The 2020 NFL Draft begins with the first round on Thursday evening - or Friday morning for us European fans - before the remaining rounds on Friday and Saturday. This is a huge event in the NFL calendar: the top prospects that have emerged from colleges across America are set to enter the professional arena, but this year is a little different. The draft will be conducted virtually due to the concerns surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic, and it is a rare sporting event that will be going ahead in these strange times - meaning plenty of eyes will be following the festivities as they unfold. Whether you’re a seasoned follower of the sport or a budding fan, The British Playbook outlines what exactly the NFL Draft is and why it is such an important event in Major League sports - and why the 2020 edition will be remembered in history.

What exactly is the Draft?

Simply put, the draft is the event or system whereby potential new players coming out of college are allocated professional teams to play for. It is an exciting night, particularly the first round, where the best players are selected by franchises who are desperate for that extra spark to ignite their future. The order of selection is decided upon by using last season’s record, with the worst team picking first, and the Super Bowl champions picking last in any given round. This allows for 32 first round selections, and there are seven rounds in the event’s entirety. In the 2020 Draft, the first pick will be submitted by the Cincinnati Bengals, who finished with a 2-14 record in 2019, whilst the Kansas City Chiefs will pick last after winning the big one in February. Each team has ten minutes to make their selection known to the NFL commissioner, otherwise they simply lose the opportunity -there really is no time to waste!