Twitter Reacts to First Ever Virtual NFL Draft Plus Lil Wayne, Quavo, Big Boi and More Join Live Draft-A-Thon to Benefit Covid-19 Relief
Written by: Haley Graves – April 24th, 2020 3:34pm pst
ABTV ATHLETES IN QUARANTINE
Even if you don’t typically watch the NFL Draft, it’s fair to know this year’s event looked quite different due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This year was supposed to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada in the fountains of the illustrious Bellagio hotel. First round selections were planned to ride boats to a floating stage where they’d walk the red carpet in fashion of their choice, greet NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, with bear hugs or chest bumps, while loud boos and cheers erupted all around.
However, given the circumstances of our world, this draft looked dramatically unique. Players were drafted from their homes with limited family and loved ones as fans from all over watched through Zoom feeds.
This concept wasn’t bad. Just different. It was surprisingly enjoyable and it humanized this event. Usually, the NFL draft takes young college athletes and puts them on an immediate pedestal raising them to “high society” status. This draft we saw the insides of all the homes of draftees, coaches, and general managers.
This was fun to see, and twitter loved it even more.
Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made his pick from his $250 million mega-yacht.
Jerry Jones’ draft room is on his $250 million super-yacht. Now that’s a super-flex. pic.twitter.com/ZJwgrUcehX
— Don Van Natta Jr. (@DVNJr) April 24, 2020
And, Arizona Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury with the biggest flex of them all.
War Room 2.0 pic.twitter.com/aCh3GYPVCG
— Arizona Cardinals (@AZCardinals) April 24, 2020
However, this didn’t stop Twitter fans from making all the comments.
compare and contrast pic.twitter.com/MQc8DdO2iq
— Bill Barnwell (@billbarnwell) April 24, 2020
Are you an Andy Reid or a Kliff Kingsbury? pic.twitter.com/3nKkUDlDGk
— Lily Zhao (@LilySZhao) April 24, 2020
HOLY CRAP!!! Kliff Kingsbury not only looks like Ryan Gosling, he has nearly the same damn house he had in ‘Crazy, Stupid, Love’ #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/toxvRXtdmV
— T̷R̷O̷Y̷ ̷H̷U̷G̷H̷E̷S̷ (@TommySledge) April 24, 2020
So, if you attempted to keep up with the draft or had a twitter feed overloaded with tweets about the night – I’ve decided to help track some of the best moments for you. Below are some of the best Twitter reactions to the NFL’s one-of-a-kind virtual draft.
The majority of the jokes were cracked regarding the homes and background spaces of the NFL executives and coaches.
Houston Texans’ star JJ Watt tweeted the most relatable tweet of the night, “Do you know how long my mom woulda had us cleaning the house if there were going to be national TV cameras in our living room for the NFL draft?”
Do you know how long my mom woulda had us cleaning the house if there were going to be national TV cameras in our living room for the NFL Draft?
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) April 24, 2020
Meanwhile, this was the Titans’ head coach’s set-up.
No one:
Literally no one in the history of humankind:
Mike Vrabel's house: pic.twitter.com/08GRDHbym1
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) April 24, 2020
This Mike Vrabel war room photo is blowing up… 🚽 pic.twitter.com/6wv1IUixc4
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 24, 2020
What the hell’s going on in Mike Vrabel’s house right now? pic.twitter.com/QwEOqLVsYV
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) April 24, 2020
As I mentioned earlier, the NFL Draft has always been known for the incoming rookies to strut their stuff on either the red carpet or on stage. But like everything else this year, who wants to really dress up in the comfort of their own home?
The newest member of the Las Vegas Raiders, Henry Ruggs III a wide receiver from Alabama, definitely chose the latter and Twitter noticed.
THE MAN WORE A BATHROBE TO HIS OWN DRAFT PARTY pic.twitter.com/iaJrG827fV
— Christian D'Andrea (@TrainIsland) April 24, 2020
Henry Ruggs got drafted in a bath robe 😂#NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/3sRG5mHzy1
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) April 24, 2020
However, before you judge too hard as Twitter did… there was a method to this madness.
NFL Insider Darren Rovell revealed Ruggs got paid to wear the bathrobe by Old Spice which called attention to the company’s $320,000 donation to United Way.
