The NFL announced that Cleveland, Ohio will be the host of the 2021 NFL Draft, with fans in attendance at the end of April.
Following a year of a global pandemic, the NFL has revealed its plans for the upcoming Draft that will officially take place between April 29 and May 1.
The three-day event will host the best college prospects, whilst offering free events for fans to watch. The league has worked with
2020 NFL Draft: A Virtual Draft
Last year, the coronavirus pandemic had spread worldwide, and as a result, most public events were cancelled. This included all public events related to the 2020 NFL Draft.
Instead, all selections were all presented in a virtual platform, as a video conference broadcasted live. NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell, was at his home as he announced the picks of each franchise live.
It was definitely an unusual draft, but still had all the excitement as team’s selected their future talents.
2021 NFL Draft: Back to Normal?
The 86th annual Draft will be held in three separate locations in Cleveland: the FirstEnergy Stadium, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Great Lakes Science Center.
The main stage of the Draft – where the pick announcements will be made by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell – will be set against the backdrop of Lake Erie. Here, the top athletes will be greeted once they have been picked by a franchise.
Additional prospects will be participating remotely, however, as not every single member of the Draft class will be invited to Ohio.
NFL Announcements: Positive All Round
In a statement, NFL vice president Peter O’Reilly said: “We’re thrilled to be heading to Cleveland for the NFL Draft, which has become one of the most highly anticipated events in sports.
“Just months after executing a safe and successful Super Bowl LV, we look forward to bringing the excitement of our Draft traditions to fans in collaboration with the Browns, Destination Cleveland, Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, the City of Cleveland, and all of our local Cleveland partners”.
Meanwhile, Cleveland Browns’ managing and principal partners Dee and Jimmy Haslam had this to say about hosting: “We are thrilled for Cleveland to host this year’s NFL Draft and celebrate the hard-working and inspiring new Draft prospects, football’s great history and our fans.
“It’s even more special as we commemorate our 75th anniversary and have the opportunity to showcase the wonderful City of Cleveland to an international audience and to a responsible number of fans and visitors during the weekend”.
Fans Confirmed for Draft
A sense of normality will be returning to Ohio for the Draft, with fans being allowed to attend the event next month. Great news for football, with the encouraging vaccination rates in Ohio that will be used as an example for promoting the vaccine importance.
However, football fans will still be required to wear face masks and adhere to social distancing guidelines whilst in attendance.
The Inner Circle
First of all, this isn’t about Chris Jericho’s All Elite Wrestling faction.
Established in last year’s virtual Draft, the ‘Inner Circle’ involves each NFL team choosing fans to serve as their team’s draft ambassadors.
The individuals selected will be then invited to the Draft Theatre – a prime viewing zone of the main stage during the weekend.
In addition to promoting the Covid vaccine, each fan selected to be in the ‘Inner Circle’ must be fully vaccinated in order to be an ambassador.
