The CDC issued a recommendation Sunday that gatherings of 50 people or more in the United States should be postponed or cancelled for the next eight weeks due to the coronavirus pandemic.
That recommendation has massive implications on the sporting world. That includes the 2020 NFL Draft, which falls within that span. The amateur selection process has become a spectacle in its own right, hosted by a different city every year since 2015, and attended by thousands.
The Raiders are set to host the draft from April 23 to 25 in Las Vegas, where they will play beginning with the 2020 season. The event likely would fill the Las Vegas Strip, where early draft selections would be introduced in the middle of the Bellagio fountains as part of an extravagant production.
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The draft also is set to be a major Raiders showcase in their new home. That includes brand-new, state-of-the-art Allegiant Stadium, which is being built just off The Strip.
It’s fair to wonder if the NFL draft will go on as scheduled considering it would violate the CDC recommendation as established on Sunday.
A postponement outside the window is possible, but that would impact the rest of the NFL offseason calendar. Though there's no telling at this time if a large-scale event would be advisable later in the spring or summer.
The NFL draft doesn’t have be a spectacular event. It can be done via a conference call if needed. Teams make selections from war rooms in private team facilities and call selections in. Players can remain in their residences, as most are while waiting to be picked.
NFL
The NFL could host the draft from a studio, with top players in for interviews if that’s deemed fit.
The point in saying all that is to say this: The NFL has options regarding its draft.
Executing a less-ballyhooed contingency plan would be a colossal disappointment for the Raiders and the city of Las Vegas, a town that would receive a massive tourist influx that weekend on par with any event in the entertainment capital.
That's why a postponement might be preferred if the NFL abides by the CDC recommendation.
There was no immediate word at the time of publication how the NFL would react to the latest news. The league could make a decision on what happens with the offseason's signature event. The host city also could choose to prohibit a gathering of such scale. The Strip hotel properties will impact this as well. MGM, which owns several Las Vegas resorts including the Bellagio, announced Sunday that it will suspend operations of its properties beginning Monday and until further notice. MGM also said it is not taking reservations for arrivals prior to May 1. Other Las Vegas resort conglomerates have made similar proclamations.
The NFL has decided to continue with the start of their league year on Wednesday afternoon, when unrestricted free agency formally begins.
Signing players can happen remotely, with little travel and no mass gatherings involved. The draft, as it's deisigned now, certainly would.
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It’s uncertain if the CDC recommendation would impact the start of offseason programs. The Raiders offseason program could begin as early as April 20, though that could be considered an organizational or business function that is exempt to the CDC recommendation.
There's a similar question to be appplied to rookie minicamps. The Raiders rookie minicamp is set for May 1 to 3 in Alameda.