Reflective NFL bosses: Two thumbs up for work-from-home draft

Whether posing with progeny or petting the pooch, decision makers made themselves comfortable in unfamiliar territory during the 2020 NFL Draft.

Admitted workaholics who typically spend 60-plus hours huddled in a room at team headquarters during the draft, coaches and general managers were forced into a virtual environment due to the coronavirus pandemic for all 255 picks over three days of the NFL draft.

And after pushing back with two hands at the initial thought of being at home and breaking regimented routine, almost everyone associated with the event gave it a standing ovation and high marks for approval.

"I thought it went great," Broncos president of football operations John Elway said. "There were really hardly any issues at all. I'm sure there are other teams that had some issues here and there, and other than the first day with (head coach) Vic (Fangio's) internet going out, we really didn't have any issues at all. I will say this ... I think the credit goes to Commissioner (Roger) Goodell and the fact that he was taking a lot of heat because there were a lot of people that wanted to push it back, didn't want to do this, didn't want to attempt it, didn't want to have to stay at home and do it, wanted everybody to get to their war rooms, and he pushed everyone out of their comfort zone and I think it came off great. I think Commissioner Goodell gets all that credit for holding his ground and doing the right thing. He had a great feel and knew it was the right thing, so he deserves a lot of credit."

The pre-draft process was different in almost every possible way since mid-March, just as pro day workouts were set to kick into high gear and prospects were due to visit team facilities for face-to-face interviews. Because of state and national social distancing restrictions, the NFL rewrote the book on pre-draft rules -- quite literally -- forcing player interviews to take place electronically before entirely closing team facilities to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, whose dog Nike became a meme-worthy star of the three-day broadcast, said not having time or opportunity to get up close and personal with players was the biggest challenge. But even the devout traditionalist learned to love the freedom he had at his Nantucket pad.

"That leaves a little bit of a question mark about some of their testing numbers and so forth," Belichick said Saturday. "But, I mean, look, every team is dealing with the same situation. It is what it is. Yeah, (Belichick's girlfriend) Linda did a great job with Nike. As you can see, he's very personable, friendly, gets a lot of attention."

Saints coach Sean Payton traded most of his third-day draft haul away and, like Belichick, trained under Bill Parcells. For those who don't recall, he wasn't exactly the warm-and-fuzzy, let-the-hair-down type. But Payton said he thought the draft went "great" and endorsed the format.

And former Belichick pupil Bob Quinn, general manager of the Detroit Lions, had some of the most poignant thoughts on the 2020 draft protocol. Quinn, who was joined in his home office by his son and daughter crossing names off the team draft board, said the weekend was a reminder to him to work "smarter not harder." Quinn said he will consider opportunities to do a day a week where staff can work virtually to spend more time away from the office and with their families.

First-year Redskins coach Ron Rivera also felt the family-friendly draft was a hit.

"It was kind of neat having the family around, having my wife involved, our two dogs and then our daughter Courtney, who's actually doing our social media stuff for the team, so we were able to give a little behind the scenes stuff to our fans, which I thought was kind of a unique thing as well," Rivera said.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones spent the draft aboard Bravo Eugenia, the superyacht -- worth a reported $250 million -- that is named after his wife. The 360-feet yacht has four decks and includes a gym, massage room and sauna.

"This situation might bring out the best in me," Jones cracked after the draft was complete.

--Field Level Media