National Football League

Music City taking NFL draft out in the open on Broadway

Published Jan. 30, 2019 11:35 a.m. ET

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Music City will put its stamp on the NFL draft.

The main stage will be out in the open on Broadway among Nashville's honky-tonks. The league's fan festival is scheduled for across the river at the Tennessee Titans' stadium.

City officials on Wednesday announced details of the April 25-27 draft, which will kick off the NFL's 100th season.

The red carpet on the first night of the draft will be held at The Green at Riverfront Park. Draft selections will be introduced on the stage at the same spot where the Titans unveiled their new uniforms last April. NFL team tables will be located at Schermerhorn Symphony Center, and concerts will be included — this is Music City, after all — with artists announced later. Admission is free.

A pedestrian bridge links the main draft stage to the NFL Draft Experience at Nissan Stadium across the Cumberland River.

Peter O'Reilly, the NFL's senior vice president of events, says Nashville will showcase its music scene and downtown area with the largest footprint ever used by the NFL. The draft has been on the move since 2015, going to Chicago for two years, then to Philadelphia and last year to the Dallas area.