KUSA—The city of Denver has been selected as one of the five finalists to host the NFL Draft in either 2019 or 2020.
“It’s a competitive process, and we’re excited to move one step closer to bringing the NFL Draft to Denver,'' Broncos president and chief executive officer Joe Ellis said in a statement. "Working alongside VISIT DENVER and the Denver Sports Commission, we’re confident that Denver would be a tremendous host to showcase the draft and the NFL in a great football environment.”
The NFL Draft is a three-day event that is generally held in the final weekend of April. League commissioner Roger Goodell is scheduled to preside over the first day of the affair. Almost all the players projected as first-round draft picks are invited to attend.
Day 1 of the NFL Draft, which is limited to first-round selections, has been drawing more than nine million combined viewers on ESPN and the NFL Network. That audience could grow as the Fox Network will start televising the event this year, which will be held April 26-28 at AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys.
Because of the competitive nature of the bid process, specific details regarding hosting the event are not known, including which venue the draft would be held.
The other four finalists for the 2019 or 2020 draft are Cleveland/Canton, Nashville, Kansas City and Las Vegas.
The league is expected to announce the winning bid for its draft event later this year.
“As one of America’s best sports cities, we are optimistic that Denver can make a great case for hosting this marquis event,'' stated Matthew Payne, executive director of the Denver Sports Commission. "We are pleased to hear that Denver has made the shortlist of cities still under consideration to host the 2019 or 2020 Draft, and we look forward to further dialogue about the possibilities.”
