! It may be hard to believe, but we are actually less than one month away from the 2016 NFL Draft. As of today, we are actually 28 days and 10 hours from the beginning of all the madness. On April 28th, all eyes will be on Chicago, as fellow AFC South squad Tennessee is 'on the clock'. The event, which is done over three days (Thursday-Saturday), will see the Texans add a host of new players to the squad.
Since the draft has been moved to Chicago, the experience of attending has completely changed. The NFL has turned Chicago into #DraftTown, with several different interactive locations that allow fans of all teams to feel like they are part of all the excitement.
According to NFL.com, "several components of the Draft will be housed in the historic Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University while a three-day football festival for fans of all ages, Draft Town, will expand outside to Grant Park and Congress Plaza for a 900,000 square foot celebration of the Draft."
For the players themselves, being selected (especially in the first round) is a memorable experience that they will never forget. Two years ago, when the Texans selected outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney number one overall, he said, ""I'd say like three minutes on the clock they called me and said, 'Hey, welcome to Houston.' I was like, 'Man, I'm just happy to be a part of the Houston Texans."
Once their names are called, the players begin a whirlwind of media interviews. They do a conference call with reporters from the team's home town, and if they are in Chicago for the draft, they do a collection of press conferences with all the media in attendance. Journalists from all over the world speak to the athletes, and the process of their NFL careers begin.
In the videos below, we take you back to Clowney's introduction to Houston, along with Kevin Johnson's crazy 24 hour trip from Chicago to NRG Stadium.
Less than a month from now, we'll be doing this all over again. Happy #NFLDraft season!
