The 2020 NFL Draft could be considered a throwback to a simpler time, a stripped-down affair with no fan congregations, no cards with handwritten names, no green room and no commissioner hugs.



“It will kind of be like 1967 again when you had a couple of guys in a room and they’d call the league with their pick,” one veteran front-office executive said.



But the “virtual” draft also could be a preview of tomorrow’s drafts, reliant on technology like never before, with internet connectivity at its foundation.



Most teams will have about 50 people logging on from their homes and connected to one another remotely. And about 10 of those also will be connected to the NFL.



ESPN and NFL Network will share the broadcast feed, which will primarily be an ESPN production. For remote hookups, 58 prospects were sent iPhones, lights and microphones, as well as instructions on how to use them. Between the players, fans and NFL...