The 2020 NFL Draft will kick off this Thursday, April 23rd. The world pandemic coronavirus has halted the sports world and greatly altered the format of the NFL Draft. This year’s draft will be like no other, taking place in a completely virtual format with NFL commissioner Rodger Goodell announcing the picks via a webcam in his basement.
This is a new, challenging experience for the thirty-two NFL teams. The traditional draft format has become the routine standard for the league. Changes to this standard have created uncertainty and anxiety around this year’s draft with teams fearful of online hacks and technological miscues. But the New York Giants seem to be at an advantage this year.
Dave Gettleman’s Virtual Draft Experience
In his previous stint as general manager of the Carolina Panthers, Dave Gettleman conducted a draft via the web once. Now, with the Giants, he will do it again.
At the time of the 2014 NFL Draft, Dave Gettleman was a proud father witnessing his son’s college graduation. For this reason, he opted to draft remotely. Gettleman conducted Carolina’s 2014 draft via Skype. This is similar to how the Giants will handle the 2020 NFL Draft, likely through Zoom or Skype, and with all front office members separated from each other in their respective homes.
According to ESPN, Gettleman “flawlessly” ran the draft remotely. The 2014 report states that he “helped make the team’s final three picks from a hotel room in Massachusetts.” He even made a draft-day trade from his hotel room. Maybe the surfacing of this report will put to rest the internet’s jokes about the Giants’ GM being too old and out of touch for the draft’s virtual format.
“It works. They got to see my handsome face and I got to see theirs. The process was really the same. It really was.” – Dave Gettleman on conducting a draft remotely through Skype, via ESPN.
The virtual aspect of the 2020 NFL Draft should not waiver fan’s confidence in Gettleman and the Giants. He has strung together two impressive draft classes in a row for the Giants. These last two draft classes should instill fans with all the confidence they need heading into this week’s crucial draft where Gettleman will once again be making picks from a remote location.