CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – The 2021 NFL Draft in Cleveland will proceed as originally planned.
The planning for the 2020 draft later this month, originally scheduled for Las Vegas, is a work in progress.
Peter O'Reilly, who oversees organization of major events such as the Super Bowl and draft for the league, confirmed Cleveland’s draft will remain as scheduled on Tuesday while Las Vegas could get their chance again in 2022.
“2022 is an option for Las Vegas," O'Reilly said according to the Associated Press. "We need some time to work through that with Las Vegas and the Raiders, but that is something we are considering.”
The 2023 Draft was awarded to Kansas City last year at the same time Cleveland’s bid was approved but 2022 remains open despite reports that it was to be awarded to Green Bay.
City officials in conjunction with the Browns and NFL continue to prepare for next year’s event to be held downtown and on the lakefront.
O'Reilly has his hands full as the NFL scrambles to rework this year’s draft, which is just over three weeks away, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
How the draft will operate and be televised will be dramatically different as a result of the pandemic.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to be isolated in a remote location to announce selections while the league is ironing out plans to incorporate the prospects and teams into the broadcasts from their homes or facilities through video conferencing.
Currently all NFL facilities are shut down on orders from Goodell in the wake of the nationwide outbreak.
The 30 prospect visits as well as pro days and private workouts for teams leading up to the draft were all cancelled.
As for the execution of the draft, the operation will dramatically change on the air and behind the scenes.
Team war rooms, including the Browns, won’t be jam-packed as they usually are.
Executive vice president of football operations and general manager Andrew Berry will have to limit access to the room during the draft to conform to current guidelines from health and government officials.
Typically Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam along with JW Johnson sit in the war room along with other top club officials that are not in the personnel and scouting departments or members of the coaching staff, but that may have to change this year.
Berry also may not be able to be surrounded by as many members of the personnel and scouting departments as is custom in the war room. They’ll likely have to participate in the three-day draft via video conference.
Where head coach Kevin Stefanski and members of his staff will be located during the draft remains to be seen with access to the war room expected to be limited.
Berry has already demonstrated his ability to work under these unique circumstances by signing 11 players and trading for another since free agency and the new league year began and there’s little doubt he’ll find a way to work within whatever operational guidelines he’ll be required to later this month.
In the meantime, Cleveland can continue planning for the return of what has become a three-day spectacle for the NFL for 2021.