The NFL draft will return to Chicago in 2016, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced Tuesday.
The draft will be held April 28-30.
“We are excited to return to Chicago and look forward to creating an even better experience for our fans next year,” Goodell said in a statement. “Based on the success of last year’s Draft and our high expectations for the 2016 Draft, Chicago continues to raise the bar for future Drafts.”
With an outdoor festival atmosphere anchored by “Draft Town” in Chicago’s Grant Park, the three-day event drew 200,000 people, including related fan activities, in 2015. The league announced Tuesday that “Draft Town” will be expanding in 2016. The first three rounds of the 2015 draft were held in the Auditorium Theatre before the event moved outdoors for Rounds 4-7 on its final day.
The draft moved from New York City’s Radio City Music Hall to Chicago, where it had not been held since 1964.
The league announced it will develop a selection process to determine the locations of drafts beyond the 2016 event, and that Chicago will be among the cities under consideration.
