The NFL Draft has been on the move since 2015, when it took place away from New York City for the first time in 50 years. In the 10 years since, the draft has been on the road, with appearances in Chicago, Philadelphia, Nashville, and Detroit among others.
This Thursday, the draft is headed to Green Bay, Wis., for the first time ever. Scheduled to be held at Lambeau Field and its adjacent Titletown District, the city was chosen over Washington, D.C., as the host city in 2023.
NFL Draft’s Wisconsin Comeback: First Since 1939 Title Weekend
The 2025 NFL Draft will be the first time the premier event will be held in Wisconsin since the 1940 NFL Draft.
Held on Dec. 1939, on the eve of the 1939 NFL Championship Game between the Green Bay Packers and New York Giants, the draft was held in the Empire Room of the Schroeder Hotel in Milwaukee, Wis.
The game itself was also held in Milwaukee — instead of Green Bay — because owner Curly Lambeau thought it would generate greater attendance.
The gamble on the 1940 NFL Draft and subsequent NFL Championship Game paid off for Lambeau, with the Packers winning the title in a sold-out game, 27-0.
In the draft, fullback George Cafego would be picked No. 1 overall by the Chicago Cardinals, though he never played for the team. The Philadelphia Eagles selected future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback George McAfee at No. 2, and the Chicago Bears selected future Hall of Fame center Bulldog Turner at No. 7.
GET DRAFTING: College Football Network’s Mock Draft Simulator
Next year, the NFL Draft heads to Pittsburgh, PA. The city will host its first draft since 1948, where six Hall of Famers, including quarterbacks Bobby Layne and Y. A. Tittle, were selected. It will be the first draft in Pennsylvania since 2017.
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