The 2020 NFL Draft kicks off for its first-ever virtual ceremony on Thursday evening, and all eyes will once again be on future NFL superstar Justin Herbert. While the annual event was to be held in Las Vegas, Nevada, with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell making the big announcements on stage, due to coronavirus, he will now be calling out the 2020 NFL Draft picks from his home in New York.
Due to the COVID-19 shut down, instead of walking the red carpet and onto the stage once his name is called, Herbert, former quarterback for the University of Oregon, will be hanging out at home with his family in Eugene, Oregon.
It’s an incredibly exciting development for Ducks fans since Herbert’s family lives only a mile away from Autzen Stadium, where the quarterback earned his stripes to enter the NFL Draft this year.
Joining Herbert, 22, at home for the celebration will be his parents, Mark and Holly Herbert, and his brothers, Mithcell and Patrick. The sports gene runs strong in the Herbert family. Herbert’s older brother Mitchell played football at Montana State from 2014 to 2017, and his young brother, Patrick, is a freshman tight end at Oregon.
With Patrick on the rise playing for the Ducks, the Herbert family might be celebrating another NFL Draft Day in a few years. Hopefully, by then, the ceremony will have returned to its usual form.
Herbert Is Excited & Ready To Relocate Out of Oregon
I know it sounds kind of cheesy and politically correct,” Herbert said during the combine in Indianapolis. “But I’m excited wherever I go.”
For many experts, Herbert is considered the third-best quarterback up for grabs in the NFL Draft. But when you consider the two players likely to be selected before him, LSU’s Joe Burrow and Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, he’s obviously in great company. There’s also a chance that Herbert, who’s an impressive 6-foot-6 and 236 pounds, is selected above Tagovailoa.
During his senior year, Hebert threw for 3,471 passing years, 32 touchdowns, and brought the Ducks, who had a 16th ranked offensive, to win at the Rose Bowl against Wisconsin. Herbert was also a finalist for the Heisman Trophy, which was awarded to Burrow.
It appears likely that Herbert will be picked up by either the Miami Dolphins or possibly the San Diego Chargers, both a long stretch away from his hometown, but Herbert is ready for the change.
“I’m a different kid, to be honest,” Herbert said. “I think the kid that showed up at the University of Oregon isn’t me anymore. There’s aspects of my game that have changed. I’ve become more vocal, I’ve become more outgoing, and there are things that you have to do to be a quarterback.”
“I think anywhere I get drafted would be special,” Herbert added. “I want to play this game as long as I can. I’m going to do everything I can to do that.”
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Justin Herbert’s House: Where Does NFL’s Top Draft Pick Call Home?