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).
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.
| Year | Location | City |
| 1936 | Ritz-Carlton | Philadelphia |
| 1937 | Hotel Lincoln | New York |
| 1938 | Hotel Sherman | Chicago |
| 1939 | Hotel New Yorker | New York |
| 1940 | Schroeder Hotel | Milwaukee |
| 1941 | Willard Hotel | Washington, D.C. |
| 1942-44 | Palmer House | Chicago |
| 1945-47 | Hotel Commodore | New York |
| 1948 | Hotel Fort Pitt | Pittsburgh |
| 1949-50 | Bellevue-Stratford Hotel | Philadelphia |
| 1951 | Blackstone Hotel | Chicago |
| 1952 | Hotel Statler | New York |
| 1953-54 | Bellevue-Stratford Hotel | Philadelphia |
| 1955 | Warwick Hotel | New York |
| 1956 | Bellevue-Stratford Hotel (Rounds 1-3) | Philadelphia |
| | Ambassador Hotel (Rounds 4-30) | Los Angeles |
| 1957 | Warwick Hotel (Rounds 1-4) | Philadelphia |
| | Bellevue-Stratford Hotel (Rounds 5-30) | Philadelphia |
| 1958-61 | Warwick Hotel | Philadelphia |
| 1962-64 | Sheraton Hotel | Chicago |
| 1965-66 | Summit Hotel | New York |
| 1967 | Hotel Gotham | New York |
| 1968-71 | Belmont Plaza Hotel | New York |
| 1972 | Essex House | New York |
| 1973-74 | Americana Hotel | New York |
| 1975 | Hilton Hotel | New York |
| 1976-78 | Roosevelt Hotel | New York |
| 1979 | Waldorf | New York |
| 1980-83 | Sheraton Hotel | New York |
| 1984-85 | Omni Park Central Hotel | New York |
| 1986-94 | Marriott Marquis | New York |
| 1995-2004 | Theatre at Madison Square Garden | New York |
| 2005 | Jacob Javits Convention Center | New York |
| 2006-2014 | Radio City Music Hall | New York |
| 2015-16 | Auditorium Theatre at Roosevelt University / Grant Park | Chicago |
| 2017 | Benjamin Franklin Parkway | Philadelphia |
| 2018 | AT&T Stadium | Dallas |
| 2019 | Downtown Nashville | Nashville |
| 2020 | Remote | Remote |
| 2021 | Downtown Cleveland | Cleveland |
| 2022 | Las Vegas Strip & Caesars Forum | Las Vegas |
| 2023 | Downtown Kansas City | Kansas City |
| 2024 | Downtown Detroit | Detroit |
| 2025 | Lambeau Field | Green Bay |
Read more about NFL Draft Ticket Prices.
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.
