NFL Draft to go on as Scheduled

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has notified teams that the 2020 NFL Draft will go forward as scheduled on April 23-25, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Commissioner Goodell sent out a memo to NFL teams tonight that the draft will go on April 23-25. pic.twitter.com/tYlHo3fKqC

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 26, 2020

In a memo sent to teams Thursday night, Goodell said that the NFL Managment Council Executive Committee was “unanimous and unequivocal that the Draft should go forward as scheduled.”

Goodell went on to express that it is the league’s top priority that they now ensure the Draft is conducted on a fair, level playing field, considering the differing situations teams are dealing with as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Numerous general managers around the league expressed their concerns earlier this week regarding the league’s intent to hold the Draft as scheduled, citing differing circumstances for teams and an inability for them to properly scout and evaluate players with the current conditions surrounding the virus.

In a further attempt to address teams’ fear of a competitive imbalance, Goodell called for the closing of all league facilities in a memo to clubs Tuesday night.

The league announced last week that it cancelled all public Draft events in Las Vegas. The plan is for the Draft to still be televised, with the league saying they “exploring innovative options for how the process will be conducted.”