2020 NFL Draft will be held remotely amid COVID-19 outbreak

The 2020 NFL Draft will still take place April 23-25, however, it will not take place in Las Vegas in any capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic..

According to the Los Angeles Times, the 2020 NFL Draft will still take place April 23-25, however, it will not take place in Las Vegas in any capacity due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

From the LA Times article:

"…According to two individuals with knowledge of the discussions, the current plans call for some type of studio setting with cut-ins from the headquarters of the teams making the selection at a given time."

The NFL hasn’t publicly announced any official changes just yet. The league is reportedly still working out the kinks in this unusual situation.

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The NFL had announced last Monday the draft would still take place in Las Vegas, but with the caveat that the event be closed to fans and all extra fan events related to the draft be canceled. As things stand now, the NFL Draft will be held remotely for the first time in its history dating back to 1936, the NFL’s first draft.

Though the NFL Draft will still take place without hiccups in its process, moving to a studio-based show without the glitz and glamour that has become the standard for the event will be off-putting. The NFL has given no word on how players such as Chase Young and Joe Burrow who would have been expected to be in Las Vegas for the event could be incorporated. Safe to assume, however, there will be no bearhugs with commissioner Roger Goodell and jersey pictures.

So far, the NFL has been one of the few professional sports leagues able to operate in a business -as-usual-lite capacity, allowing for the new league year to follow through smoothly and have free agents agree to contracts with new teams and trades to be agreed upon.

The Southern Nevada Health District announced Saturday Clark County, Nevada has 154 known cases of COVID-19 with two deaths.