Viktor
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- Mar 19, 2019
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Rather than scouts and coaches filling the Thomson Reuters Draft Room at Twin Cities Orthopedics Performance Center that is home to a state-of-the-art, wall-to-wall draft board, Spielman will be at his Eden Prairie home, and Head Coach Mike Zimmer will be at Zimmer Ridge Ranch in Northern Kentucky.
The format has been necessitated as most Americans are under shelter-in-place, stay-at-home or safer-at-home policies that have been implemented to slow the spread of coronavirus and the COVID-19 disease pandemic.
"We are fully virtual, so all teams' personnel, the GMs and coaches will be in their individual homes throughout the draft," NFL EVP of Club Business and League Events Peter O'Reilly said Friday during a conference call. "All prospects will be in their homes, including the 58 that we announced who will be in their homes with kits and connected to the draft and broadcast. Fans, obviously, will be in their homes, and we'll find ways to connect with them. Then, finally, [Commissioner Roger Goodell] will be in his basement, announcing the picks on night one and two."
O'Reilly said the NFL is "very focused, clearly, on ensuring everything we do aligns with safety protocols and guidelines. That's been number one from the very start."
Additionally, NFL officials wanted to maintain a competitive equity for all teams that may be under different rules and guidelines, depending on their home state.