Last year's NFL Draft went entirely virtual due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This year's draft will reportedly be a little different.
According to Ben Fischer of Sports Business Journal, the NFL is planning a primarily outdoor draft in Cleveland from April 29 to May 1 that will allow top prospects and fans to attend. Everyone will be required to wear a mask.
"We have been characterizing it as a 'large, live, in-person event,'" Greater Cleveland Sports Commission CEO David Gilbert said, with a crowd described as "the largest event in this city in many years, certainly since the [2016] Republican Convention."
The NFL says the event will "push a pro-vaccine message — emphasizing that shots are important both to ending the pandemic itself and as a way for fans to regain access to sporting events more quickly."
Ohio currently has capacity at outdoor sporting events limited to 30%. It's unclear if capacity limits will increase prior to the draft.
Here are some more details laid out by NFL Executive VP/Club Business and League Events Peter O’Reilly, per Sports Business Journal:
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