With The First Pick
Fansided

Las Vegas lands 2020 NFL Draft

By Aaron Gershon

ARLINGTON, TX - APRIL 26: A video board displays the text "THE PICK IS IN" for the Oakland Raiders during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium on April 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - APRIL 26: A video board displays the text "THE PICK IS IN" for the Oakland Raiders during the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft at AT&T Stadium on April 26, 2018 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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The NFL has announced that the newest football city will host the 2020 NFL Draft.

The NFL has announced that it will hold the 2020 NFL Draft in Las Vegas Nevada. It will be the first time in NFL history that the NFL Draft will take place in Las Vegas.

Among the finalists were Canton, OH, Cleveland OH, and Kansas City, MO. Both cities are home to faithful fan bases who are likely disappointed to lose out on hosting the draft.

“The NFL Draft is one of the most-anticipated events of the year and we are excited to take it to Las Vegas,”  league commissioner Rodger Goodell said in a statement Wednesday.

In that same year, the Oakland Raiders will be moving to Vegas making them the host team. This move also has implications as the NFL has changed its policies regarding gambling and betting on the sport in recent years. The NFL Draft has plenty of opportunities to place bets and make predictions, so there should be a lot of money exchanged that day in April.

Owner Mark Davis had this to say about landing the draft: “The Raiders are very excited for Las Vegas and are proud to help host the 2020 NFL Draft,” Davis said. “Las Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world and will provide a tremendous experience for the NFL and its fans.”

For several years the draft was held in New York City. That streak ended in 2015 however, when New York’s Radio Music Hall decided no longer to host the event in the 2015 draft was moved to Chicago.

Since 2015 Chicago has held the draft twice, Philadelphia played host in 2017, and Dallas hosted in 2018.

As for 2019, the NFL Draft will take place in Nashville with the Titans playing host.

Las Vegas has come along way, in professional sports the last few years. As of 2016, the city did not have a professional sports franchise.

Flash forward two years: Vegas has a hockey team in the Golden Knights that reached the Stanley Cup Finals in its the first year of existence, the Raiders moving to town in 2020 and now will have

the opportunity to host an NFL Draft.

We now know where the NFL Draft will take place the next two seasons. Time will tell if either Canton or Kansas City will get the bid in 2021, or if the NFL will continue to look for bigger markets to host.

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