No surprise as anonymous NFL personnel whine about technical glitches during NFL's virtual mock draft
The NFL makes more than $10 billion a year. Yet the reaction of some teams to the virtual draft — and the coverage of it — makes it seem like the league using simple technology to draft is akin to trying to land a man on the moon in 1969.
Some around the NFL continue to be utterly tone-deaf to their complaints about drafting online as the entire world deals with a global health crisis. It took all of one pick into the NFL’s mock draft, held to work out some glitches, for someone to complain to ESPN’s Adam Schefter there was a technical glitch.
Text from a participant on the NFL’s mock draft that started at 1 pm EST. “Mock draft today already technical glitch w Cincinnatis 1st pick!!! Brutal.”
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 20, 2020
The leak probably meant to point out that the NFL’s infrastructure had a problem on the first pick. What it really did is show that some living in the NFL front office bubble couldn’t wait past one pick to whine to a reporter about how tough they have it, drafting virtually.
On behalf of everyone dealing with real problems during the coronavirus pandemic: Please quit complaining about drafting on your computer.
WNBA pulled off a virtual draft just fine
Seriously, this isn’t difficult. If you can jump on Zoom with your friends for a virtual happy hour, the most powerful sports league in North America should be able to communicate draft picks.
The WNBA did a virtual draft without a glitch. Maybe it’s because their league didn’t spend endless time complaining to national reporters about how hard it would be.
I’m texting with multiple coaches and GM’s who are on this mock draft call and everybody is saying the same thing which is band width is a problem. There are many communication issues.
— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) April 20, 2020
Text from a GM during this mock draft “there are early communication issues because 32 of us GMs are on conference call and we didn’t hit mute. Sounds awful”
— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) April 20, 2020
Picks will be made, that’s a guarantee. NFL teams’ cell phones still work during the coronavirus pandemic.
The whining from NFL personnel is insufferable
The idea that this draft is worlds different than anything the NFL has done before is weird. The NFL has managed to select players using telephone technology for decades. The WNBA pulled off a virtual draft just fine. And to complain about it incessantly and anonymously is insulting to the rest of us who are dealing with our own issues, most of which are much more serious than a social meeting app freezing up.
This is a league in which “next man up” has become a well-worn cliche. Yet when it comes to using simple technology to tell Roger Goodell which college player they would like to draft, they’re whining like a 3-year-old at bedtime. And oh, who would have thought that during a mock draft to work out the wrinkles, the wrinkles were worked out pretty quick. Good thing some folks were able to fire off angry texts to reporters when the first pick had minor difficulties.
"After the start, its running smoothly. Its quiet actually on the call"
Text from another Head Coach on mock draft.— Dianna Russini (@diannaESPN) April 20, 2020
There will be issues. They should be able to figure them out and still select college prospects. And there will be insufferable whining. And nobody will want to hear about it. Just draft, already.
More from Yahoo Sports: