How Is the NFL Draft Location Selected?

Last Modified Mar 27, 2025 12:36 GMT
NFL draft location
2025 NFL draft will take place at Lambeau Field. Source: Getty Images

The NFL Draft is a three-day mega-event held yearly at the end of April or early May. The draft takes place at the halfway mark between the end of the Super Bowl and the start of the training camp in July. The first NFL draft took place in 1936 in Philadelphia. If any team is found violating rules, the NFL commissioner can forfeit picks for those teams. There are four rounds in any given draft and teams have 10 minutes each to make their choice in the first round, seven minutes each in the second round, five minutes in the third through sixth rounds, and four minutes in the seventh round.

How is the NFL Draft location selected?

The NFL Draft location plays a crucial part in attracting viewers. There are a lot of factors that go into consideration before picking a location to host the NFL Draft. According to NBC Los Angeles, factors such as the size of the venue and return on investment are considered by the league when picking the host city of the NFL draft.

If a city is interested in hosting the three-day mega event, it must submit its bid annually. Once this is done, the 32 NFL team owners will vote and decide the next location of the NFL draft (via NBC Los Angeles).

Read more about NFL Draft Ticket Prices

NFL Draft location history

Ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, let's revisit the history of the NFL draft locations. The city with the most number of drafts has been New York. It has hosted 57 NFL Drafts and 50 straight drafts from 1965 until 2015 when it was decided to have cities in rotation.

Below is a list of the NFL Draft locations from 1936 till 2025.

YearLocationCity
1936Ritz-CarltonPhiladelphia
1937Hotel LincolnNew York
1938Hotel ShermanChicago
1939Hotel New YorkerNew York
1940Schroeder HotelMilwaukee
1941Willard HotelWashington, D.C.
1942-44Palmer HouseChicago
1945-47Hotel CommodoreNew York
1948Hotel Fort PittPittsburgh
1949-50Bellevue-Stratford HotelPhiladelphia
1951Blackstone HotelChicago
1952Hotel StatlerNew York
1953-54Bellevue-Stratford HotelPhiladelphia
1955Warwick HotelNew York
1956Bellevue-Stratford Hotel (Rounds 1-3)Philadelphia
Ambassador Hotel (Rounds 4-30)Los Angeles
1957Warwick Hotel (Rounds 1-4)Philadelphia
Bellevue-Stratford Hotel (Rounds 5-30)Philadelphia
1958-61Warwick HotelPhiladelphia
1962-64Sheraton HotelChicago
1965-66Summit HotelNew York
1967Hotel GothamNew York
1968-71Belmont Plaza HotelNew York
1972Essex HouseNew York
1973-74Americana HotelNew York
1975Hilton HotelNew York
1976-78Roosevelt HotelNew York
1979WaldorfNew York
1980-83Sheraton HotelNew York
1984-85Omni Park Central HotelNew York
1986-94Marriott MarquisNew York
1995-2004Theatre at Madison Square GardenNew York
2005Jacob Javits Convention CenterNew York
2006-2014Radio City Music HallNew York
2015-16Auditorium Theatre at Roosevelt University / Grant ParkChicago
2017Benjamin Franklin ParkwayPhiladelphia
2018AT&T StadiumDallas
2019Downtown NashvilleNashville
2020RemoteRemote
2021Downtown ClevelandCleveland
2022Las Vegas Strip & Caesars ForumLas Vegas
2023Downtown Kansas CityKansas City
2024Downtown DetroitDetroit
2025Lambeau FieldGreen Bay

Related:

NFL Draft Results 2017 NFL Draft Results 2018NFL Draft Results 2019NFL Draft Results 2020NFL Draft Results 2021NFL Draft Results 2022NFL Draft Results 2023

NFL Draft Results 2024

FAQs on NFL Draft Location

A. The 2025 NFL Draft is going to happen in the city of Green Bay, Wisconsin. 

A. Yes, the NFL Draft takes place in different cities every year as of 2025. 

A. The owners of the 32 NFL teams vote on which city will host the next available draft.

A. New York has held 57 NFL Drafts, which is the highest number for any city as of 2025. 

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