The 2021 NFL draft is less than five weeks away. And unlike last year’s remote and virtual draft, this year’s edition will be in person and held largely as originally scheduled in Cleveland from April 29th-May 1st.
The Sports Business Journal and reporter Ben Fischer laid out the current plans in a feature report on Monday.
It’s still not going to be the same as the pre-pandemic drafts, where hundreds of thousands of fans gathered. There will be mandatory mask wearing, capacity limits and enforced social distancing measures at the venues in Cleveland. And while prospects will be live and on stage, the teams themselves will be making the picks from their own local draft rooms and not congregated at the draft area.
Per the report, fans will be allowed to attend various activities,
The general public, including those not yet vaccinated, will be allowed into the Draft Experience, set for FirstEnergy Stadium and the broad plaza between the stadium, the Great Lakes Science Center and the Rock ‘n’ Roll HOF, all located just north of downtown Cleveland. Fans seeking entrance must download the NFL OnePass app, which includes a mandatory COVID health survey.
Fans with proof of vaccination will have additional opportunities, including prime seating in the “Selection Square” area.
The 2020 NFL draft was conducted remotely instead of in-person as scheduled in Las Vegas during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The draft’s fate in Cleveland has been uncertain but appears to be progressing to as close to normal as possible. The primary draft venue will be on the lakefront, encompassing the Great Lakes Science Center and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which will add a featured exhibit on the Super Bowl halftime shows.