Mark Murphys relentless pursuit secured tentpole offseason event

Wes Hodkiewicz

GREEN BAY The day is finally here.

Years of careful preparation and anticipation culminate this evening when the Packers and city of Green Bay host the 2025 NFL Draft on the Lambeau Field, Titletown and Resch campus.

It's a journey that started nearly a decade ago when the Packers and Discover Green Bay made their initial pitch to host the league's annual draft, which began rotating around NFL cities in 2015 after a 50-year residence in New York City.

Leading the charge was President/CEO Mark Murphy, who made it a long-term goal to secure the league's second-biggest event for the NFL's smallest market.

And he succeeded.

"It's a source of pride not just for me but I think for the entire organization," Murphy said. "Once the league decided back in 2015 to take the draft on the road, we thought what about Green Bay? We're a much smaller city than every other city that's hosted it, but I think it'll be pretty special."

It's the first time the NFL Draft has been held in the state of Wisconsin since the 1940 draft took place at the Schroeder Hotel (now the Hilton Milwaukee) on Dec. 9, 1939.

Landing the NFL's tentpole event of the offseason was an exercise in patience and persistence, but burgeoning infrastructure around Lambeau Field made Green Bay's case more compelling each year.

Titletown was completed to the west side of Lambeau Field, a 45-acre development that houses Lodge Kohler, Titletown Tech, and Hinterland Brewery.

The Resch Expo opened in 2021 to the east side of Lambeau Field and will serve as the backstage/green room for the draft adjacent to the stage in the northwest corner of the parking lot.

There also have been several luxury hotels and complexes built in the area since it was announced that Green Bay was awarded the draft in May 2023.

The event is expected to bring in more than 250,000 visitors for the draft's three days, with a statewide economic impact of $94 million while generating $20 million locally.

"Overwhelmingly people are so excited. It's palpable," Murphy said. "It'll be a three-day commercial for Wisconsin and Green Bay. It's quite an undertaking. It's really become the biggest event the NFL runs short of the Super Bowl."

The NFL has been hard at work constructing the draft stage and theater for the past three weeks, which can fit up to 2,000 fans underneath its roof.

Lambeau Field and Titletown have undergone a physical transformation, with NFL Draft banners and signage festooned around the Atrium and surrounding areas.

Keeping Wisconsin in mind, the Packers partnered with many local businesses to operate tents around the Lambeau Field campus. The Packers Everywhere Draft Haus also was developed on the northwest side of the stadium to pay tribute to classic Wisconsin dive bars.

The NFL Draft Experience is open every day with scheduled appearances by several current and former Packers players, including receiver Jordy Nelson, defensive linemanLukas Van Ness, and tight endLuke Musgrave.

Draft weekend concludes on Saturday with a performance by country music singer Brad Paisley following the completion of the draft.

"It's awesome," said Van Ness about the draft coming to Green Bay. "I'm amazed at how they've been transforming this place and preparing for the draft. Mr. Murphy's been doing a great job of getting this state and this town ready for it. I'm sure it's going to be amazing."

While the draft takes shape, the Packers' personnel department is ready to get to work in building the future of the football team. General Manager Brian Gutekunst and his scouts currently hold eight draft picks one in each round plus an extra in the seventh round including the 23rd pick in the first.

Earlier this year, Murphy playfully reminded Gutekunst he's allowed to trade that first-round pick. Asked for an update during his pre-draft news conference on Monday, Gutekunst said the Packers' president/CEO hasn't backed off that stance despite seeing the ostentatious draft setup.

"Not yet, but there's, there's still time to go," said Gutekunst with a laugh. "It is pretty amazing just seeing all this kind of come together. What a cool thing for the Packers and the city of Green Bay and everything, just really, really, really neat to see it all come together."

Gutekunst isn't expecting the extra traffic around Lambeau Field to be an issue. Any potential inconvenience Green Bay's scouting department might encounter is "well worth" the once-in-a-generation opportunity for the Packers and Green Bay to host the draft in their own backyard.

"This is something I don't think a lot of people thought could ever happen," Gutekunst said. "I just think you've got to give Mark a lot of credit. This was obviously his vision and for him to be able to pull this off has been really cool to see."

The three-day event serves as a bit of a swan song for Murphy, who'll reach the mandatory retirement age of 70 in July. Chief operating officer and general counsel Ed Policy was elected last summer to succeed Murphy as the Packers' next president/CEO.

Murphy's 17-year run at the head of the table for the Packers produced 13 playoff appearances, a feat achieved by no other NFL franchise during that stretch. Green Bay also advanced to five NFC title games and won Super Bowl XLV.

Landing the NFL Draft is another feather in Murphy's cap. More than anything, the outgoing president/CEO is excited for NFL fans from across the world to enjoy everything Lambeau Field and the surrounding area have to offer.

"We know it's iconic and the league knows that, too," Murphy said. "There's a lot of NFL fans across the world really who have never been to Lambeau Field. With the draft being held here, this will be an opportunity for them to see what makes Lambeau Field and Green Bay so special."

DRAFT CENTRAL