Thread: NFL draft to go on in April; Roger Goodell memo warns against public comment

The NFL draft will go on as scheduled April 23-25, commissioner Roger Goodell said in a leaguewide memo distributed Thursday.

In his memo, obtained by ESPN's Adam Schefter, Goodell served warning to those around the league who criticize the league's stance.

He wrote in the memo, "public discussion of issues relating to the Draft serves no useful purpose and is grounds for disciplinary action."

rest - https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/...dell-memo-says

They can do the draft remotely. It's the freaking NFL they have more money and tech than God, they can figure out a way to hold the draft and not have any groups of 10 or more people. Conference calls, Skype all that shit works.

Originally Posted by chazoe60

They can do the draft remotely. It's the freaking NFL they have more money and tech than God, they can figure out a way to hold the draft and not have any groups of 10 or more people. Conference calls, Skype all that shit works.

SHHH - From article - "He wrote in the memo, "public discussion of issues relating to the Draft serves no useful purpose and is grounds for disciplinary action."

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Originally Posted by Denver Native (Carol)

SHHH - From article - "He wrote in the memo, "public discussion of issues relating to the Draft serves no useful purpose and is grounds for disciplinary action."

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Kind of iron-fisted, huh? The guy might have a touch of the control freak in him.

Originally Posted by Hawgdriver

Kind of iron-fisted, huh? The guy might have a touch of the control freak in him.

Not really. Stating clearly that it needs to not be talked about and enforcing it isn't iron fisted at all.

rules, just follow em

Originally Posted by chazoe60

They can do the draft remotely. It's the freaking NFL they have more money and tech than God, they can figure out a way to hold the draft and not have any groups of 10 or more people. Conference calls, Skype all that shit works.

I agree with you, but GMs aren’t worried about that part. They’re worried about having no in-person contact with prospects for two months before the draft. This is when personal workouts are happening and such, and they’ve ordered those to cease for the time being.

Originally Posted by MOtorboat

I agree with you, but GMs aren’t worried about that part. They’re worried about having no in-person contact with prospects for two months before the draft. This is when personal workouts are happening and such, and they’ve ordered those to cease for the time being.

Gotcha. Guess they'll have to evaluate by watching tape of them actually playing the game of football. As far as interviews, Skype that shit.

Originally Posted by chazoe60

Gotcha. Guess they'll have to evaluate by watching tape of them actually playing the game of football. As far as interviews, Skype that shit.

Yeah. And I think they’ll be fine. I’d almost rather my scouts spend more time watching how they play, how they interact on film, asking how college coaches how they respond to scheme, etc., instead of the personal workouts. But teams love them some personal workouts and combines.

Originally Posted by MOtorboat

Yeah. And I think they’ll be fine. I’d almost rather my scouts spend more time watching how they play, how they interact on film, asking how college coaches how they respond to scheme, etc., instead of the personal workouts. But teams love them some personal workouts and combines.

The one thing that will be tough is with players like Tua coming off injuries. Not being able to examine those players will make some of those picks a bit riskier.

Originally Posted by BroncoWave

The one thing that will be tough is with players like Tua coming off injuries. Not being able to examine those players will make some of those picks a bit riskier.

Not even having pro days may be the hardest part. I don’t think any of those happened.

Originally Posted by MOtorboat

Not even having pro days may be the hardest part. I don’t think any of those happened.

I think we'll see a lot more hidden gems fall through the cracks this year. Could be a lot of value in later picks/UDFAs. Especially with guys who maybe have injury concerns and are now healthy.

Originally Posted by BroncoWave

I think we'll see a lot more hidden gems fall through the cracks this year. Could be a lot of value in later picks/UDFAs. Especially with guys who maybe have injury concerns and are now healthy.

You know, I actually might anticipate less gems fall through the cracks. Too often GMs and coaches fall in love with players on the trail, too focused on personality and less on tape. I think this year's draft is going to be more about game film, and less about the job interview portion. Whether or not that will be a good thing for team dynamics remains to be seen, but I expect productive players to immediately go up in value compared to "character guys" this go around.

The NFL is absolutely right to tell its employees to "shut up" because it already passed the point of no return when it held free agency on time. The NFLPA is asking Goodell to be the bad guy here, and he's doing it. Delaying the draft serves no purpose because the economic and travel climate is only going to get worse, not better. The sooner the draftees can sort out their living situations in their new cities, the better for having any semblance of team activities. With states like Texas already passing mandatory quarantines for people who have been to X region of the country, I wouldn't be shocked if the entire nation went to some sort of feudalistic travel restrictions until there is a vaccine. How will sports leagues operate? It remains to be seen.

Originally Posted by MOtorboat

Not even having pro days may be the hardest part. I don’t think any of those happened.

https://walterfootball.com/proday.php

before shit hit the fan

The medical is the biggest concern. You drafting Tua if your team can't evaluate his hip?

Originally Posted by Jsteve01

The medical is the biggest concern. You drafting Tua if your team can't evaluate his hip?

Someone like tua has enough upside that someone will still probably roll the dice early. But if you look at a mid round talent with injury concerns, guys like that could really slip into the later rounds or undrafted.