For 30 years, the NFL Draft moved around various U.S. cities. Whether it was New York City or Los Angeles, Chicago or Milwaukee, Philadelphia or Pittsburgh, the annual event was always on the move, bringing all the players, coaches, owners, staffers, scouts, fans, and requisite fanfare wherever it went.
Then, for 50 straight years, the league planted a flag firmly in the soil of the Big Apple. Though the draft bounced around various venues and locations in the city, it was always in New York, from 1965 until 2014.
Perhaps recognizing the financial incentive in “taking the show on the road” – and in connecting with fans around the country up close and personal – the NFL decided to start visiting different cities with the NFL Draft the way it does the Super Bowl.