Dallas Cowboys To Host 2018 NFL Draft
FRISCO (105.3 The Fan/CBSDFW.COM) - After a successful draft in Philadelphia, the NFL will now move one of its biggest spectacles to North Texas.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell announced that the 2018 NFL Draft will be held at AT&T Stadium. Goodell made the announcement Wednesday at the league's Fall meeting.
"Philadelphia raised the bar by taking the Draft to another level, and this new opportunity in Dallas will enable us to continue the event's evolution and grow it even further," said Goodell. "We are grateful to the Dallas Cowboys, the cities of Arlington, Dallas, and Frisco, and the Dallas Sports Commission for their leadership in turning this vision into reality."
The event will take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington from April 26-28. It will be the first time the draft will have been held in an NFL stadium or in the state of Texas.
A record-breaking 250,000 people attended the 2017 Draft in Philadelphia. According to the NFL, the city generated more than $94 million by hosting the draft.
Working with the Cowboys, the City of Arlington won the bid to bring the NFL Draft to Texas.
"This last year in Philadelphia, I think was a great sneak preview of what it can be, because people from all over the nation traveled to be at the NFL draft," said Arlington Mayor Jeff Williams. "Yes, there will be a lot of celebrities but there will be just a lot of everyday fans."
The cities of Dallas and Frisco were also involved in selling North Texas to the NFL.
The news means dollar signs to businesses that live or die by the Cowboys, like Airways Burgers.
"We'll take what we can get because that just means more business for us more for the customers to see that Airways is here because not a lot of people see that it's here," said waitress Lisa Kyle.
As part of the event, the NFL will have a free Draft Experience festival where fans of all teams can participate in football drills, enjoy interactive exhibits and autograph sessions, and take pictures with the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The festival will take over the plazas directly outside the stadium, "transforming the area for attendees," the NFL said in a statement.
The NFL says a portion of the stadium will be opened up for the public to attend and fans can win tickets at no cost. Additional details will be revealed closer to the draft.
