2020 NFL Draft: Small-school prospects will be impacted most by COVID-19 outbreak

Lenoir Rhyne's Kyle Dugger works out for scouts as the South squad runs drills during practice for the Senior Bowl Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2020, in Mobile, Ala. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)

The COVID-19 outbreak has the date and location of the 2020 NFL draft very much up in the air. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended Sunday night against events of 50 or more people for the next eight weeks, which extends beyond the scheduled kickoff of the draft on April 23.

It’s an obvious reality at this point that the draft won’t be a public event. Even if the NFL postpones it until May, it’ll still be too soon to host a gathering that last year drew more than 600,000 people to Nashville.

But one thing is for sure: the draft will go on. And this year’s class of prospects will have their dream realized. But many of them may have had their chances of being drafted negatively impacted by the COVID-19 outbreak; the run-up to the draft will be without top-30 visits, workouts and pro days. As a result, a certain cluster of players — the small-school guys — won’t have that critical opportunity to make a lasting impression on scouts and front-office decision-makers.

As the Senior Bowl’s executive director Jim Nagy pointed out, players with red flags will also slide. Top-30 visits help answer questions about a player’s character, especially if they have a checkered past.

FCS and smaller-program schools generally have a long road to travel before elevating their stock to the point where they’re a draftable player anyway. And most of the guys who do get drafted from those ranks get their shot to impress at all-star games or the NFL Combine. It’s pretty rare for a small-schooler to jump the prospect line and claw their way into Day 3 because of a good pro day or private workout, but without either option, their chances are all but eliminated.

Bryan Perez

Bryan is the founder of Pro Football Draft. His work has been featured on The Draft Network, NBC Sports and USA Today. Former CFL scout.

Follow him on Twitter: @BryanPerezNFL