What is NFL Draft Town?

The NFL has unveiled a new fan experience, but what is NFL Draft Town exactly?

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The 2015 NFL Draft is being held in Chicago, IL from Thursday April 30th through May 2nd this year. This will be the first time in 50 years that the draft will be held outside of New York. The actual draft will be taking place in the Auditorium Theatre at Roosevelt University. Tickets to the draft will be limited and you should consider yourself lucky if you find yourself attending. For the rest of us who want to take in some of the festivities surrounding the NFL Draft, especially those of us living in Chicago, there will be Draft Town.

Draft Town will be held outdoors, not far from the Auditorium Theatre, in Grant Park and Congress Plaza. Draft Town is a fan festival open all three days of the draft. Most importantly it is free. There will be live music, autographs, games, food, and TVs showing the draft.

Conceptual image of NFL Draft Town /

Games and activities at Draft Town will include an area where fans can test their combine stats with a 40-yard dash, a broad jump, and a vertical jump. You can even run alongside an LED screen featuring NFL players’ 40-yard dash. I can only imagine how embarrassing that run would be for some of us. There will also be an area to test your field goal kicking abilities with uprights to kick the ball through. Aside from the activities for adults there will be numerous activities for families and children including wearing NFL equipment, kicking extra points, long snapping, obstacle courses, and more. This will be especially welcome news for the young, aspiring long-snappers and place kickers out there.

Additionally, each team will have a “team house” which will allow fans to meet up and hang out with one another. Visit a replica NFL locker room or watch the NFL Network as Marshall Faulk, Michael Irvin, and Kurt Warner discuss the NFL Draft. There is even a Sweetness Simulator which is a wind tunnel skydive simulator that will allow fans to fly like Bears legend Walter Payton.

Draft Town Map /

With dozens of activities for NFL fans and their families to enjoy during the draft, Draft Town will be a welcome respite for many NFL fans during this offseason. If you happen to see me in my Russell Wilson jersey attempting a field goal or embarrassing myself during the 40-yard dash, feel free to stop by and say hello.

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What is NFL Draft Town?

By Russell Johnson | Apr 28, 2015

The NFL has unveiled a new fan experience, but what is NFL Draft Town exactly?

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