The 5 Things You Need To Know About The NFL Draft

The NFL Draft is upon us. It’s one of the few events in sports that hasn’t been postponed or cancelled due to coronavirus. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be “normal” and that’s why it’s something you’ll want to watch.

Different is good right?

The Last Night’s Game Team

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1. Months after the most invasive job interview in sports (the NFL Combine) comes the draft. As anyone who has been on a zoom call knows, anything can happen on a live stream, so let’s see what happens when a bunch of “old football guys” use modern day technology. Keep an eye out for last season’s Heisman Trophy winner, quarterback Joe Burrows from LSU to be the No. 1 pick. The worst team in the league last season gets the first pick (unless they’ve negotiated otherwise). All signs point that he’ll go to the Cincinnati Bengals at the No. 1 spot. TIGER KING

2. Up until a few years ago, the draft had always been in New York. Since then the draft has moved to a different city each year. This year the draft was poised to take place in the newest home to an NFL team, Las Vegas. The city had pulled out all of the stops for the week, including a red carpet event on the famed Bellagio fountains. The glitz and glamour of Vegas won’t hold a candle to the dark and dingy basements people will now be conducting the draft from. VIVA LAS BASEMENT

3. It’s tradition for the fans at the draft to boo NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell every time he walks out on the stage to announce a first round draft pick’s name. Since he’s doing the picks from his basement perhaps his family will jump on board the bandwagon? WHEN IN ROME

4. Since live streams are tough to control, the NFL has released guidelines on what the players can wear and what can be in view of the camera. Players are not expected to wear suits like they would if it was live but there’s certainly no room for any alcohol, nutrition or gambling references. Also a big no? Clothing with derogatory language toward the NFL (why would you bite the hand that feeds you?), references to movies that “contain or promote objectionable material or subject matter” or any logos outside of the NFL’s Official Licensed Partners; Nike, Adidas, UnderArmour, and New Era. BUT YOU CAN STILL WEAR YOGA PANTS

5. The NFL is doing everything it can to make sure there are no technology failures. Ideally teams will submit their picks via Microsoft Teams, the preferred method. As a backup, teams will also have access to a leaguewide conference call to submit their picks. As a backup to the backup plan, each team will have three individuals from each team that can submit picks. The NFL has learned its lesson when running the draft live – teams have missed their picks. Yes, it may be their team’s future on the line, but sometimes you have to pee. YOU HAVE ONE JOB

Bonus - The NFL sent 32 different team’s hats to the top 58 prospects because you never know which team is going to select them. Along with the hats, they sent out camera kits since everyone is in charge of their home TV studio. The kits include lighting along with two iPhones, one for an interview camera and one for the wide shot of their family. They’ve even labeled all of the cords to set them up for video success.

Eat Your Heart Out

May your weekend be as colorful as the fashion at the NFL Draft.

To questionable fashion and decisions,

The Last Night’s Game Team

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NFL (National Football League)

Last night, the first round of the draft made history. The #1 pick, Kyler Murray, is the first player to be selected in the first round of both the NFL and MLB (Major League Baseball) draft. (He turned down a baseball career to enter into the NFL Draft). WORTH IT

Also making history? Nick Bosa. When Bosa was selected by the San Francisco 49ers, his family became only the second family in NFL history to have a father and two sons taken in the first round of the draft. The other is the Manning family (Archie, Peyton and Eli). FAMILY TIES

Overtime

Football wasn’t the only thing everyone in Nashville was talking about last night. During the draft, Taylor Swift took to the airwaves with ABC’s Robin Roberts to announce the name of her new single, “ME!” END GAME

Sideline stat

“Tommy John surgery” are three words a baseball pitcher never wants to hear, but now they’ll be around in perpetuity. The dreaded surgery that involves replacing a ligament in the arm with another tendon, either from the patient’s body or a cadaver, is being added to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary. This dreaded phrase joins over 640 other new words that will be added to the dictionary on Monday. DOES ANYONE ACTUALLY OWN A DICTIONARY?

Coaches’ corner

Nashville’s economy is grateful to have the draft in town. Who’s not happy about it? Bachelorette parties. Nashville is a top destination for these soirees and the gals have taken to the streets to express their anger. Apparently, they didn’t do any research to understand why their hotel room was seriously overpriced. IF ONLY THERE WAS A PUBLICATION THAT WOULD TELL THEM ALL ABOUT SPORTS…

What to watch

If you’re on a strict seafood diet (I see food, I eat it), then this one’s for you. The first of three MLB FoodFests is this weekend in Los Angeles. Attendees will enjoy some updated ballpark fare alongside some more unique flavor profiles including pickle-wrapped corndogs, Rocky Mountain oysters and fried grasshoppers. WHO’S UP FOR SECONDS?

5 Things To Know About Nashville's Party Of The Year - The NFL Draft

Prospects went from the toughest job interview with the NFL (National Football League) Combine to the anxiety inducing draft that starts tomorrow.

Break out the antacids,

The Last Night’s Game Team  

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1. For more than 50 years, the draft was held in New York but it’s now become quite the road show. It has moved from Chicago to Philadelphia to Dallas and has since landed in Nashville. The city is expecting a serious influx of visitors with last year's event in Dallas drawing more than 200,000 fans and generating over $125 million in economic impact. BANKING ON IT

2. Draft candidates must be three years removed from high school. The Arizona Cardinals have the distinct honor of choosing the first player in the draft because they were the worst team in football last year. FIRST IS THE WORST

3. Nashville is rolling out the red carpet and fans will be cheering for concerts from big country music names like Tim McGraw and Dierks Bentley but they won’t be cheering for the NFL commissioner Roger Goodell. It’s a tradition for fans to boo him every single time he walks up to the podium to announce a new draft pick. Keep an eye out for Make-A-Wish recipient Kacey Reynolds who will give Goodell a break and announce the Tampa Bay Buccaneers draft pick. ROCK ON

4. After Goodell is done announcing the picks in the first round (there are a total of seven rounds), many teams will bring in special guests to relay their selections. This year, we can expect big name alumni to take the stage and hope for some unique special guests like last year where R2-D2, Chewbacca and members of the Stoneman Douglas football team all revealed their team’s choice. SURPRISE SURPRISE

5. Mr. Irrelevant is the title given to pick #256, the last person drafted. Why irrelevant? Because of the multitude of players chosen before them, the player is not likely to make the team roster. Making a negative into a positive, one Mr. Irrelevant established Irrelevant Week, celebrating that last player. The week, which has turned into quite the big event, preaches that it’s not a negative to be picked last in the NFL Draft; rather, it’s an honor to be drafted at all. FINDING THE SILVER LINING

Want to watch the drama unfold live? Coverage starts tomorrow with Good Morning America’s Robin Roberts on ABC.

FOR THE WIN!

The draft isn’t the only thing everyone will be talking about today. Share your newfound knowledge about Hamilton the pig, how women’s sports are gaining some serious ground and are football players smarter than you think? READ