The business and political leaders in Wisconsin knew they never could host a Super Bowl in chilly February so they went after the league’s second most popular event….the annual NFL Draft.
Their hard work will pay off this week when the nationally televised Draft starts in Green Bay for the first time this Thursday evening, April 24 at 8 PM (ET).
“I think it will be a 3-day commercial, not just for Green Bay but for the entire state,” says Packers President & CEO Mark Murphy. “There are so many different things that are unique and special to Wisconsin. TV viewers will see that as part of the production starting Thursday.”
Sixteen (16) draft-eligible players have accepted Commissioner Goodell’s invitation to hear their names called in person in Green Bay. The list includes QB Cam Ward, who played collegiately at the University of Miami and who is expected to be the first player selected. Others include QBs Jalen Milroe of Alabama and Ashton Jeanty of Boise State.
“For those of us in Green Bay,” says Murphy, who was a driving force behind getting the Draft to Packerland, “we’d been seeing how the Draft has grown and what it has become. We knew the kind of impact it would have, not just on the local Green Bay community, but the entire state. Since we’re a community-owned team, one of our top priorities is to give back to the community. It will be the largest event ever held in Green Bay.”
The estimated crowd of 250,000 attendees who are expected to take in the Draft and its festivities includes Pittsburgh city officials and Steelers staff members. The 2026 Draft is scheduled for April next year in Pittsburgh. The estimated economic impact for Wisconsin this month is $90 million.
There are at least a dozen Draft prospects this year whose fathers played in the league. Those NFL alumni are:
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