NFL draft: What the heck is going on at Mike Vrabel's house?

Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel had a rather interesting crew assembled at home for the first round of the NFL draft.

April 24, 2020 10:04 AM PT

Going into the first round of the NFL draft, viewers already knew they were in for a unique experience Thursday.

Due to the coronavirus outbreak, the event was taking place remotely, with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, team personnel and all the draftees participating from their own homes. So with everyone hanging out in their natural environments, it was to be expected that the cameras were going to pick up some interesting stuff.

That said, it’s hard to imagine anyone was prepared to witness what was going on inside Tennessee coach Mike Vrabel’s home Thursday night on national TV.

Nothing is normal for anyone in these days of isolation and social distancing, but the Vrabel household seems to be taking it to a new level. The Titans coach appears to have made his team’s selection of Georgia offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson while flanked by a mulleted fellow wearing one of Vrabel’s old Pro Bowl jerseys and a dude dressed as Frozone from “The Incredibles” movies.

“It’s been a long quarantine over here, man,” Vrabel told reporters by phone. “We’ve got a bunch of 19- and 18-year-old kids, and, you know, they’re stir crazy. And again, they saw all the other kids as the draft wore on and they said, ‘Well, we’ll give our own little spin to it.’ It was fun.”

Vrabel’s oldest son became an unwitting part of the bizarre scene. The coach was sure to clarify to reporters that Boston College offensive lineman Tyler Vrabel was not using the bathroom with the door open, as some screenshots made it appear.

“Tyler was sitting on a barstool next to his mom, and as fate would have it, it came across as probably something other than that,” Vrabel said. “Carter and Jackson wanted to be a part of it and stand behind me. Tyler wanted nothing to do with it.”

The new-look draft provided a glimpse into the makeshift war rooms of folks making the big decisions for other teams too. Some accommodations looked luxurious, others nice and cozy, and some pretty sparse.