CINCINNATI — Cincinnati could be tapped to host an NFL Draft in the near future, according to recent reports.
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Sports Business Journal’s Ben Fischer reported this week that Cincinnati has the “inside track” to host the event in 2029, potentially.
The last time the NFL Draft was held in Ohio was in 2021 in Cleveland.
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Currently, the only confirmed future site for the draft is next year, when it will be held at the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Fischer reported that the “clear favorite” to host the draft in 2028 is Minneapolis-St. Paul.
The NFL events committee is set to meet next week to discuss future draft sites before an ownership vote later this month.
Sources have also told Fischer that the NFL may look to award two drafts at the same time. If that is the case, sources have said Cincinnati would have the “inside track” for 2029.
This comes after NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell recently appeared on The Pat McAfee Show, telling McAfee that, due to the event’s size, the league will “probably have to start allocating drafts a little further in advance.”
A record-breaking 805,000 people attended this year’s draft in Pittsburgh, according to the league.
Our news partners at WCPO recently spoke to Ben Huffman, executive director of the Cincinnati Regional Sports Commission. He said the city has proven it can host major events.
“I think we have the backdrop and the footprint, you know, and the ability to do an event of that size,” Huffman said. “But again, that’s kind of the research we’re looking at now, like, what did those cities do to put themselves in a position to host it?”
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