Tuesday, April 5, 2022 | 2 a.m.
Preparations for an event four years in the making have started to take place on the Strip.
The 2022 NFL Draft theater, including the main stage where commissioner Roger Goodell will announce picks, is officially under construction at Caesars Forum. Cranes, forklifts, and other machinery were in operation Monday morning during a media viewing of the space behind the High Roller as the base for the makeshift structure took shape.
The draft is scheduled for April 28-April 30 and could bring more than 200,000 fans to Las Vegas. It’s the most important event of the NFL’s offseason, and one that’s long anticipated locally.
Adjacent to the theater in the Linq Promenade parking lot will be the NFL Experience, which features interactive exhibits and memorabilia for fans.
Tickets to the draft are free and available at nfl.com/onepass.
The league originally announced Las Vegas would host the 2020 NFL Draft in 2018 before COVID-19 forced a virtual format with Goodell announcing picks from his basement. Cleveland had already been awarded the 2021 draft, so Las Vegas got its make-up date for this year.
The setup for this year’s draft will largely remain the same as ones announced for 2020, including a red-carpet space and stage on a platform on top of the Bellagio fountains.
Roads between the theater and Bellagio will be shut down for foot traffic, with closures beginning on April 12 as construction efforts ramp up. There may have been a two-year delay, but Las Vegas is out to stage a draft as grand as the one initially planned.
Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or [email protected]. Follow Case on Twitter at twitter.com/casekeefer.Case Keefer can be reached at 702-948-2790 or
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