The 5 Things You Need To Know About The NFL Draft
When the NFL Draft looks similar to your Saturday night Zoom happy hour.
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
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.
5 Things To Know About Nashville's Party Of The Year - The NFL Draft
NBD - it’s only their whole career on the line.
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
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
Baby One More Time
It’s Friday. Let’s talk.
It’s Friday. Let’s talk.
Short and sweet,
The Last Night’s Game Team
NFL (National Football League)
When you accomplish your goal, just to start at the bottom. From walk-on player, to Heisman Trophy winner, to number one pick in last night's NFL draft, former University of Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield has taken a non-traditional path to get to this point. That determination will help as he takes the first step in his professional career – playing for the worst team in football, the Cleveland Browns. The team did not win a game last season so any improvement is a bonus. MORE ON MAYFIELD
F1 Racing (Formula One)
If Britney is your spirit animal. F1 (Formula One) races are more than fast cars on a track, it’s a party. The U.S Grand Prix, the only F1 race in the U.S., announced its big headliners for the post-race concerts. Bruno Mars and Britney Spears will take the stage in October when the international phenomenon of F1 racing arrives in Austin, TX. FIVE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT F1 RACING
Overtime
From the “we can’t make this up” file. We’re knee deep in the NHL (National Hockey League) playoffs and the league has asked the Boston Bruins’ Brad Marchand to stop licking opposing players. Marchand’s response to reporters who questioned him about the licking of his opponent? “He’s cute.” Speechless. THE DIRTY DETAILS
Sideline stat
The 28th pick of the NFL draft belonged to the Pittsburgh Steelers and it was extra special. Ryan Shazier, the Steelers player who suffered a severe spinal injury in a game last year, impressed everyone by walking to the podium to deliver the team’s pick, Terrell Edmunds. Edmunds brother, Tremaine, was drafted earlier in the night to the Buffalo Bills, making them the first brothers ever drafted in the same round at the same draft. THE HEART WARMING MOMENT
Coaches’ corner
When you're a professional golfer, if you don’t play, you don’t get paid. That was a concern for LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association) player Stacy Lewis when she found out she was pregnant. Showing their unwavering support, her major sponsor KPMG told her “they wanted to treat her like any other female in their organization that has a baby” and fulfill their sponsorship contract with her no matter how many tournaments she played in. DOING THE RIGHT THING
What to watch
The best is yet to come. Round one of the NFL draft may have been exciting but the fun isn’t over. What is there to look forward to? "Celebrity” draft pick announcers including a parrot, the football team from Stoneman Douglas High School and the gold medal winning U.S. Men’s Curling Team as well as free pizza for a year for one player. FIVE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE DRAFT