As the NFL prepares for next week’s first-of-its-kind stay-at-home draft, they’re going to give it a trial run.
Via Tim McManus of ESPN.com, the league is holding a mock draft session on Monday, to make sure the teams in remote offices are able to communicate picks and arrange trades smoothly.
Most teams are going through their own exercises this week, to make sure their technology is working on their end. Next week will give them a chance the communal experience is a smooth one.
“We’ll have fun making some mock trades,” Eagles General Manager Howie Roseman said.
A league spokesman said they can stop the clock if a team is struggling to get a pick in on time.
“Three separate team individuals are able to submit the pick, so if there’s an issue at one person’s house, two other team execs could submit,” the league spokesman said. “If a team is experiencing technological issues, the player personnel department would be in position to stop the clock to ensure a pick is submitted or a trade occurs.”
While things can always get weird on the clock, Monday’s practice round will at least give the league a chance to see what issues could come up later in the week, when many people will be watching (if not anticipating old people to struggle with technology).