their lives to Covid-19. Goodell followed this up by mentioning that there is a possibility of technical difficulties during the broadcast, however, remarkably things ran smoothly during the three night event.
The highlights of the draft began with Joe Burrow, Heisman trophy winning quarterback for LSU and Ohio native, being selected number one overall to the Cincinnati Bengals. Continuing with quarterbacks in the first round, Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, who suffered a devastating hip injury during this season, ended up going 5th overall to the Miami Dolphins after months of speculation from analysts of his draft stock plummeting due to his injury that required surgery.
It seems there are always a few picks in the first round that leave fans mind-boggled. For example, last year, the New York Giants sparked an outrage when they took Duke quarterback Daniel Jones with their first pick in 2019. It seemed the first night of this year’s draft was going by the book for the most part, that is until the Green Bay Packers moved up to select quarterback Jordan Love out of Utah State at pick 26.
The reason this pick is outlandish is because the Packers already have a franchise defining future hall of famer and renowned gunslinger in Aaron Rodgers who has four years remaining on his contract. Rodgers is only 36 years old and led his team to NFC championship this season under new head coach Matt Lafleur, leaving Packer fans disgruntled at their first draft choice.
Fans of the Pack know this feeling all too well— it is all too similar to when hall of famer Brett Favre was run out of town later in his career when the team looked to replace him with a young Rodgers. It seems this is happening all over again in 2020 with the decision to take Love instead of drafting a new offensive weapon for Rodgers.
Nick Wright of ESPN reported that in the last 15 years the Packers have not drafted a WR/RB/TE in the first round, which indicates a lack of effort to provide Rodgers with more weapons throughout his entire career through the draft. It seems the management of the Packers are so fearful of being a below average football team someday, that instead of making the push to get Rodgers to another Superbowl, they are playing the long game by drafting his inevitable replacement.
Besides the Packers selecting Love, who threw 17 interceptions in 2019, other picks that weren’t well received by fans was the Philadelphia Eagles selection in the first round of TCU wide receiver Jalen Reagor, as their division rivals the Dallas Cowboys ran out of the first round with highly touted Heisman candidate and Oklahoma product CeeDee Lamb who also plays receiver. This left Eagles fans shaking their heads according to NBC Sports, as the Birds decided to take Reagor with LSU receiver Jordan Jefferson still on the board. The pick was underwhelming for Philly fans and was the start to an upsetting draft for Eagles fans.
Another pick that put Philly fans in an outrage was their pick in the second round. They drafted Alabama and Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts, even though current Eagle, Carson Wentz has become the established starter who cannot stay healthy. Similar to the Rodgers situation, Eagles fans were confused as to why they would take another quarterback when they have Wentz and could use help at other positions.
As far as running backs are concerned, the Kansas City Chiefs were the first and only team to take a running back off the board in the first round, with the selection of Clyde Edwards-Helaire out of LSU. This choice set a record number of SEC players drafted in the first round at 14 according to commissioner Goodell; which is no surprise as players from the vastly competitive conference continue to translate well at the next level.
Some important notes from the second round were the number of well known names left when the round began, such as running back D’andre Swift still on the board along with a plethora of talent on both sides of the ball.
With perhaps the most interesting selection of the draft, at pick 37, the New England Patriots selected the first DII talent of the draft by taking safety Kyle Dugger, a combine standout out of Lenoir-Rhyne, who was given a C- draft rating by bleacherreport.com.
Despite having some big name defensive backs still available such as LSU’s Grant Delpit and Kristian Fulton or Minnesota’s Antoine Winfield Jr., Belichick decided to be the first coach to go after non-DI talent in this draft; the mystique of the 3rd most winningest coach in NFL history appears again, is there something he knows that we don’t? Will the Patriots return to the playoffs this season without Brady? Will this NFL season even happen?
The answer to the last question comes down to our ability to flatten the curve, as professional sports like Major League Baseball, the National Basketball Association, and the Ultimate Fighting Championships are hoping to return sooner than later. But even if the lockdown is prolonged, pushing sports farther into limbo, the NFL draft is over and done with, and some talents remain unselected.
The lasting effects of the pandemic are altering the landscape of the sports world, and the short term effects of quarantine, travel bans, and more changed things leading up to the draft; which could have affected the drafting stock of players, especially those talents not in the SEC.
For example, Monmouth University running back Pete Guerriero was not selected in the draft despite declaring for the draft early after being a FCS rushing champion and posting 35 rush TD’s in his career.
Guerriero, who was mentioned by analyst Mel Kiper on First Draft as one his top 50 sleeper picks in 2020, was able to participate in a pro day and posted top 15 amongst all running backs prospects at the combine according to herosports.com, a website that covers college sports.
Pro-days are perhaps the most important opportunity for recruits, if not invited to the NFL combine, which only selects about 300 players according to bleacherreport.com. It allows scouts to come to their campuses and watch the players perform individual drills on their home turf, allowing them an opportunity to leave teams with lasting impressions of their physical abilities and leadership qualities. Guerriero was able to complete his pro-day before lockdown, but many athletes were not so lucky.
One such example is TCNJ All-American punter Zach Warcola, who has not been able to workout with teams because of COVID-19.
“They (pro teams) have shut down all travel prior to spring break, so it’s impossible for scouts to see players in person” he said, “ and on top of that they have cancelled all pro-days.”
He said that social media is the best outlet to get in contact with coaches and send them film,
“You have to hope that the coaches trust the video is a good representation of who you really are,” he said. The opportunity for a pro day can make or break a player in the eyes of NFL scouts; Warcola as a specialist was really counting on showing his leg to teams in person.
“As much as I want to believe the warm weather will come and wipe the virus out, it just doesn’t seem like that’s how it will play out.”
This does not only apply to FCS schools or DIII programs as Alabama safety Jared Mayben, who was projected to get drafted did not but signed as a free agent to the San Francisco 49ers. By going unselected, Mayben joins six other players who were ranked in the top 150th best prospects who went undrafted in the 2020 draft.
Mayben told the Montgomery Advertiser that every team he spoke too said he would be drafted, and although he wasn’t, the versatile safety joins an elite group of talent in San Fran as the 49ers may have gotten a steal by signing Mayben according to Marcus Smith of NBC sports.
Defensive Coordinator at The College of New Jersey, Edwyn Edwards, who mentored Mayben as a young athlete says he was one of the most talented players he got to coach.
“His size, speed and footwork were exceptional,” said Edwards, “He was humble and did not wave me off being a “division 3 coach”, knowing that he was getting DI offers. That humility and coachability really stood out to me.”
Edwards believes he will succeed at the next level and is happy he gets to be around elite corner Richard Sherman and other 49ers talent.
“To see someone that I helped coach now a potential NFL Draft candidate makes me proud. Mostly proud of him and his family’s efforts to get him to this point.”
Edwards says that the new format of the draft was a learning curve for the NFL, and has forced everyone out of their comfort zones, including coaches.
“I think the COVID-19 pandemic affected the draft process for coaches and scouts by having them truly “work” from home,” he said. “They have a very unique system they were used to doing at the football facility but this forced them to work from home and communicate with another in a different way.”
Although the adjustments were made and the draft concluded, this alteration was untimely for the players that could have benefited from pro-days or other potential workouts with teams— as they can make or break an athlete in the eyes of a coaching staff.
There is a common saying in the football world: the league will find a player if they are truly talented, even if they are from a small school. But because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some of those talents may have not been discovered in time for the 2020 draft.Only time will tell how this draft fits in the history of the NFL, and how many talents were missed, as well as those who were captured successfully.
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