CLEVELAND — Cleveland is continuing to plan for April’s NFL Draft, an event that might look a little different than originally planned. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Greater Cleveland Sports Commission is still planning a nationally-televised live event along Cleveland’s waterfront

  • Cleveland City Council recently approved the demolition of warehouses north of First Energy Stadium in preparation for the draft

  • Businesses said it will be a much needed shot in the arm for the local economy

The grills are sizzling with excitement at Rebol. 

“We’re fortunate to be the only restaurant in the park. So, it’s kind of the center point of downtown and we’re proud to be that. And we always want to make sure to deliver that great experience to people that come here,” said managing partner Corey May.  

May rings up an order, where he loves welcoming visitors to the restaurant right in the heart of Cleveland’s downtown Public Square. 

"The diversity of people that you get coming in here from all over, not only from Cleveland, but you get a lot of people that are coming in that are in town just for the weekend, and they get a nice, cool experience of what Cleveland has to offer and we’re able to provide that for them, which is pretty cool.” 

And with a challenging year for restaurants, the upcoming NFL Draft in spring 2021 offers restaurants like Rebol a chance to cook up a storm for a lot of visitors. 

“Man, it’s going to be a breath of fresh air. It’s perfect timing for that opportunity to come to Cleveland. It’s gonna be — it’s been a tough year. I think that we all agree on that. And bringing something like that, of that caliber to the city, especially as big as a sports city as Cleveland is, it’s going to be a huge shot in the arm for us and a nice economic benefit.” 

Mike Mulhall is the vice president of Business Development for the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, which he said is still planning a nationally televised live event along Cleveland’s waterfront. He said the commission has a scalable plan to adjust based off the current situation surrounding COVID-19.

“I don’t think you’ll see Nashville. You know, some of the images that we remember from that event where you know, it was just, Broadway filled with people shoulder to shoulder as far as you could see, you know. That’s probably not realistic," said Mulhall. "You can fit a lot of people on the site and still social distance. So, we’re super optimistic. So, I think from a planning standpoint Ryan, it’s really all systems are go, and then we’ll adjust based on what the safety protocols are.” 

Cleveland City Council recently approved the demolition of warehouses on docks 30 and 32, north of First Energy Stadium, to get ready for the NFL Draft.

"By doing this, we would have done it anyhow, but we’re able to clear the site and make it ready for this event. Not just this event, but make the site more attractive for future use after the NFL Draft leaves.” 

Cleveland City Council President Kevin Kelley said the warehouses are in disrepair and are currently used to store city supplies. And with the demolition, Cleveland moves closer to a major event to showcase the city’s growth. 

“This is as big as it gets, in terms of a live event that draws, you know, tens of thousands of people," said Mulhall.

“By the end of April, I think we’re going to be needing an event to really kind of celebrate getting back on track. And I believe this can be that event,” said Kelley 

Back at Rebol, May hopes the draft can be that party, and bring new faces into the restaurant. 

"We’ll be ready for it. We’ll staff up for it. And it’s going to be a good problem to have with too many people in the building. We’ll take that problem. We haven’t had that in a while so we’ll look forward to it.” 

Planning for a gridiron celebration that means more than just football.

The Greater Cleveland Sports Commission says thousands of hotel rooms have already been booked for April's NFL Draft.