The coronavirus pandemic has caused issues all over the world. That includes the world of sports. Due to the NFL being in the offseason, it has not had to cancel games like other leagues, but they are still feeling the effects. That includes severe limitations to things like free agency physicals and pre-draft visits.
Due to that, Pittsburgh Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert came up with a solution. According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, Colbert proposed adding three extra rounds to the 2020 NFL Draft.
Adding the three rounds was meant to offset restrictions set due to the coronavirus pandemic.
This would help to give the teams an advantage amidst the restrictions. Without the ability to conduct in-person interviews and attend pro days and workouts, teams are not as well prepared than in a typical year.
They have not had the chance to do the proper research that they usually would ahead of the draft, and that's going to especially hurt the late round picks. Suddenly, teams have not been able to evaluate all the talent and the talent hasn't been able to stand out to teams.
This makes it a lot harder to draft, and it could leave a lot of extremely talented players available at the end of the draft — or completely undrafted.
In light of that, Colbert's proposal makes a lot of sense. It would not only help teams, but it would give a numerous players a chance to reach the NFL.
There are some pretty obvious problems with Colbert's proposal, as well, including the logistics of each team adding three additional draft picks. It could cause chaos with their rosters, as they are adding three more people in the draft.
Plus, the Steelers GM's proposal means that teams that traded away their picks can earn them back. Even if they aren't as valuable as the picks they traded, it could still create issues around the league about fairness and even playing fields.
However, Colbert did raise an interesting proposal and it's perhaps something the NFL should at least consider.
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