NFL Announces Plans For 2021 Draft In Cleveland!

FEATURED PHOTO: DAN GILBERT, CEO GREATER CLEVELAND SPORTS COMMISSION

Patch.com, By Chris Mosby, Posted March 29th 2021

The 86th Annual NFL Draft will be held on the shores of Lake Erie in late April and early May.

The 86th NFL Draft will be held in Cleveland from April 29 to May 1.

The event will be held in several hallmark Cleveland locations, including FirstEnergy Stadium, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and the Great Lakes Science Center. The main hub of the 2021 NFL Draft will be the Main Stage, near the stadium and museums.

Select prospects will take the stage after hearing their name, the NFL announced. Fans, media, NFL Network, ESPN and ABC crews will also be on-site. COVID-19 health and safety protocols will be in place during the event.

Each football team selected an “elite” group of fans to form an “inner circle” at the front row of the draft theater. Those fans will get exclusive access to the day’s events. All inner circle fans must be fully vaccinated, the NFL said.

The NFL Draft Experience — an interactive football theme park — will be free and open to the public during all three days of the draft. The park will be set up around FirstEnergy Stadium. However, to manage capacity, reservations will be required to attend. Reservations can be made through the NFL OnePass app, which will be available for download during the week of March 29.

“While we know this event will look different than in the past, we are thrilled about what the NFL Draft will mean to our community coming out of this pandemic. It will showcase Cleveland’s beauty and resilience to a large audience, both safely in-person and worldwide,” said David Gilbert, president and CEO of Greater Cleveland Sports Commission.

Musical acts will perform each day on the draft’s Main Stage, the NFL said. Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson assured visitors they would experience Cleveland’s hospitality during the draft and encouraged tourists to sight-see.

“We look forward to working with the Cleveland Browns, the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, the NFL and our other partners to execute a safe, successful event in accordance with health and safety guidelines,” Jackson said.

All three days of the NFL Draft will be broadcast on NFL Network, ESPN and ABC. The first two nights of the draft will receive primetime coverage on Thursday and Friday. Further details on broadcast coverage will be announced at a later date, the NFL said.

“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 is 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,” said Dee and Jimmy Haslam, owners of the Cleveland Browns.