Cleveland Hosting 2021 Draft, Kansas City Hosting 2023 Draft

The NFL announced Wednesday that they’ve awarded the 2021 NFL Draft to the city of Cleveland and the 2023 NFL Draft to the city of Kansas City. 

Multiple reports have said in recent days mentioned that Cleveland was the city to watch for the 2021 draft, even though there was interest from 13 other cities. 

Here’s the statement from commissioner Roger Goodell about the 2021 draft: 

“Cleveland has a passionate fan base and the city offers distinctive iconic locations and attractions that will bring the NFL Draft experience to fans in unique and exciting ways,” Goodell said. “We look forward to collaborating with the Cleveland Browns, the City of Cleveland, Greater Cleveland Sports Commission and Destination Cleveland to celebrate the achievements of the next generation of players and create a memorable fan experience.”

Kansas City has been in the running to host draft the past few years, so this isn’t a big surprise. 

Here’s the statement from commissioner Roger Goodell about the 2023 draft: 

“We are excited to work with the Kansas City Chiefs, the City of Kansas City, and the Kansas City Sports Commission to showcase the area for a week-long celebration of football that will be watched by millions of fans,” Goodell said. “We know Chiefs fans will come out to celebrate along with thousands of fans from teams around the country for an incredible experience as we welcome the next generation of NFL players.”

The NFL has had a lot of success moving the draft around the country the past few years, starting with Chicago in 2015 and 2016 followed by Philadelphia in 2017, Dallas in 2018 and Nashville last month.

Las Vegas will host the 2020 NFL draft as they prepare to open their new stadium. 

The 2022 NFL Draft location is still to be determined. 

The NFL cut the list of cities for the 2019 and 2020 draft down to Denver, Cleveland/Canton, Las Vegas, Nashville and Kansas City.