NFL cancels Pro Days, in-person pre-Draft visits in response to coronavirus pandemic

While the start of the NFL’s new league year is still scheduled for March 18th, the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has led to major decisions necessary to at least reduce the risk of catching the virus.

On Friday, the league sent out a memo telling all teams that they will not allow in-person pre-Draft visits, and Pro Days are off the table.

“After considering recent medical and public safety information related to COVID-19, we have decided to prohibit in-person pre-Draft visits involving draft-eligible players effective at the end of this business day, until further notice,” the memo read.

Teams can still meet with NFL Draft prospects but only over the phone or through video conferencing.

The NFL Draft itself is April 23rd-25th in Las Vegas. Given Nevada just declared a state of emergency and presumably will join a host of other states in prohibiting large gatherings of people, it’s more than reasonable to assume that this will either be postponed, rescheduled, or held online. Hell, the NFL Draft didn’t used to have a live audience in the first place, so they could be going old school. The XFL did their draft online, so the NFL can do the same.