Arizona’s pro day, scheduled for Tuesday, has been postponed because of ongoing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.
The UA football program on Thursday indefinitely suspended all team activities, including spring practices. Practice was to have resumed Tuesday evening, following a week off for spring break, with pro day taking place in the morning.
On Friday, the NFL sent a memo to its teams prohibiting “all in-person pre-draft visits involving draft-eligible players effective at the end of the business day, until further notice.” NFL reporter Albert Breer of the MMQB obtained a copy of the memo and posted it on his Twitter feed.
Here’s the NFL memo that just went out prohibiting all visits. pic.twitter.com/cZ2QB7hqgW
— Albert Breer (@AlbertBreer) March 13, 2020
The memo specifically prohibits “any draft-eligible player traveling to a club facility or other location to meet with club personnel” and “club personnel traveling to any location, including a college campus, to visit with a draft-eligible player.”
The league is allowing clubs to schedule phone or video conferences with individual draft-eligible players.
Pro days give players a chance to meet with and work out for NFL teams. They are especially valuable for players who weren’t invited to the league’s scouting combine in Indianapolis.
Only one Arizona player, tailback J.J. Taylor, participated in the combine this year. Other players who conceivably could be drafted include quarterback Khalil Tate and cornerback Jace Whittaker. The latter participated in the East-West Shrine Bowl in January.
The NFL draft is slated for April 23-25 in Las Vegas, but it’s unclear whether it will take place as scheduled. The NFL “league year” is supposed to begin Wednesday, but that’s also up in the air. Teams were conducting typical contractual business Friday.
Arizona is hopeful that it can reschedule pro day before the draft, but that’s entirely dependent on the viability of the campus and the NFL’s mandate. Students on Friday were advised not to return to campus from spring break. Instruction will resume Wednesday but will be online only.
