If you are like most NFL fans, you have grown to love the event that is the NFL draft. But this year, things are going to look very different for teams as well as the fan experience. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the entire fan event of the 2020 NFL draft to be canceled and now teams will be forced to make their picks via a virtual environment from their homes.
This means Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert will run the draft from his basement and likely via Zoom video conferencing. What could possibly go wrong? Here are some predictions.
Fewer trades
Even though Colbert will be able to communicate via the telephone with the rest of their staff, the lack of a legitimate war room for the Steelers means we shouldn’t expect any big trades like we saw last year for linebacker Devin Bush.
Safer picks
The Steelers have always done their due diligence when it comes to players with injury concerns or character red flags. But this has all been compromised since teams cannot attend pro days or bring in players for private workouts. This means anything known as of the end of the combine in terms of red flags will be magnified and could definitely impact how the Steelers draft.
Pittsburgh will land 2 starters
The more I study this draft class, the more encouraged I am by its depth. Pittsburgh doesn’t have a first-round pick but still should be able to land two rookie starters if they chose their positions wisely with their second and third-round picks. Positions to target for starting potential in the first two rounds include running back, wide receiver and inside linebacker for Pittsburgh. Defensive tackle is another strong option.
