The 2015 NFL Draft Brings New Elements to Chicago

Lee Edwards | As of Wednesday, April 8, 2015

The City of Chicago's Grant Park, 337 E. Randolph St., and Congress Plaza,will be transformed into “Draft Town” for the 2015 NFL Draft held at Roosevelt University’s Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Pkwy. from April 30-May 2
The City of Chicago's Grant Park, 337 E. Randolph St., and Congress Plaza,will be transformed into “Draft Town” for the 2015 NFL Draft held at Roosevelt University’s Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Pkwy. from April 30-May 2

The City of Chicago and National Football League (NFL) officials are rolling out the red carpet for the first NFL Draft to commence in the city in 51 years. The 2015 NFL Draft will be held at Roosevelt University’s Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Pkwy., from April 30 through May 2.

The NFL Draft is an annual three day televised event where all 30 NFL teams select newly eligible football players for their teams.

"Chicago is pleased to welcome the 2015 NFL Draft to America's heartland," said Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel. "NFL fans from across the country will travel here or tune in as the future of their team is decided in Chicago. We look forward to working with the Chicago Bears, the NFL, and our neighborhood partners to make this an event that highlights our world class city and reinvests in our communities."

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Chicago will be home to the 2015 NFL Draft. The Draft will take place at Roosevelt University’s Auditorium Theatre, 50 E. Congress Pkwy. from April 30-May 2.

Chicago’s bid for the 2015 NFL Draft was chosen over 11 other bids from several cities across the nation including Los Angeles, Ca.

The NFL Draft has been held in New York City, New York since 1965 and at Radio City Music Hall in New York City since 2006, but last year the venue informed the NFL that it would not be available in April or May to host the draft.

"We are excited to have fans from throughout the Midwest experience the NFL Draft," said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell. "We look forward to returning the event to the city of Chicago and working with the city, Choose Chicago, and the Chicago Sports Commission to create a week-long celebration of football for our fans. Mayor Emanuel and the city of Chicago presented us with numerous ways to enhance the Draft experience for our fans and incoming players."

Choose Chicago, the city’s official tourism and marketing agency spearheaded and organized the 2015 NFL Draft in Chicago.

“As the Mayor likes to say, “Chicago is the most American of American cities” and we are thrilled to welcome the 2015 NFL Draft to Chicago,” said Meghan Risch, vice president of corporate communications, Choose Chicago. “Chicago has a diverse population, vibrant neighborhoods, a thriving downtown, and we are in the middle of the country, making it easy to get here by car, plane, or train. Fans from all teams are welcome and we encourage them to experience all that Chicago while they are here for Draft weekend.”

The 2014 NFL Draft received a total of 32 million viewers, the largest in its history, on ESPN and the NFL Network, according to Nielsen. The viewership was a 28 percent increase from the previous year.

For information on how to obtain a ticket to the 2015 NFL Draft visit http://www.nfl.com/draft/story/0ap3000000481009/article/2015-nfl-draft-fan-tickets.

Created by Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel on July 1, 2012, Choose Chicago consolidated all the city’s tourism sales and marketing activities into a single agency. For more information about Choose Chicago visit http://www.choosechicago.com/.

To learn more about the 2015 NFL Draft visit http://www.nfl.com/.

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