ARLINGTON – With the completion of the first round of the NFL Draft, many of our questions are answered.
We know the Cowboys viewed linebacker as a position of need. We know they’ll have to play Saquon Barkley twice a year. We know the Browns loved Baker Mayfield, and we know potential health issues were top of mind as several top talents slid down the draft board.
But possibly the most important of all: We have proof that there are, indeed, curtains for the massive endzone windows at AT&T Stadium.
For the uninitiated, the home of the Cowboys is oriented east to west (east-northeast to west-southwest for you compass nerds out there), with ground-to-rafter glass doors behind both endzones. When the setting sun descends to the west, a nasty glare fills the entire stadium and casts an impossible shadow across the playing field.
But on Thursday night, the first time the NFL Draft has been held at a stadium, black curtains covered those windows.The draft started at 7 p.m. and sunset was at 8:05, so the draft crowd – and the international TV audience – was spared from the glaring issue (sorry) with the $1 billion football and event cathedral.
Now, it’s worth noting that the Cowboys and HKS Architects, the masterminds behind JerryWorld, defend its east-west orientation. It was built that way as part of a “master plan” that involves building up the area around the stadium, according to the Dallas Morning News. That plan would involve blocking the sun.
In the meantime, though, it’s been revealed that the sun can indeed be blocked out of AT&T Stadium. It would make the second half of 3:25 kickoffs in the fall just a bit less blinding.