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As the spread of coronavirus continues, major cancellations are occurring for American sports. The NBA season is currently postponed after two players tested positive for the virus, the NCAA tournament appears to be hanging by the thread as most conference tournaments have now been cancelled, and now the effects are taking over the NFL.
As of Thursday afternoon, the NFL Draft and free agency period remain on schedule, but the league is taking other preparations to avoid the spread of the virus. Though no official announcement has been made, it appears most teams are cancelling visits for NFL Draft prospects have been cancelled. This, obviously, will have a huge impact on draft evaluations as teams will not privately meet, work out, and medically test the 30 players they normally get every year.
I’ve been notified that the @NFL has cancelled all draftee facility visits.
— Erik Burkhardt (@ErikBurkhardt) March 12, 2020
•Jordyn Brooks (LB- Tx Tech)- had 15 scheduled.
•Brandon Jones (DB- Texas)- had 8 scheduled.
•Devin Duvernay (WR- Texas)- had 6 + 7 private workouts.
In addition to that, it appears Pro Days may be on their way to being closed down, as some teams are taking their scouts off the road to be back home and away from any potential catching or spreading of the virus.
Jets, Giants, Bucs and Washington have pulled their staffs off the road. Detroit was on the road yesterday and was expected to be again today. Their travel plans haven't changed, last I heard, but I suspect will at some point. Hell, there might not even be pro days to go to.
— kyle meinke (@kmeinke) March 12, 2020
Obviously, this is a developing situation, and as more information comes in, we could see more postponements or cancellations in the near future. With free agency just under a week away and the tampering period only a few days away, the NFL has a lot of very important decisions to make in the near future.