NFL Draft Headed To Nashville In 2019
Ryan Mayer
The NFL officially announced today that the 2019 NFL Draft will be held in Nashville, Tennessee, confirming reports that circulated earlier in the week. The league's owners approved the city's bid at the Spring League Meeting in Atlanta this morning and commissioner Roger Goodell announced it to the assembled media shortly thereafter.
Titans owner Amy Adams Strunk weighed in on the decision during the press conference.
"I'm so excited for the city of Nashville and so proud that we've been selected as the host city for the 2019 NFL Draft," Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk said during a news conference. "As we all know, Nashville has a well-deserved reputation as a city that loves the big stage and loves a big party ... we're looking forward to April of next year."
Nashville is the latest site for the event that has been to multiple locations over the past several years. Dallas hosted this year's festivities, while Philadelphia (2017) and Chicago (2016 & 2015) held the previous three events. Earlier this week, ESPN published a story giving an outline of what the people running the Nashville bid were considering doing if the league approved their bid. Included in that was the four main goals for the event:
- "Build an event that locals want to attend and will make them proud.
- Get fans from nearby markets to attend -- Atlanta, Indianapolis and Cincinnati are all within a four-hour drive. (Reportedly 63 percent of the 250,000-plus fans in Philly for the 2017 draft were from out of town.)
- Convince top draft prospects to come to Nashville for draft weekend. (One of the NFL's big focus points is increasing the attendance of big-name prospects.)
- Top 400,000 in online app registrations for fans wanting to be in the actual draft theater. (Dallas had 400,000 fans register to attend the draft.)"
The 84th edition of the draft will be held from April 25-27th, 2019 at various different sites across the city.
