Will more players begin sitting out the NFL Draft?

To most, it probably wasn’t too big of a surprise when reports flowed in that Marcus Mariota was planning on watching the NFL Draft from the comfort of his own home instead of being present for the madness.

What was more surprising, however, is that other players are following suit.

Despite being coveted as one of the top players in this year’s draft class, the Heisman winner has seemingly kept himself fairly grounded — evident in his decision to watch the festivities with his family.

Yet the decision seems to be one that others –including media magnet Jameis Winston– are making as well.

Some coveted talent is opting to observe the day deciding the rest of their football careers from a distance instead of in a stuffy green room.

The question is: Is this th start of more draftees watching the event from home, and how is this going to affect the biggest spectacle in the NFL off-season?

It isn’t as if past players haven’t chosen to watch the draft from their own couch and received the highly-coveted cellphone call with friends and family at their sides. Maybe some of these guys aren’t comfortable up on that big stage. Or maybe there is fear of being the next Aaron Rodgers — boxed into a little room with a national TV camera right up in his grill as the rounds wound down and his NFL future became less and less certain.

Whatever the motivation, a big name such as Mariotas might encourage more prospective players to “sit this one out.”

With all the pomp and circumstance that revolves around the draft now, it’s hard to believe a handful of top ten draftees not being present for the drawn out handshake with Roger Goodell or putting on that team logo-emblazened cap for the first time.

Which brings us to the event itself.

What would that mean for the big production that is the NFL Draft?

It’s an undoing that becomes bigger and bigger every year. In reality, draft coverage is less about which team drafts which players and more about the broadcasters themselves.

Think about it: Draftees sitting at home doesn’t keep Jon Gruden from angrily running through his scouting reports, nor does it keep Mel Kiper Jr. from his long-winded analysis of each draft pick just for the sake of hearing himself talk.

Besides, coverage is really just about them past the second round anyways, since they stop pulling the players on stage.

Does this mean that this is the final year that players show up for the NFL Draft and that there will be a mass strike against attending next year? Of course not.

However, should fewer players choose to attend — a possible trend — it might not ding up the extravaganza that is the NFL Draft all that much.

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*Featured Photo (above) credit to Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports

Bo Scarbrough suffered injury scrimmage
Bo Scarbrough suffered injury scrimmage