The 2025 NFL Draft is behind us, and as a current resident of the wonderful Green Bay community, I can say I’m both relieved and very proud of the event, and that I was able to attend all three days.

It was a true success. Normally, I’ll chop down hyperbole and inflated economic impact jargon, and that will still come, but I can tell you that if you went to the draft, you probably had a great time.

Here are five reasons why the Green Bay draft was successful:

All of Wisconsin (and the rest of the NFC North) fully bought in: While there were delegations from every team in the league present in Northeast Wisconsin, many of the visitors were from right here in the Badger State. And groups from Minnesota, Detroit, and even our rougher cousins from Chicago, all came out in full force and were a lot of fun to spend time with.

We rebounded from the Friday washout: The Friday weather was a nasty mess. The kind folks on television wouldn’t say that but it’s the truth. Luckily, we’re built for tough weather and didn’t let it stop us. Wisconsinites are built for this.

Prices outside of the NFL Draft campus were very friendly: The benefits of being a smaller market got passed on to the consumer. You paid less for food, drinks, parking, and merchandise than you would have in a bigger city. And there was free stuff everywhere. The sponsors were generous.

The neighborhoods were perfect for socializing: If you came down to the draft, you spent a good time walking down rows and rows of houses with people having a good time. It felt like a huge barbecue on Saturday. I had dozens of pop up conversations with strangers and enjoyed meeting everyone from around the country.

We made sure everyone stayed safe: The priority was safety. A dangerous incident would have stained the entire event. We should be grateful for all of our first responders for keeping the peace.

Were you in town for the draft? What did you think? Let me know in the comments.

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