NFL Draft: Joe Burrow first pick for the Cincinnati Bengals

Covid-19 forces NFL event to take place by videoconference

New Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow speaks via teleconference after being selected during the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft.

The 2020 NFL Draft got underway last night with the first round of the three-day event. It is usually attended by thousands of fans and was due to be held in Las Vegas, but Covid-19 put a stop to that and we were treated to eerie footage of The Strip in Sin City, showing a lone car between the large hotels.

But the NFL juggernaut stops for nothing. Not even a pandemic.

The league pulled together a combination of video conferencing, conference calls and useful old fashion landlines to make sure the event went ahead, with some IT technicians moving in with high ranking team staff to ensure there were no issues.

Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has been drafted by the Miami Dolphins.

When the draft got underway, the first pick was no surprise as LSU quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Joe Burrow joined the Cincinnati Bengals. The next two picks went as expected before the Giants choose Andrew Thomas with pick number 4.

The Giants were expected to pick and offensive tackle, but Thomas was considered the fourth best on offer. It is believed the Giants choose Thomas due to his strong personality and commitment to improving which were highlighted during phone calls with the team.

The next pick, the fifth for those keeping track, saw the Miami Dolphins end the big mystery by taking Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. The plan seems to give Tua a year as a backup to make sure his injury is fully healed before handing the reigns to the offense.

With Tua heading to the east coast, the LA Chargers followed by picking Justin Herbert from Oregon.

Herbert is from Eugene and was the sixth string quarterback during his first year, and had always intended to become a doctor. Herbert will arguably find himself in a better position in LA with more weapons than he would have had in Miami.

To add to the quarterback conversation, New England, who are still looking to replace Tom Brady, opted not to pick one and traded their 23rd pick for more picks down the line.

That left the door open for the Green Bay Packers to move up and pick Utah State quarterback Jordan Love.

Love looks set to be a player with a lot of upsides but someone who needs time to learn, and he will undoubtedly do that behind Aaron Rodgers. How Rodgers feels about having his future replacement inhouse we may never find out.

As expected, the middle picks were focused on the wide receiver position, with a strong class of graduates available. The first off the board was Henry Ruggs to the Las Vegas Raiders quickly followed by Jerry Jeudy (Broncos) and CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys). The only shock, with the wide receivers, came when Philadelphia took Jalen Reagor over Justin Jefferson, the more established of the two. Jefferson didn't have to wait long as Minnesota took him with the next pick.

One of the most heart-warming stories of the evening was that of Javon Kinlaw. Kinlaw came from a broken home and spent parts of his childhood homeless riding the subway in DC to stay warm. Kinlaw was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers and will now sign a contract worth at least $3million and potentially as much as $20million.

Miami threw the first curveball of the evening, catching experts out by taking Austin Jackson, an offensive tackle who many predicted wouldn't go until Friday night when rounds two and three take place. Miami clearly felt the need to protect their new quarterback and felt the time was right to take Jackson.

The Raiders then followed suit by selecting corner back Damon Arnette, another player who people expected to go with today's picks. Arnette has lots of upside but had some issues in college with the coaching staff.

Some of the other stories from the first night of the draft are Tampa Bay trading up one spot to take OT Tristan Wirfs to protect new acquisition, Tom Brady. The best nickname of the night falls to "Baby Barack" Derrick Brown.

The defensive lineman has aspirations in politics and graduated with a degree in political science.

The NFL Draft continues tonight with the second and third rounds, before finishing on Saturday with the fourth through seventh rounds.