The Craft of the Draft: The 2023 NFL Draft is being hosted the weekend of April 27 at Union Station

The 2023 National Football League Draft will be held on the lawn between Union Station and the National World War I Museum and Memorial from April 27-29. 

Kansas City won the bid to host the draft in 2019, not due to the Chiefs success, but because of the city itself. Its centralized location and exuberant team spirit set it aside from cities that have hosted in the past, according to Executive Vice President of Arrowhead Operations and Events Matt Kenney.

The draft is expected to bring more spectators than the 2023 Chiefs Super Bowl Parade, according to the Kansas City Star. Union Station security guard Jonathan Jackson expects two million spectators throughout the duration of the event.

The stage will be over the parking lot facing the hill, similar to the stage at the Chiefs Super Bowl Parade. Spectators will be on the hill, being entertained by the All Draft Experience presented by Panini Trading Cards with attractions such as music and concessions.

The three-day event is composed of seven rounds, drafting approximately 255 new players to various teams. 355 players were invited to the NFL Scouting Combine earlier this year in Indianapolis, meaning there will be at least 80 players who won’t get drafted, according to bleacherreport.com. 

The draft was held in New York every year until 2015, but the location has changed each year since. According to profootballtalk.nbcsports.com, the draft was relocated in order to make it a much bigger event, with more attendees than would fit in the 5,960 seats at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.

“[Getting the bid] was really about Kansas City,” Keney said. “Kansas City is a destination in the middle of a country that would bring out a new event, profile and even constituency than what the league had seen previously with it being in Chicago and Philly.”

Kenney is working with the Kansas City Sports Commission to plan the event, an organization which works to bring events to the city to drive the quality of life and economy for the region. Receiving a bid from the NFL is a more intricate process than hosting other smaller sports events.

“[The draft] was a little more nuanced because you had to have a team,” Kenney said. “The story of that team, and an NFL presence is a little different than saying, ‘Hey, we have an arena. We’d love to host your NCAA event,’ It’s a different process.”

Union Station will be completely shut down to the public for the entirety of the draft. The players will be inside with their families, waiting to be drafted. 

Those interested in attending the draft must register for a ticket through the NFL One Pass app. The tickets — although free — are a process used by the NFL in order to get data of event attendees as well as marketing and security purposes, according to Kenney. 

Avid football watcher and senior Zach Sederquist plans on attending the draft with his friends. 

I’ve watched the draft every year since I was little, so I’m really excited to finally get the experience in person,” Sederquist said.

There is expected to be a large number of football fans coming from all over the country. The high attendance brings pride back to Union Station and reminds people of its existence, according to Jackson. In an Instagram poll of 213 people, 23% plan on attending the draft.

“Definitely a lot more of the radical sports fans are going to be coming from out of town,” Jackson said. “As far as adding popularity to the city, it’s more going to bring to light like ‘Hey Union Station is still here, Union Station is still alive.”