Report: Roger Goodell to Reveal 2020 NFL Draft Picks 'Standing in His Basement'

The 2020 NFL draft will be a fully digital experience for fans, players and teams this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell will be no exception. 

According to Peter King of NBC Sports, "Goodell will (as suspected) announce first-round picks standing in his basement in Bronxville, New York."

The draft, which begins on Thursday, April 23, will take place completely remotely. In a memo sent to all 32 NFL teams last week, Goodell said teams would be drafting "entirely outside of their facilities and in a fully virtual format, with club personnel in separate locations and able to communicate with one another and draft headquarters by phone or internet."

Those conditions have caused some anxieties among teams, however:

And Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reported March 24 that during a conference call, general managers expressed "major concerns with info-gathering process, logistics" and argued for holding the draft at a later date. 

The entire process has been altered, with the NFL banning in-person meetings with prospects in March. That has led to a number of prospects filming isolated pro day workouts to send to teams. 

It's going to be a unique NFL draft, though with sports leagues suspended all over the globe because of the coronavirus, it's the new normal. It's a strategy that other television programs have taken as well, with many being hosted remotely because of social distancing guidelines in effect.