Green Bay is on the clock and ready to take its place in NFL Draft history.
It was May 22, 2023 when league officials first announced Green Bay had won the bid to host the 2025 Draft. After nearly two years of extensive planning and preparing, the biggest event the city has ever seen is now just around the corner.
The Draft has come a long way since its humble beginnings almost a century ago. The NFL’s inaugural draft was held in 1936, and it was far from the lavish spectacle football fans know and love today.
There were no bright lights, agents or formal scouting departments. No round-the-clock sports media coverage or collegiate hot-shots battling it out to be a high draft pick. It certainly wasn’t a days-long event that drew hundreds of thousands of attendees.
Instead, the first-ever NFL Draft was held at a Pennsylvania hotel. Teams selected from a small list of eligible players compiled by newspaper reports and visits to local colleges. And believe it or not, only 24 of the 81 players drafted in 1936 went on to play in the NFL; most opted for more secure and stable professions that paid better. (For example, the #1 overall pick in the 1936 draft chose to pursue a career as a foam rubber salesman, rather than play pro football.)
For the next three decades, the draft was held in various cities — including Milwaukee in 1939. The league then settled on New York City as the permanent host of the NFL Draft in 1965, and it stayed there until 2015.
Ever since then, the event has taken place in a new city each year — and Green Bay is about to join that list. Let’s take a look back at the history of the draft since leaving the Big Apple and see how Titletown will compare.
2015: Chicago
LOCATION: Auditorium Theatre
APPROXIMATE ATTENDANCE: 200,000
APPROXIMATE ECONOMIC IMPACT: $81.6 million
MUSICAL PERFORMANCES: “American Idol” winner Phillip Phillips, JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound
TOP 5 DRAFT PICKS:
- Jameis Winston – QB – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Marcus Mariota – QB – Tennessee Titans
- Dante Fowler, Jr. – LB – Jacksonville Jaguars
- Amari Cooper – WR – Oakland Raiders (now Las Vegas)
- Brandon Scherff – OL – Washington Redskins (now Commanders)
PACKERS’ 1ST ROUND PICK: Damarious Randall, S (30th pick)
2016: Chicago
LOCATION: Auditorium Theatre
APPROXIMATE ATTENDANCE: 225,000
APPROXIMATE ECONOMIC IMPACT: $81 million
MUSICAL PERFORMANCES: N/A
TOP 5 DRAFT PICKS:
- Jared Goff – QB – Los Angeles Rams
- Carson Wentz – QB – Philadelphia Eagles
- Joey Bosa – DE – San Diego Chargers (now Los Angeles)
- Ezekiel Elliott – RB – Dallas Cowboys
- Jalen Ramsey – DB – Jacksonville Jaguars
PACKERS’ 1ST ROUND PICK: Kenny Clark, DT (27th pick)
2017: Philadelphia
LOCATION: Philadelphia Museum of Art, along Ben Franklin Parkway
APPROXIMATE ATTENDANCE: 250,000
APPROXIMATE ECONOMIC IMPACT: $94.9 million
MUSICAL PERFORMANCES: N/A
TOP 5 DRAFT PICKS:
- Myles Garrett – DE – Cleveland Browns
- Mitchell Trubisky – QB – Chicago Bears
- Solomon Thomas – DE – San Francisco 49ers
- Leonard Fournette – RB – Jacksonville Jaguars
- Corey Davis – WR – Tennessee Titans
Fun Fact: RB Christian McCaffrey was selected 8th and QB Patrick Mahomes at #10 overall.
PACKERS’ 1ST ROUND PICK:No pick in the 1st round – selected CB Kevin King at 33rd overall, with the first pick in the 2nd round.
2018: Dallas
LOCATION: AT&T Stadium
APPROXIMATE ATTENDANCE: 200,000
APPROXIMATE ECONOMIC IMPACT: $125.2 million
MUSICAL PERFORMANCES: Spencer Ludwig, The Commonheart, White Reaper, Tameca Jones
TOP 5 DRAFT PICKS:
- Baker Mayfield – QB – Cleveland Browns
- Saquon Barkley – RB – New York Giants
- Sam Darnold – QB – New York Jets
- Denzel Ward – CB – Cleveland Browns
- Bradley Chubb – DE – Denver Broncos
Fun Fact: QB Josh Allen was selected 7th and QB Lamar Jackson at #32 overall.