It’s not to be comfortable. Raiders pick Henry Ruggs III got paid to wear that bathrobe. He’s wearing an Old Spice robe to call attention to the company's $320,000 donation to United Way on behalf of rookies from all 32 NFL teams to kickstart their community efforts. pic.twitter.com/qNAe5AAlim
— Darren Rovell (@darrenrovell) April 24, 2020
Also, celebrities chimed in on their fandom as well.
I’m in front of my Tv rooting for my @ChicagoBears let’s goooo #BearDown
— DWade (@DwyaneWade) April 24, 2020
NBA star, Dwayne Wade was rooting for his Chicago Bears while rapper Wale was in support of the Washington Redskins.
#HTTR let’s get it https://t.co/TQRrexyg58
— Wale (@Wale) April 24, 2020
Rick Ross might’ve struggled with the name of the Miami Dolphins’ first round pick but his passion did not struggle.
“I love the coach. I love the team. I love the direction, but we gotta take Tua.”
"Tua Tanggos;dlkfg …"
Rick Ross loves the new Dolphins QB, @Tuaamann 😂
(via @RickRoss) pic.twitter.com/RQE6h45PxA
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 24, 2020
Country singer Brad Paisley came through with a welcome message for the Cleveland Browns’ first round pick. “I can’t wait to have you guarding Baker and everyone else in the offense… Can’t wait to have you and see you play this year.”
“Can’t wait to have you guarding Baker … “@bradpaisley with a welcome message for @JWills73!
Make sure to check out his new single, “No I In Beer” : https://t.co/5b6ZOzojAl pic.twitter.com/R6QsH0wnWp
— Cleveland Browns (@Browns) April 24, 2020
And Backstreet’s back alright?! Well, kinda, because who knew Nick Carter from the Backstreet Boys was a Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ super-fan?
“Tristen Wirfs, you’re in the place to be! Tampa Bay, baby!”
Bucs super-fan @nickcarter has a welcome message for @TristanWirfs74! 🤗#GoBucs pic.twitter.com/Osrnkroud0
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) April 24, 2020
In addition to dreams coming true, the NFL was also giving back. There was a live #DraftAThon going on to keep fans entertained as well.
Hall of Famer Deion Sanders made sure to give Lil Wayne a proper introduction too, “Stop what you’re doing! That’s my dog!”
“Weezy! I love you to life and you know I do! How you doing man?”
“Everybody stop what you’re doing!”@DeionSanders made sure he gave @LilTunechi a proper introduction on #DraftAThon LIVE 😂
DONATE: Text DRAFT to 21000 (Standard msg. rates)
Or Visit: https://t.co/t5JVKzjd4J pic.twitter.com/iw5aFAbhlo— NFL (@NFL) April 24, 2020
Later on in the draft-a-thon, fans would witness artists Lil Wayne, Quavo and Big Boi alongside NFL legends Brett Favre and Michael Vick.
.@LilTunechi, @BrettFavre, @QuavoStuntin, @Lj_era8, @BigBoi, @PastorRandallC, and @MichaelVick together on one screen…
“This is amazing.” #DraftAThon
DONATE: Text DRAFT to 21000 (Standard msg. rates)
Or Visit: https://t.co/t5JVKzjd4J pic.twitter.com/XVKkERhxA9— NFL (@NFL) April 24, 2020
After only the first night, the draft-a-thon raised just shy of $4 million in support of COVID-19 relief. The donations will support the following organizations:
- Feeding America
- Meals on Wheels
- The Salvation Army
- United Way
- American Red Cross
- CDC Foundation
If you’d like to donate, you can go to relief.nfl.com or join the experience live on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube on the official NFL account. Day two of the NFL draft will be live at 7pm ET with the Draft-a-thon featuring even more special guests!
The draft madness continues on Friday night with rounds two and three at 7pm ET.
If you love the NFL, following your favorite NFL superstars on Twitter, and AfterBuzz TV Athletes in Quarantine, share this article with a friend. Tune in daily to AfterbuzzTV for articles, aftershows, and all the latest news on the world of entertainment.
About The Author:
Haley Graves is a host at AfterBuzz TV. She co-hosts on the panels for NBC’s This Is Us, ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy and CW’s Legacies.
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