(670 The Score) Without a top-flight training facility open, Jashon Cornell is preparing for the NFL the best way he can during the coronavirus pandemic.
Cornell, a defensive lineman prospect out of Ohio State, is running up the famed Summit Hill in his home of St. Paul, Minnesota. At 6-foot-3 and 293 pounds, Cornell sprinted up the steep incline near the state's capital building. He has done it plenty of times over the past month with much of the world shut down in an effort to slow the coronavirus spread.
"It's difficult," Cornell said. "But you have to adapt to the situation.
"I'm used to it now."
Cornell calls it an old-school workout, but there's a modern-day twist to it. His agent, Mike McCartney of Priority Sports, sent videos of that workout and others from his clients to NFL executives.
Since the NFL can't go see the Draft Players train, let's take some Draft Players to the NFL. I'm going to post some of my Draft Players workouts focusing on the ones with no Pro Day. Here's Buckeye DT @JayRock_9 running hills last week at 293 pounds. pic.twitter.com/EjgUPa5QRA— Mike McCartney (@MikeMcCartney7) April 6, 2020
The NFL has shuttered its teams' headquarters and is prohibiting prospects from in-person visits. Workouts that would be conducted inside the Bears' Walter Payton Center, the Packers' Don Hutson Center or other team practice facilities aren't allowed leading up to the NFL Draft, which will take place virtually and remotely from April 23-25.
For 32 teams, the countless prospects preparing for the draft and those agents helping to support this process, the logistics have been difficult. With doctors focused on fighting the coronavirus, routine medical checks have been hard to come by. Many doctor visits are being held virtually for teams to watch.
The vast majority of college pro days were canceled, and league scouts were pulled off the road in March as the coronavirus began to increase its spread. After many prospects lost their in-person opportunities, agents like McCartney are making sure even the most unique workouts are being seen by teams.
"We're in a different world right now," McCartney said.
"You got to adjust."
Last Thursday in Tennessee, Alabama quarterback prospect and projected first-round pick Tua Tagovailoa held a one-hour throwing session that was filmed for teams to see the health of his right hip, which he fractured in a game last November. Tagovailoa threw 75 passes, including 55 by script, in a setting with fewer than 10 people to abide by the Center for Disease Control's guidelines. The tape was sent out to every team.
Mississippi State cornerback prospect Cam Dantzler was clocked by his agents running a 4.38 40-yard dash, with multiple cameras attempting to legitimize the time. That will be met with skepticism given that Dantzler posted a 4.64 time at the NFL Combine in February.
In Phoenix, Michigan State quarterback prospect Brian Lewerke is preparing for the NFL while exercising caution. He throws the football to a receiver wearing gloves, then wipes the ball down with disinfecting wipes.
"I got hand sanitizer on deck for whenever I need it," Lewerke said.
Projected to be taken on the third and final day of the draft, Lewerke has an advantage over some other quarterbacks in the form of 25 starts in Big Ten games available on film. On the other hand, prospects hailing from smaller schools won't get to make their case in private throwing sessions.
Virtual interviews have become a critical component to the pre-draft process. Lewerke has broken down coverages with coaches through the FaceTime feature on the iPhone. Other meetings are are being held on Zoom with teams' general manager, head coach and many more on camera from their homes.
Cornell has been a part of interviews with as few as one team representative and up to as many as 10 others on his computer screen.
"It makes it more comfortable," Cornell said. "You're at home sitting on the couch or on the front porch, chatting with teams. It's less stressful than talking about meeting with teams in person."
Iowa offensive tackle prospect Tristan Wirfs is considered one of the top players in this draft class and is projected as a likely top-10 pick. His agent, Murphy McGuire of the Octagon agency, called Wirfs a "unicorn" in describing his combination of talent and character. For a prospect considered a first-round lock like Wirfs, this pre-draft process is similar to normal times, McGuire said.
But McGuire realizes the challenges that scouting limitations will have on teams, as they'll be forced to rely on their work watching game tape and confirming convictions through NFL Combine numbers. The third day of the draft may be a crapshoot.
"We may not see some of the late-round gems we're accustomed to seeing," McGuire said.
This NFL Draft will be unprecedented, with team executives and coaches expected to be confined to their homes. League commissioner Roger Goodell will announce each first-round selection from his basement. All the stakeholders are making the best of it.
That includes the prospects preparing to make a football dream come true and the agents who represent them. They want this draft to be as normal as they can possibly make it.
"If the NFL can't come to our player," McCartney said, "let's find a way to take our player to the NFL."
Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago's sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670.