PACKERS’ 1ST ROUND PICK:Jaire Alexander, CB (18th pick)
2019: Nashville
LOCATION: Broadway Street in downtown Nashville
APPROXIMATE ATTENDANCE: 600,000
APPROXIMATE ECONOMIC IMPACT: $224 million
MUSICAL PERFORMANCES: Tim McGraw, Dierks Bentley, Moon Taxi
TOP 5 DRAFT PICKS:
- Kyler Murray – QB – Arizona Cardinals
- Nick Bosa – DE – San Francisco 49ers
- Quinnen Williams – NT – New York Jets
- Clelin Ferrell – DE – Oakland Raiders (now Las Vegas)
- Devin White – LB – Tampa Bay Buccaneers
PACKERS’ 1ST ROUND PICKS: LB Rashan Gary at #12 and DB Darnell Savage at #21
2020: Virtual due to COVID-19 pandemic
LOCATION: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s basement
ATTENDANCE: N/A
ECONOMIC IMPACT: N/A
MUSICAL PERFORMANCES: Luke Bryan, Kelly Clarkson, Jennifer Hudson, OneRepublic, H.E.R. (all performed virtually)
TOP 5 DRAFT PICKS:
- Joe Burrow – QB – Cincinnati Bengals
- Chase Young – DE – Washington Football Team (now Commanders)
- Jeff Okudah – CB – Detroit Lions
- Andrew Thomas – OT – New York Giants
- Tua Tagovailoa – QB – Miami Dolphins
PACKERS’ 1ST ROUND PICK: Jordan Love, QB (pick #26)
2021: Cleveland
LOCATION: North Coast Harbor, just outside FirstEnergy Stadium
APPROXIMATE ATTENDANCE: 160,000 (impacted by COVID-19 pandemic)
APPROXIMATE ECONOMIC IMPACT: $42 million (impacted by COVID-19 pandemic)
MUSICAL PERFORMANCES: Kings of Leon, Black Pumas, Machine Gun Kelly
TOP 5 DRAFT PICKS:
- Trevor Lawrence – QB – Jacksonville Jaguars
- Zach Wilson – QB – New York Jets
- Trey Lance – QB – San Francisco 49ers
- Kyle Pitts – TE – Atlanta Falcons
- Ja’Marr Chase – WR – Cincinnati Bengals
PACKERS’ 1ST ROUND PICK:Eric Stokes, CB (29th pick)
2022: Las Vegas
LOCATION: Caesars Forum Paradise on the Las Vegas Strip
APPROXIMATE ATTENDANCE: 300,000
APPROXIMATE ECONOMIC IMPACT: $500 million (*pre-draft estimate; post-event figure not released*)
MUSICAL PERFORMANCES: Weezer, Ice Cube, Marshmello
TOP 5 DRAFT PICKS:
- Travon Walker – DE – Jacksonville Jaguars
- Aidan Hutchinson – DE – Detroit Lions
- Derek Stingley, Jr. – CB – Houston Texans
- Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner – CB – New York Jets
- Kayvon Thibodeaux – DE – New York Giants
PACKERS’ 1ST ROUND PICKS:LB Quay Walker at #22 and DT Devonte Wyatt at #28
2023: Kansas City
LOCATION: Outside of Union Station
APPROXIMATE ATTENDANCE: 312,000
APPROXIMATE ECONOMIC IMPACT: $164.3 million
MUSICAL PERFORMANCES: Fall Out Boy, Motley Crue, Thundercat
TOP 5 DRAFT PICKS:
- Bryce Young – QB – Carolina Panthers
- C.J. Stroud – QB – Houston Texans
- Will Anderson, Jr. – LB – Houston Texans
- Anthony Richardson – QB – Indianapolis Colts
- Devon Witherspoon – CB – Seattle Seahawks
PACKERS’ 1ST ROUND PICK: Lukas Van Ness, DE (13th pick)
2024: Detroit
LOCATION: Campus Martius Park in downtown Detroit
APPROXIMATE ATTENDANCE: 775,000
APPROXIMATE ECONOMIC IMPACT:$213.6 million
MUSICAL PERFORMANCES: Big Sean, Detroit Youth Choir, Bazzi
TOP 5 DRAFT PICKS:
- Caleb Williams – QB – Chicago Bears
- Jayden Daniels – QB – Washington Commanders
- Drake Maye – QB – New England Patriots
- Marvin Harrison, Jr. – WR – Arizona Cardinals
- Joe Alt – OT – Los Angeles Chargers
PACKERS’ 1ST ROUND PICK: Jordan Morgan, OT (25th pick)
2025: Green Bay
The draft footprint includes Lambeau Field, Titletown and the Resch Expo.
Attendance is expected to reach about 240,000 people.
The projected statewide economic impact is estimated at $94 million, with $20 million of that being felt locally.
Musical performers have not yet been announced. Officials plan to release that information in the coming weeks.
The 2026 NFL Draft is set to take place in Pittsburgh.
