NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — The Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation confirms to NewsChannel 5, they plan to submit a bid to host a future NFL Draft in Downtown Nashville.
The 2019 NFL Draft hosted in Nashville brought in an estimated 600,000 visitors and had a $220 million dollar impact.
"I think the environment here is great, the energy is great. I think you bring out a lot of fans on television and also in person," said Matthew Carroll, a tourist we spoke to down on Lower Broadway.
Millions more also watched on TV, like Larry Appel, who started plotting a vacation to Music City after he watched draft coverage that year.
"It was just all the people excited, outside, the weather’s nice this time of year. And there’s not that many places where the weather is good," said Appel.
The Nashville CVC says as soon as the NFL opens up the bidding process, they hope to vie for another chance as host. They say, between the exposure and the revenue, it could be another game-changer.
"I thought the city did great. It’s a great place to host the draft, everybody got into it. It felt alive, it felt exciting, one of the best drafts I’ve seen," said Appel.
Jordan Logan, who was in town for a Bachelor Party, says the NFL could definitely pick worse than America's It City. He didn't have a lot of praise for this year's host city, Cleveland.
"There’s nothing to do. You get drafted and you go home. Here, at least, you get drafted, you can celebrate, go out with your family, friends. You can’t do that anywhere else better than here," said Logan.
The NFL Draft will be in Las Vegas in 2022 and Kansas City in 2023. No selections have been made beyond that. Typically the NFL gives each city between three to five years to plan, if they're selected.
