Virtual version was just as pompous as the normal event
One of the stranger, duller sporting events took place Thursday night. Despite those qualities, it almost certainly broke television viewership records.
The virtual NFL draft — also known as “Why did those people choose those curtains?” — was a fittingly weird event for these strange times.
There was, sadly, no fun hacking of the proceedings. No bizarre technical glitches. Everyone remembered to wear pants (although the Raiders’ top draft pick, Henry Ruggs III, wore an Old Spice bathrobe). There certainly weren’t enough dogs or babies on the screens.
But the staples of every NFL draft were in place: It was too long, too overwrought, too full of selfimportance. And — as with every NFL draft — no one will know what the actual results are for years.
A new twist this year: Not only do we have no idea how these young players will perform in NFL games, we also have no idea when there will be actual NFL games.
But the 49ers at least made some news and created entertainment. Things in the draft were plodding along at such a dull and predictable pace that sportswriters were actually lauding their own mock drafts on social media, when general manager John Lynch made yet
another draftday trade, the first of the evening. And then he made another one.
First, Lynch swapped spots (No. 14 for No. 13) with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, getting a fourthround pick in the deal and then selecting South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw at No. 14.
Lynch likes to make trades on draft day. He also likes to draft defensive players high, even though it seemed everyone was expecting the 49ers to take a wide receiver. The 49ers had acquired the No. 13 pick by trading defensive lineman DeForest Buckner. On Thursday, they used that draft pick to possibly get Buckner’s replacement, plus a selection in a round in which they were previously going to sit out.
Then Trader John jumped six spots, trading the No. 31 pick plus two later picks (including that fourthrounder) to Minnesota for No. 25. With that pick, the 49ers got their wide receiver, Arizona State’s Brandon Aiyuk, who grew up in Reno and went to Sierra College in Rocklin (Placer County).
Thank you, John Lynch, for creating some unexpected fun, both for the league and for the Bay Area folks.
The Raiders, of course, no longer count as local. This draft was supposed to be their first great moment in Las Vegas, where the draft originally was scheduled to be held. Instead, because of the coronavirus pandemic, Las Vegas was a ghost town and the draft was held on thousands of computer screens, connecting teams, players, networks and the league. An omen? Or bad luck?
It is certain that millions of Americans tuned in to watch the draft — likely millions more than in a normal year — because 1) it was about sports and 2) it was live.
However, it was not the first live sports event since the country shut down, contrary to what many said, including ESPN employees. They should have known better. The same network held the WNBA draft, which got record viewership numbers, last Friday.
But this is the NFL. And as the NFL let you know over and over again Thursday night, it is very important.
The proceedings carried the league’s customary whiff of arrogance. We were supposed to believe that the fact that the NFL was holding its annual selection of human beings as league product was supposed to be some sort of beacon of hope that the world will return to normal. Peyton Manning narrated a predraft video illustrating that point.
Commissioner Roger Goodell, live from his basement, was as awkward there as he is live on stage. The contrived virtual booing of fans was cringeworthy, every time it happened. Goodell seemed uncomfortable, even doing a Beyoncélike midshow costume change. His inability to easily command the stage became even more obvious when he was completely overshadowed by 12yearold cancer survivor Fletcher Rollinson, who announced the Cleveland Browns’ pick and crushed it.
Unless you’re a college football nut, the primary entertainment was examining the interiordecorating choices at both the draft picks’ locations and the “war room” setups of general managers and head coaches. The 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan had given a quick tour of his setup the day before the draft, complete with his youngest child, Lexie, shouting “Go 49ers,” a closeup of his chocolate lab, George, and a look at his computer and screen setup which he described as “pimped out.”
The whole event was strange and, to a certain degree, uncomfortable. As Lynch said this week before the draft, “I’ve had conflicted feelings. I understand people are out there hurting ... reallife stuff that matters. What the heck are we doing, having free agency and a draft?”
But he added that many people had told him they were excited and appreciative of the distraction.
It was an event. Like every year, it was too long, boring and pompous. But, hey, it was something to watch.