Apr 23, 2020, 08:00 AM ET Every year, several presumed first-round picks voluntarily skip the official NFL draft festivities in favor of at-home draft parties with family and friends. This year's hopefuls don't have a choice, as the NFL will hold a virtual draft because of the coronavirus pandemic . Take a look back at some of the most famous players who decided to take the coveted call from their new bosses from somewhere other than the draft.
Some say a party without a cake is just a meeting, so No. 1 pick Myles Garrett did it right for his 2017 draft gathering at a Texas golf course. Brandon Wade/NFLPA/AP Photo Jameis Winston Jameis Winston (pictured), the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' first overall pick in 2015, and Marcus Mariota, the No. 2 pick by the Tennessee Titans, spent draft night in their home states, Alabama and Hawai'i, respectively. Marvin Gentry/USA TODAY Sports Joe Flacco Joe Flacco, middle, spent his 2008 draft day at his family's home in Audubon, New Jersey. This year his brother Tom, right of Joe, will wait in the same house for his name to be called. Jeff Fusco/Reebok/Getty Images More from the NFL draft
It's hard to believe DeSean Jackson wasn't drafted until the second round in 2008. By the time he left the team that drafted him six seasons later, he owned the fourth-most receiving yards ever by a Philadelphia Eagles pass-catcher. Stefano Paltera/AP Photo Joe Thomas, the No. 3 overall pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2007, took a different draft-day approach than most. He chartered a boat and spent the day fishing in Wisconsin with his father. Morry Gash/AP Photo Marshawn Lynch Marshawn Lynch spent his draft night at his high school, Oakland Tech, in Oakland, California. The Buffalo Bills took him with the No. 12 pick in 2007. Paul Sakuma/AP Photo Fans showed up on the Raleigh, North Carolina, lawn of Philip Rivers' parents to ask for autographs after the quarterback was taken by the New York Giants fourth overall in the 2004 draft, then traded to the San Diego Chargers the same night. Chuck Liddy/The News & Observer/AP Photo Chad Pennington It must be a surreal moment to watch yourself getting picked by an NFL team while talking to that NFL team on the phone, as Chad Pennington did in 2000, when the Jets selected him 18th overall. K.D Lawson/AP Photo Ray Lewis Ray Lewis was the second-ever pick for the Baltimore Ravens, who began play in 1996. He spent his entire Hall of Fame career in Baltimore, winning two Super Bowls in 17 seasons. Jeffrey Boan/AP Photo Jamain Stephens Is there a better way to celebrate getting selected in the first round of the 1996 NFL draft than a dog pile by your friends while you're distracted on the phone? Who's to say? Swayne Hall/AP Photo Deion Sanders Who says you have to be at the draft to make a draft-day fashion statement? If that's the rule, no one told Deion Sanders, who spent his 1989 draft day looking clean at the Illinois home of agent Steve Zucker. Andrea Kremer was there for ESPN. AP Photo Bennie Blades Miami safety Bennie Blades ducked champagne in his hometown of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, while taking the call from the Detroit Lions, who selected him third overall in the 1988 draft. Chris O'Meara/AP Photo BONUS: Gardner Minshew shared a photo today of himself taking a call last year from the Jacksonville Jaguars, who took him in sixth round. It's something.
