For nearly 50 years, New York was the semi-permanent home of the N.F.L. draft. But since the league decided to turn its marquee off-season event into a traveling roadshow in 2015, it has been staged in six different host cities, including this year in Las Vegas. Next up, in 2023: Kansas City, Mo.
Next year’s event, which will be held from April 27 to 29, is expected to be set up in downtown Kansas City, around Union Station and the National World War I Museum and Memorial. Kansas City’s bid to host the event was selected in a vote by club owners three years ago.
By taking the draft on the road and holding it outdoors or in stadium venues, the event draws significantly larger crowds than was possible at New York’s Radio City Music Hall. The league reported the last prepandemic draft, in Nashville, drew 600,000 fans over three days.
The N.F.L. has since opened up its other major off-season event, the scouting combine, to a bidding process; in May, team owners will vote on bids from Indianapolis, Dallas and Los Angeles to host the combine in 2023 and 2024.