Nashville to Remain Unchallenged as Draft Host

Attendance record set in 2019 won't be threatened this year after NFL cancels all public events for 2020 event.

The standard Nashville set as host of the NFL Draft will go unchallenged for at least one year.

The NFL announced Monday that the 2020 NFL Draft set for April 23-25 in Las Vegas will take place as scheduled, but public events related to the selection process have been canceled due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

"This decision reflects our foremost priority – the health and safety of all fans and citizens," Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a release from the league. "While this outcome is disappointing both to the NFL and to the Las Vegas community, we look forward to partnering with the Raiders, the City of Las Vegas and the Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority for a future NFL Draft as well as evaluating opportunities for other major NFL events in Las Vegas in the future, including the Super Bowl."

League and city officials planned to shut down the Las Vegas strip and early estimates were that total attendance for the three-day event could reach 750,000 or more.

More than 600,000 showed up last year in downtown Nashville and took part in events spread out from Lower Broadway, across the Cumberland River and adjacent to Nissan Stadium. The previous attendance record for an NFL draft was 250,000, set two years earlier at Philadelphia.

Afterward, Goodell characterized Nashville as an “energetic host city,” one that provided a “breathtaking backdrop to hundreds of thousands of passionate fans who lined the streets and enjoyed a unique NFL Draft Experience.”

The 2020 Draft will be a unique experience as well, albeit for a different reason.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) this week urged all organizations and businesses to avoid gatherings of more than 50 people for the next eight weeks in an attempt to slow the spread of the coronavirus.

The NFL said Monday’s decision was a result of consultation with medical personnel from the CDC, Nevada and Las Vegas. The plan is for the draft to proceed as scheduled but league officials added that they will explore options on exactly how to conduct business on those days.

Whatever the mechanics, the draft will be televised. The record for the most-watched NFL Draft also belongs to Nashville in 2019 with more than 47.5 million television viewers and 6.1 million more across digital platforms.