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First Call: ESPN's NFL Draft production was tremendous, with beautifully natural awkwardness | TribLIVE.com
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First Call: ESPN's NFL Draft production was tremendous, with beautifully natural awkwardness

Tim Benz
Tim Benz

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In this still image from video provided by the NFL, Henry Ruggs III during the NFL football draft Thursday, April 23, 2020.

For Friday’s “First Call,” I’ve got to credit the combined forces of the NFL Network, ABC and ESPN. That was quite an undertaking Thursday night for the virtual reality NFL Draft broadcast.

It was so much smoother than I thought it was going to be. All things considered, the multiple locations, the constant switching of venues, all the various feeds from the homes of players and teams. Not to mention the volume of preproduced packages.

Wow!

Whoever directed this thing deserved an Emmy. That’s a tough shoot in a regular year. Given the coronavirus-mandated social distancing situation, I would’ve been happy with “not a disaster.”

Technically? The odd flub aside, it was really well done.

There were some things that just couldn’t be overcome. Commissioner Roger Goodell is about as wooden as you can get. Trying to loosen up his personality is like trying to loosen up my knees after a 10-mile run.

Not happening.

Goodell’s efforts to become — essentially — Billy Crystal at the Oscars was …

Well, he tried.

By nature of the event, Goodell was running point from his basement as much as host Trey Wingo was doing in the studio. And the commish’s attempts to yuck it up with fans on the TV screen in his man cave was …

Well, he tried.

By the way, no Pittsburgh toilet in the Goodell basement? C’mon. He went to Washington & Jefferson. He’s got some Yinzer roots, doesn’t he?

I think Goodell’s dog was the star of the night. What a pup. That’s the great thing about dogs. Even people with a robot heart look human when they have a lab in their lap.

Yes, even Goodell.

Sure, the production was corny and sappy. Every draft pick had some sort of 1984-era NBC Olympics-style, personal sob story sidebar package ready to go.

Given the covid-19 relief efforts and fundraising, it had more of an NPR-telethon — or a four-hour PSA — vibe than a live televised sporting event.

But it was a … live … televised … sporting event! And I was so happy to have it in my life.

Timing up the reaction of the picks at the exact moment they knew they were being selected was tough. But what else could you do? For as long and complex as the production was, I thought the execution of the broadcast, overcoming all the unfamiliar hurdles, was worthy of a standing ovation.

All that said, we can have a little fun at everyone’s expense, can’t we?

Oh come on, Roger. You had about four months to get ready for this. I understand that Tua Tagovailoa’s name isn’t easy. But …

Did I hear a “niner” in there?

By the way, where did Tua’s friends and family go? It looked like he was having a 20-person party during the pre-draft show. By the time he was on the screen to get selected, he was rigidly sitting with five other people.

Did they get Twitter-shamed for not social distancing or something?

Even if they did, it couldn’t be the same as the blowback CeeDee Lamb’s girlfriend got for trying to check his phone on live television as he was about to be drafted by the Cowboys.

Imagine her relief when she found out it was just Mike McCarthy.

The Twitter memes about “Monday Night Football” announcer Anthony “Booger” McFarland saying obvious things were out and about. And obviously they focused on Booger being obvious.

Oh, and the Booger Mobile wasn’t to be ignored.

The only thing bolder than the pinstripe pattern on Trey Wingo’s suit was his decision to wear it.

I’ve heard it said pinstripe suits make tall guys look taller. And short guys look shorter.

In that suit, I’d be about 3 feet, 3 inches tall.

The Browns never make the right pick. They always go for flash. They are collecting football cards. They never get quality blood-and-guts players to simply cover, tackle, and block …

… oh. Oh.

That was offensive tackle Jedrick Wills Jr. from Alabama.

And that was tape from his sophomore year, by the way. Between him and signing unrestricted Tennessee tackle Jack Conklin, maybe the Browns are figuring this thing out upfront.

As far as New York Giants general manager Dave Gettleman struggling to put on that facemask by himself — in his own house?

That was easy for Giants fans to mock.

Awkward though it may have looked, there was a good reason why Gettleman did that.

Gettleman had chemotherapy to battle lymphoma two years ago. And there was a Giants IT expert in the room with him. So he was just taking extra precautions.

That’s easy to explain.

What was going on in Mike Vrabel’s house, though? That’s above my pay grade.

If you have any ideas, let me me know.

I know what you’re thinking. When Alabama receiver Henry Ruggs III was drafted by the Las Vegas Raiders, he was taking this whole quarantine thing a bit too far.

I mean, draft night in a robe? Who is he? Muhammad Ali?

Not so fast, according to Darren Rovell of The Action Network.

The robe is still a power move, though. Not as much as ESPN’s Jeff Darlington showing off his classic Nintendo 64, or John Elway chillin’ among his three Super Bowl trophies.

But not bad.

Speaking of Vegas, how creepy was that opening shot of the broadcast?

A completely empty Strip on a night when 50,000 people were supposed to be there for the event.

The good news for Vegas is that during the course of the night, Goodell announced that they would get the draft back again in 2022 after losing it to covid-19 this weekend.

Even though Goodell butchered the announcement.

The event is in Cleveland next year. Assuming it’s allowed to happen by then. At this rate, who knows.

Let’s end the night where it began. With the selection of LSU quarterback Joe Burrow by the Cincinnati Bengals as the top pick.

He was welcomed to the AFC North by new Baltimore Ravens defensive lineman Calais Campbell.

The Ravens ended up taking an LSU teammate of Burrow’s, linebacker Patrick Queen. So that will be fun to watch.

As will the Steelers defense against Burrow for the first time this fall.

I hope.

Tim Benz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Tim at tbenz@triblive.com or via X. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless specified otherwise.

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