The #Vikings are hoping to land the 2025 or 2026 NFL draft in the Twin Cities. The 2022 draft is in Las Vegas, the 2023 one in Kansas City and the finalists for 2024 are Green Bay, Detroit and Washington with the site expected to be named later this year.
— Chris Tomasson (@christomasson) May 11, 2021
Minnesota wants to host the 2025 or 2026 NFL draft, according to a report.
Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press reported that the Vikings are opting for one of those years to host the event. This would mark the first time that the Twin Cities has hosted the draft.
Only 10 cities have hosted the NFL draft. New York City and Chicago have hosted the draft the most times. Dallas, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington D.C., Nashville and Cleveland have also hosted the event.
Recently, the draft has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. In 2020, all pick selections were via video conference. Las Vegas was originally supposed to host the 2020 draft, but the league announced that festivities would be canceled due to the pandemic. Las Vegas will now host the event in 2022.
In 2021, teams had less scouting available for small-school prospects, due to cut backs on travel and less small schools having pro days amid the pandemic.
We’ll see what happens in 2025 and 2026, and whether Minnesota will be hosting one of the biggest events of the NFL offseason.