Depending on how you look at it, next week’s first-ever virtual NFL draft is either a much-needed distraction from the daily misery of pandemic news or a needless distraction at a time when we should be reassessing our priorities. Either way, regardless of gripes from GMs and those nerds in the media, it’s happening. On Thursday night, Roger Goodell, from a bunker in Westchester County, will officially put the Bengals on the clock.
To get to this point, the league and its teams have scrambled to build a virtual draft infrastructure, just as they’ve done all draft season to keep team personnel connected under stay-at-home guidelines.