WORKING AT HOME ON A ‘HUGE DRAFT’
NFL announces all teams will conduct this month’s draft from respective homes while team facilities remain closed
John Lynch has said Santa Clara County’s work-from-home order is no excuse for failing to win “an absolutely huge draft” for the reigning NFC champion 49ers.
Now every other team will have to conduct business the same way.
The 49ers’ brass and those of all NFL teams must be at their private homes when making draft picks April 23-25, the NFL announced Monday.
All team facilities will remain closed indefinitely, a safety measure the 49ers were at the forefront of doing when they locked up their Santa Clara headquarters March 13.
“I’m thankful for the terrific work that our entire staff — from our scouts, our coaches, our IT, our video — to get ready for this draft,” Lynch said in a video tweeted from his home office March 27. “This draft is absolutely huge for us, so there’s no excuses, no explanations.
“We’ve got to get our work done, albeit from home.”
The 49ers are based in Santa Clara County, one of California’s
hardest hit regions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Shelterin-place orders have been extended through May 3, as over 1,200 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in the county.
“All clubs will not have access to their facilities, which is contrary to the fundamental equity principle that all clubs operate in a consistent and fair way,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell wrote in a letter to all team officials. “Moreover, we want all NFL personnel to comply with government directives
and to model safe and appropriate health practices.”
Lynch, coach Kyle Shanahan and their respective assistants have familiarized themselves with virtual meetings in recent weeks.
The 49ers’ unsung heroes for the pre-draft setup: Jim Bartholomew, their director of information technology, and Michael Bracken, their director of video operations.
Goodell’s letter to teams noted how teams are “well advanced in preparing for a virtual Draft” and expect a “successful event.” The NFL originally planned to hold the three-day draft in Las Vegas.
The NFL’s first coronavirus case surfaced March 19, when New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton disclosed he had tested positive and that his health was improving.
Offseason programs are indefinitely delayed; the 49ers was slated to open April 20. It’s expected that all teams will be allowed to contact players through virtual meetings and online instruction.
“We are operating in an environment unlike anything we have experienced before, one that requires flexibility, patience and cooperation,” Goodell wrote to teams. “As we work through those challenges together, we should not lose sight of the magnitude of this global health crisis, of the extraordinary work of first responders, healthcare
workers, and so many others, of the growing number of Americans in need of assistance, and of those who have lost family or friends to this virus.”
• Kendrick Bourne’s career-best season earned him a raise for 2020, and he’s accepted it. Bourne signed his $3.26 million tender as a 49ers restricted free agent.
The 49ers have an opening at wide receiver now that Emmanuel Sanders has left in free agency. Bourne evolved into the third-most targeted wide receiver, behind go-to tight end George Kittle.
If the 49ers opened their season today, Deebo Samuel and Bourne might be the starting receivers, with recently signed veteran Travis Benjamin in the slot. Another potential starter could come via a receiverrich draft in which the 49ers are slotted to pick at Nos. 13 and 31 in the first round.