GREEN BAY, Wis. — It took a few attempts, but earlier this year Green Bay secured the 2025 NFL Draft.
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell was at Lambeau Field Monday for training camp where he took time to talk to event supporters and Packers fans about the upcoming draft.
“This is the first time I’ve said this, so you better hold on to your seats. With the first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, the NFL selects Green Bay, Wisconsin,” he said to the audience.
Goodell said the draft is the league’s biggest offseason event and has grown beyond imagination in popularity.
It’s projected to bring about 240,000 people to Green Bay in the late spring of 2025.
“It’s the one day I always like to say is that every team gets better. Some get better than others,” Goodell said. “It really is a time for renewed hope. Everybody has that renewed hope and the schedule comes out two weeks later and it begins the march toward the next season.”
The draft is expected to generate about $94 million in economic activity across the state, according to the Packers. About $20 million of that is in the Green Bay area.
For Nancy Beaulieu, a self-described super-fan from Manitowoc, the draft is a chance to showcase the state to the nation and world.
“Finally Green Bay is getting recognized,” she said. “We have so much history and so much going on here and it always seems we’re the little guy that gets left out. I’m just thrilled.”
Beaulieu expects to be among the 240,000 attendees.
“I plan on coming to see the draft, seeing all the players being drafted and to show off Green Bay,” she said. “A lot of people come here, it’s like Disney World. It’s magical.”
Goodell said planning and implementing the draft is no small feat.
“Doing it in a different city every year has it challenges, but the real beauty of it is it’s a chance for you to put your community on the biggest stage,” he said. “Everyone is going to see Green Bay. They may see it with some snow, maybe not some snow, I don’t know. We’d be happy to see a little snow personally.”