The 2021 NFL Draft got underway on Thursday night, although the Los Angeles Rams did not participate in the action on Day 1 due to their lack of a first-round pick.
The Rams brass is drafting from a house they rented in Malibu called the Rocket Mortgage Draft House, although both Sean McVay and Les Snead were unable to be there on Friday after revealing that they both came in close contact with someone that tested [ositive for coronavirus (COVID-19).
While McVay has tested negative since and will be able to head to the house for Day 2 on Friday, the same cannot be said for Snead. He revealed on Thursday night that he has also tested positive and will be drafting from his house.
“So, I’ve been asked for about a year now, what was the impact of COVID and what kind of impact would it have on the draft? So, from a personal standpoint, I probably saved the most impact for last and that it’s fitting that after being exposed earlier in the week, day three this morning – we often call (Vice President, Sports Medicine and Performance) Reggie (Scott), our director of athletic performance, the Grinch this time of the year because he might give you some bad medical reports on one of the guys we’d love to draft – but I started feeling some effects last night. So, I called Reg on the way over this morning to test and say, ‘Hey, I’m expecting a positive,’ so of course, he let me know about 30 minutes later, gave me that Grinch news. So, I did test positive this morning, so I’m going to miss out on drafting at the Rocket Mortgage Draft House, but we’ll move it to the Rocket Mortgage garage here and probably like the 2020 draft, I’ll do it from remote and be a part of it from here. But can’t make that up, right? To test positive like on the first day of the draft, I mean, not like two days before the first day, but…”
Snead has been experiencing some symptoms but he is not worried about his ability to complete the draft this weekend.
“Well, it is interesting, and I think my symptoms – I know there’s been people in this country, all around the world, have had it a lot worse than me – I can tell you last night, when you are exposed, you might go through the psychosomatic type deal and you start feeling things, but last night, some of the aches, I was like, ‘Okay, this is real,’ but the good thing is nothing major yet. So, we’ll cross our fingers there and treat it a little bit, maybe like the flu. But Advil will help tonight and probably a nap this afternoon helped. A little Advil after, but definitely know there’s a virus trying to, I guess you’d call it, attack the body a little bit, but as you can see I’m in a relatively good spot right now.”
The timing of testing positive right before the draft obviously isn’t ideal, and it makes matters worse that Snead was just a few days away from receiving his second vaccine shot.
“I did have the first vaccination and was going to get the second one, I think it was scheduled for Monday or Tuesday of this week. So, I’ve been told that it will now be delayed, so I was close to the finish line there.”
Hopefully Snead’s symptoms aren’t too bad as the Rams have six picks to make over the next two days, including three in the second and third rounds on Friday night.
