The NFL's virtual draft showed executives that a lot of the work can be done remotely and it is changing how they view their work-life balance

• The NFL's first virtual draft went off without a hitch over the weekend, with front offices around the league working remotely to select the next generation of players.
• According to San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch, the circumstances teams were forced to draft under made him realize that much of the work they do in the offseason could be done remotely, making it possible to maintain a better work-life balance.
• "I think we were more prepared than ever before," Lynch told NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano. "I really believe that."
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The NFL conducted its first virtual draft over the weekend, an endeavor that while undoubtedly challenging, proved to be an inarguable success.

With front offices across the league all working remotely due to the coronavirus pandemic, teams were still able to get in their picks, pull off trades, and welcome their new players to the franchise with relative ease. While drafting the next generation of players to the league, they brought football fans a sense of normalcy as the sports world is still largely on hold.

The success of the virtual draft may have ramifications that go well beyond this year. As San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch explained to NFL Network's Andrew Siciliano, the circumstances of this year's draft proved that a better work-life balance is possible for coaches and scouts through the NFL offseason.

"I think we were more prepared than ever before. I really believe that," Lynch told Siciliano of the team's preparation.

While draft preparation would normally mean long hours in the office "eating tape" and debating the rankings of players at different positions, this year, coaching staffs were forced to take that work home with them.

As it turns out, the NFL world didn't collapse. Coaches, scouts, and general managers were all able to conduct their own assessments at home, communicate in real-time during the draft, and walk away feeling good about how their team did.

Lynch told Siciliano that the revelation could have ramifications on the way teams prepare for the draft moving forward.

"We're certainly going to institute something where coaches, in their preparation, in that time when they're watching film — you just gotta make sure that they aren't traveling the world — that they're home for two weeks," Lynch said.

"Scouts follow these guys for two, three years, so by the time we get here, they're well up the process, they're very thorough. Coaches, it's a big race to get prepared, and they've always done that at the office. It takes a lot of time. It's time-sensitive and time-intensive," Lynch said. "But moving forward to be certain, we're going to allow coaches to go home for two weeks and say, 'Hey, by the end of these two weeks, we expect you to have your stacks, have your rankings.' It was such a good part of the process, and we are going to incorporate that."

Lynch and the 49ers weren't the only ones who felt that the virtual draft brought a new perspective to the job.

New York Jets general manager Joe Douglas told Peter King of NBC Sports that the format of the draft was a welcome change of pace.

"My experience in the NFL is, you get in the weeds of draft prep, and then you draft, and you get home after midnight, and everyone's asleep," Douglas said. "You never experience the draft with your family. This year was an unintended plus. I loved being together for it."

NFL teams are always going to look for a competitive edge — it's one of the things that drove the obsessive hours of meetings and scouting and film sessions that normally come with preparing for the draft. But this year's draft showed that teams can still get the work in without leaving their families for long shifts in the team film room.

Moving forward, don't be surprised if teams across the NFL embrace the work-from-home lifestyle a bit more during the offseason.

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