One of the lasting images from the 2020 virtual NFL draft was of Kliff Kingsbury casually lounging in the living room of his Arizona mansion. He had multiple phones on the table, two monitors and an outdoor fire, later admitting the fire pit on a 100-degree day “was a bit much.”
This year the Rams will have the league’s best draft room.
The Rams have converted a 9,000-square-foot mansion in Malibu, California, into a draft house.
Naturally, Kingsbury was asked about the Cardinals’ NFC West rival one-upping him this year.
“I really think it’s just a ploy by [coach Sean] McVay to allow himself the opportunity to take his shirt off again and jump in the pool like he did on Hard Knocks, sip some rosé, take a dip in the ocean and make some draft picks,” Kingsbury said, via Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.
The Rams’ brain trust will have plenty of time to enjoy the draft house, especially during the first round. They don’t make their first selection until the second round (No. 57 overall).
The Rams got a sponsorship from Rocket Mortgage for the draft house, so it’s potentially a new revenue stream for NFL teams. Imagine the Cowboys turning Jerry Jones’ yacht into a draft yacht while floating in the Bahamas? Or the Raiders in the middle of The Fountains of Bellagio?
Kingsbury, unfortunately, won’t conduct the draft in his living room this year. The Cardinals will return to their war room at their Tempe facility.