Four Top 20 NFL Draft Picks Wore Custom Call Of Duty Clothing At The Event After MW2 Reveal

If you’ve been watching the 2022 NFL Draft, you might have noticed some of the prospects were wearing Call of Duty-themed attire at the big event. This was no accident, as Activision briefed at least one NFL draftee about the recently announced Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 and presumably provided attire for the draft itself to help promote the game.

Ahmad Gardner of Cincinnati wore a Call of Duty Task Force 141 pin, while Evan Neal of Alabama wore a Call of Duty Task Force 141 pocket square. Ohio State’s Garrett Wilson, meanwhile, dressed up his outfit with a Call of Duty Ghost pin, while Kyle Hamilton of Notre Dame wore a suit with Task Force 141 printed on it. You can see images of the attire below, as rounded up by CharlieIntel. Task Force 141 is the main protagonist group of the Modern Warfare series, who are reportedly set to team up once again in Modern Warfare 2 in all manner of places, including potentially Singapore.

Before the draft, Gardner revealed on his Instagram story that he was among the first people in the world outside Activision to see the new Call of Duty game. In a subsequent tweet, Gardner said, “It was so realistic, it’s insane,” adding that a new Warzone game is coming this year as well.

Gardner was picked fourth overall by the New York Jets, while Neal was the seventh overall pick, going to the New York Giants. Wilson went 10th overall to the New York Jets and Hamilton went 14th overall to the Baltimore Ravens. All four Call of Duty partners going early in the first round is probably exactly what Activision wanted, with cameras pointed at them constantly to help hype the newest Call of Duty game.

Modern Warfare 2 and the new Warzone game are set to arrive this year, though Activision has yet to formally reveal or detail either game. Development on both is led by Infinity Ward with support from Activision’s network of additional studios.

This is happening as Activision Blizzard looks to sell itself to Microsoft in the video game industry’s biggest buyout ever. While Activision Blizzard’s shareholders have signed off, the deal still needs to clear regulatory hurdles (which it is expected to). Another factor at play here is how Activision Blizzard continues to face scrutiny and pressure regarding its workplace culture and reports of harassment and abuse.