What I'm Hearing: Everyone was worried and waiting for the NFL's first ever virtual draft to have a tech hiccup. It never happened and night was was a resounding success. USA TODAY

The first virtual NFL Draft was nearly four hours old Thursday night when the images from Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabels home began to go viral nationwide.

There Vrabel was on the television screen, removing what appeared to be a piece of chewing tobacco from his mouth with a bizarre backdrop that seemed more bizarre than this moment in history.

Over Vrabels right shoulder was a family frienddressed in a bodysuit like The Freeze, who races fans at Braves games. Over his shoulder, in the reflection in the mirror, was what the internet decided was someone sitting on a toilet looking at his cell phone with the door open. To Vrabels left was a red-headed son sporting a mullet and a Vrabel Pro Bowl jersey.

By the time NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced the Titans had selected Georgia offensive tackle Isaiah Wilson with the No. 29overall pick of the first round, this experiment in virtual connectivity had gone from unprecedented to unforgettable. It had somehow become more entertaining than whatever the NFL had planned before the coronavirus pandemic altered life as we know it.

It's been a long quarantine over here, Vrabel explained after the first round was complete Thursday night, and clarified that his son was actually sitting on a stool, not a toilet like much of the country initially assumed.

Most of the American sports fans who came together en massefor the first time in more than six weeks for a sporting event that carried real implications can probably relate.

Not about the bowel movement misunderstanding, of course. That was just strange.

But about the temporary escape that came from watching the annual ritual of college football players being selected to play in the NFL unfold live on television.

This is different for us, and its different for you because it has to be, Goodell said from the basement of his Mount Laurel, N.J.,home to begin Thursday night'sbroadcast.

But over the next four-plus hours, the NFL showed us that different doesnt necessarily have to mean worse. It proved that even though there likely wont be 40,000 fans inside Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium or 18,000 fans filling up FedExForum any time soon, whatever alternatives the NCAA or the NBA or the NFL come up with can still be a whole lot of fun.

Because the first round of the 2020 NFL Draft didnt feature a red carpet event, or fancy suits, or bear hugs with Goodell. Draft picks werent shuttled to Goodell on boats, which was the plan if the NFL Draft had taken place in Las Vegas as scheduled.

But it had trades, and surprises, and very few technical glitches given the extraordinary circumstances surrounding this years event. And getting to see the homes of the draft picks, the coaches and the general managers was so much betterthan seeing those generic camera shots of war rooms or players makingthe same walkacross the stage ad nauseum.

NFL fans got a glimpse inside the palatial desert home of Arizona Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury and the $250 million mega-yacht of Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones. They got totease No. 1 pick Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals) on social media about his familys not-so-pretty drapes, and they got to admire the immaculate interior design jobs inside the family homes of No. 5 pick Tua Tagovailova (Miami Dolphins)and No. 8 pick Isaiah Simmons (Arizona Cardinals). They got to see No. 12pick Henry Ruggs slip on a bathrobe when he was selected by the Las Vegas Raiders.

Tua Tagovailoa shows off the lining of his jacket during the NFL Draft after being selected number five overall to the Miami Dolphins.(Photo: NFL Handout Photo, Handout Photo-USA TODAY Sports)

They got to see what appeared to be far more than 10 family members of No. 12 pick Javon Kinlaw try to hide out of view from the cameraframe. They also got to see the raw emotions of Michigan offensive lineman Cesar Ruiz when he was chosen with the No. 24 pick by the New Orleans Saints.

There were buck heads on the walls of Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmers ranch home and there was a life-size cutout of LSU coach Ed Orgeron standing behind No. 28pick Patrick Queen (Baltimore Ravens).

There were three players (Burrow, Chase Young and Jeff Okudah)from the same team (2017 Ohio State) chosen with the first three picks of the draft for the first time, and a record 15 SEC players chosen in the first round.

There was also a massive new storyline to dissect when the Green Bay Packers traded up in the first round to choose Utah State quarterback Jordan Love as the apparent heir to Aaron Rodgers.

So the NFL deserves a lot of credit for pushing through with this draft, in spite of some initial backlash. It not only worked, but the manner in which it was executed could serve as a template for how other large-scale sports broadcasts are conductedin an era ofsocial distancing.

But the biggest impact was felt in the living rooms of sports fansbecause for a few hours and few days it felt like sports were back.

For a few hours and a few days, everybody got to dissect draft picks and consider a future when NFL football is being played again.

For a few hours and a few days, everybody got a taste of what the new normal might be like, and it doesn't seem nearly as bad as it seemed a few weeks ago.

Without this pandemic, without this experiment in virtual drafting, we would have never seen inside that stir-crazy Vrabel household.

You can reach Commercial Appeal columnist Mark Giannotto via email at mgiannotto@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter:@mgiannotto

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NFL Draft proves sports are 'different' right now, but that doesn't have to mean worse | Giannotto - Commercial Appeal