COVID does number on small schools … One of the question surrounding this year’s virtual draft was whether NFL teams, which couldn’t work out or interview players as extensively as they had in the past because of limitations imposed of the pandemic, would play it safe and stick with the major programs when making their picks. And the answer appears to be a resounding ‘YES.’ This year, just 9 players from either FCS or DII or III programs were selected at some point in the 7 rounds, about half what is normal. Last year, for example, 17 players from the lower ranks were selected, a figure that was pretty stable over the course of the decade.
