Will the NFL Draft come to Buffalo?

What local officials say needs to be done in order for the NFL Draft to come to Buffalo

Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - The first round of the NFL draft is complete from Green Bay, Wisconsin. Buffalo Bills and Sabres COO Pete Guelli has voiced interest in hosting the draft in Orchard Park. The earliest Buffalo could host the NFL Draft would be in 2027 with Pittsburgh holding the next draft in 2026.

Local officials in Erie County and Orchard Park would like to see the Draft come to Buffalo. Executive Director for the Orchard Park Chamber of Commerce Don Lorentz said that the NFL Draft would be an economic boost for Orchard Park.

"If everything goes according to the way we're looking at it," Lorentz says, "We'll be having some prospects for hotels on that also, so people can actually stay in the area and partake with, the south towns here, and all the different things we have to offer."

With Buffalo being the second smallest market in the NFL, Orchard Park town Supervisor Gene Majchrzak said that they are looking at other venues that have hosted the draft before.

"Not only Green Bay, but we're looking at multiple venues across the country, and it'll probably be a hybrid of a number of them, not a carbon copy of just one," Majchrzak said.

Hotel's are an issue for Buffalo. Majchrzak said that they are looking to work with Airbnb to be able to accommodate the thousands that would come to Orchard Park.

Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said that he would not expect to see any new hotels to be built if the Draft comes to Buffalo.

"One of the things I've heard from some of the other communities is it's not really many people coming in from out of the area," Poloncarz said. "They have a lot of people that go, but they live local."