Packers President & CEO Mark Murphy first raised the possibility of Green Bay hosting an NFL Draft nine years ago.
His plans came to fruition last weekend when more than 600,000 fans over three days attended the 2025 Draft outside historic Lambeau Field.
The media reviews of the event all were positive. The Sports Business Journal’s headline read: “Green Bay’s Masterpiece”. Award-winning ESPN personality Adam Schefter tweeted: “Draft grade is in: Green Bay gets an A. The people, the city, the venue were all superb.”
The economic impact was estimated to be more than $100 million at hotels, retail stores, bars and restaurants in Green Bay and around neighboring Wisconsin communities.
Thursday night’s television coverage of the first round generated a national audience of 13.6 million viewers. The following night had another 7.3 million, which was a 40% increase over Day 2 last year when the city of Detroit hosted the annual event. Viewers had to be impressed by the enthusiasm of the attendees and the drama and backstories of almost every player drafted.
Seventeen offensive players, including overall number one pick QB Cam Ward (Titans), were selected on Thursday night and fourteen defensive players for a total of 31. The 32nd player was WR-DB Travis Hunter who was chosen by the Jaguars as the overall number two player. Whether the University of Colorado star plays offense, defense, or both will be decided when training camp opens.
Overall, 257 players were drafted from 86 schools. Ohio State had 14 players picked followed by Georgia (13), Texas (12), Oregon (10) and Ole Miss (8) to round out the top five schools with players drafted.
Packers alumni, in particular, have to be proud of how well their Green Bay community presented itself on a national stage during the three days. It was also great to see Pro Football Hall of Famers and all-time Packer greats Jerry Kramer and Dave Robinson announce picks on the second day.
We at NFL Alumni hope all the players selected last weekend will make a smooth transition into the league either on game day rosters or practice squads. The NFL is the ultimate meritocracy, and we would not have it any other way!
