KC Chiefs: Hosting 2023 NFL Draft proves how far Kansas City has come

At long last, Kansas City was rewarded with an NFL Draft! The 2023 NFL Draft will be held in Kansas City and this is great for both the city and the KC Chiefs.

I’ll start off by warning everyone that this will be more of a “Kansas City pride” post more so than a Kansas City Chiefs post, so if you came here to read my thoughts on the 2023 NFL Draft itself (how would we even know the prospects?), I’m sorry to disappoint you.

We might not know much about the 2023 NFL Draft as of now, but what we do know is that it’ll be held in our own backyard, right here in Kansas City!

The news was announced on Wednesday afternoon and this is a very exciting time for Kansas City natives.

Per the press release linked above,

"The 2023 NFL Draft will take place in Kansas City in the iconic area around Union Station and the National World War I Museum and Memorial and will bring together fans to celebrate one of the most-anticipated sports events of the year."

KC Chiefs fans have been waiting for the NFL Draft to come to Kansas City for YEARS now, so the fact that it’s finally happening is amazing. Yes, we have to wait four years, but at least we’re on the schedule now.

Union Station and the surrounding areas will be a great location for the festivities too. For those who were in Kansas City during the Royals’ World Series win, the parade was held along Grand Boulevard while the rally was held at Union Station. The location is beautiful and is the perfect spot for an event like this.

Draft goers can hop on the streetcar and take it to Union Station while also seeing how beautiful the rest of our city is.

As someone who was born and raised in Kansas City, I’m so excited to see how much the city I love has grown over the years. When I was a kid, the only reason my family and I ever went downtown was for church. There wasn’t much else to do in downtown Kansas City.

Now, however, it’s a happening place! There’s Power and Light, the Sprint Center, the Crossroads District, and the streetcar, all of which will come to light when fans of other NFL teams visit Kansas City for the draft in 2023. Oh, and the barbecue joints will certainly be rocking that weekend!

This is also going to be a huge financial booster for our city, as it was reported that Nashville had $133 million in direct spendings while they hosted the event this past year. Kansas City could find plenty to do with that kind of dough!

According to that same press release linked in the fourth paragraph, the 2021 NFL Draft was awarded to Cleveland and the 2022 NFL Draft location is still to be determined. Why Kansas City couldn’t have hosted in 2022 is unknown, but hey, we’re on the schedule and fans will take that!

How do you feel about the 2023 NFL Draft being held in Kansas City?