“2019 NFL Draft Nashville Compendium Of Community Events” is the most comprehensive run down of what’s happening in Nashville leading up to, and during, the 2019 NFL Draft.
‘Huddle for 100’ kicks off at the 2019 NFL Draft with ‘Huddle Against Hunger’
In the lead up to the 2019 NFL DRAFT in Nashville, April 25-27 2019, the NFL will host a series of fan-focused and service driven events to celebrate this momentous occasion during the League’s centennial season.
From statewide efforts to fight hunger, to youth football clinics and character-building initiatives, to military appreciation, the NFL will leave a lasting, positive legacy in Nashville and throughout Tennessee. In addition, thousands of local children and their families will experience the excitement of Draft.
Throughout the week, prospects, players, and NFL Legends will participate in events designed to give back to the community. Kicking off the week is ‘Huddle Against Hunger’ where they’ll partake in a series of activities centered on fighting hunger and making a lasting impact throughout the state of Tennessee .Additionally, they’ll join local youth in Nashville and surrounding areas for various football clinics, and on Wednesday, April 24, the NFL, Tennessee Titans, and Special Olympics will host a Unified Flag Football game bringing together individuals with and without intellectual disabilities to play on the same team through the NFL PLAY 60 initiative.
Fans may take part in free activities throughout Draft week at NFL DRAFT EXPERIENCE PRESENTED BY OIKOS® TRIPLE ZERO. The three-day football festival will be held outside of Nissan Stadium from Thursday, April 25 through Saturday, April 27. This year’s NFL Draft Experience will be the largest NFL Draft festival footprint to date, and in recognition of Music City, will be the first to integrate a free live music concert series, featuring 20 Nashville-based artists of all genres. Fans will be able to participate in interactive exhibits, immersive games, virtual reality experiences, free player autograph sessions, and more.
During the Draft, the NFL will highlight several of its nonprofit partners. Kyree Huggins, a high school student from South Carolina, will serve as the FUEL UP TO PLAY 60 Student Reporter. He will have the opportunity to cover the Red Carpet and press conferences with prospects after they’ve been drafted. MAKE-A-WISH kid Kacey will have his wish granted when he joins Commissioner Goodell on the NFL Draft Main Stage to announce the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Round 1 pick. As part of the League’s SALUTE TO SERVICE program, active duty service members and veterans will be honored and welcomed at the NFL Draft as well. On Thursday evening, a color guard from the U.S. ARMY RECRUITING BATTALION NASHVILLE and veterans from WOUNDED WARRIOR PROJECT will join talent onstage during the National Anthem to open the Draft.
The 2019 NFL Draft will be televised nationally by NFL Network, ABC, ESPN and ESPN Deportes, and can be heard nationwide on Westwood One Radio, SiriusXM NFL Radio, TuneIn Radio and ESPN Radio.
Here’s An Overview Of 2019 NFL Draft Events
An overview of each event is listed below, with full details outlined in the advisory following:
2019 NFL Draft Community Events
Huddle Against Hunger; Jefferson Street Bridge Event: Tuesday, April 23 6:00 PM – 8:00 PM CT, Jefferson Street Bridge. (As a note, this is not an event that’s open to the media.)
Huddle Against Hunger; Backpack Assembly with NFL Draft Prospects: Wednesday, April 24 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM CT, Nissan Stadium
Special Olympics Unified Flag Football Game: Wednesday, April 24 6:00 PM – 7:30 PM CT, Lot R North near Nissan Stadium
Fuel Up to Play 60 Clinic: Thursday, April 25 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM CT, Lot R North near Nissan Stadium
Huddle Against Hunger; Bridge to Kids Backpack Delivery: Friday, April 26 10:30 AM – 11:30AM CT, Napier Elementary and Shwab Elementary
NFL Teams With Non-Profits To Announce NFL Draft Picks
Make-A-Wish: Make-A-Wish kid Kacey will have his wish granted when he joins NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell on the Draft stage to announce the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Round 1 pick. A lifelong Buccaneers fan, Kacey, 19, from Maysville, Georgia, is currently battling Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. Kacey was surprised by his favorite Buccaneer’s player Mike Evans, who notified him through a video message that he would be making the Round 1 pick on stage for the Buccaneers at this year’s Draft.
Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS): The NFL has teamed with the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) to honor the Gilbert family and their fallen hero, U.S. Navy Lieutenant William Gilbert, from Medina, Tennessee. USN LT Gilbert was a Tennessee Titans fan and in his honor Gilbert’s wife, two sons and sister will accompany Tennessee Titans Legend, Eddie George, onstage to announce the Titans’ Round 2 pick on Friday, April 26. In addition, active duty service members from the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps will be honored on stage during Round 3 of the Draft.
St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital: On Friday, April 26, St. Jude patient Owen will join Seattle Seahawks Legend Shaun Alexander onstage at the Draft to make the Seahawks’ Round 3 pick. Owen is in remission from acute lymphoblastic leukemia, which he was diagnosed with at four years old, but today he is extremely active—running cross country, playing football, basketball and soccer. On Saturday, April 27, St. Jude’s will have patient Samantha, who was diagnosed with osteosarcoma in 2005, make a Round 7 pick for her favorite team, the Cleveland Browns. St. Jude hero and St. Jude Rock ‘n’ Roll Nashville Marathon team captain and Nashville radio personality, Amy Paige, will be making a Round 7 Pick for the Detroit Lions.
Youth athletes: Twelve student athletes from Metro Nashville Public School will take the stage alongside Commissioner Roger Goodell to announce the Tennessee Titans’ Round 1 pick. On Friday, April 26, student athletes from both private schools in Tennessee and Metro Nashville Public Schools will join Tennessee Titans’ 2018 Walter Payton Man of the Year, Jurrell Casey, to announce the Round 3 selection for the Titans.
2019 NFL Draft Nashville Youth And High School Events
Play Football Draft High School Day: Tuesday, April 23 3:00 PM CT, Nissan Stadium
Play Football Legends Clinic: Thursday, April 25 9:30 AM – 10:30 AM CT, Play Football Field at NFL Draft Experience
Youth Football Clinics: Thursday, April 25 – Saturday, April 27 times vary; Play Football Field at NFL Draft Experience
2019 NFL Draft Nashville Social Justice Events
Sounds of Social Justice: Wednesday, April 24 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM CT, Renaissance Nashville Hotel
On Wednesday, April 24, from 5:00 PM – 8:00 PM CT, presented by The National Museum of African American Music (NMAAM), Sounds of Social Justice will be a fundraising event focused on the intersection of music, athletes and activism at the Renaissance Nashville Hotel. There will be a red-carpet experience with players and celebrities with a cocktail reception, followed by a panel discussion and then musical performances.
Michael Eric Dyson, Georgetown University professor, activist, media personality and author, will moderate the panel with the Philadelphia Eagles’ Malcolm Jenkins, who is the co-founder of Players Coalition, a nonprofit organization dedicated to impact racial and social inequality, Tennessee Titans’ player Derrick Morgan and Dr. Dina Bennett, senior curator for NMAAM. Following the panel will be a live auction featuring artwork focused on the music and artists of the social justice movement and a curated exhibit of artifacts. The night will conclude with a musical performance by Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter and national chair of NMAAM, India Arie, local soul singer Jason Eskridge, and local female R&B trio The Shindellas.
Café Momentum: A Recipe for Change Dinner: Wednesday, April 24 6:00 PM CT, First Tennessee Park
NFL Legend Shaun Alexander will co-host a pop-up dinner event with Café Momentum, a Dallas non-profit restaurant and culinary training program serving young men and women in the juvenile justice system, at First Tennessee Park on Wednesday, April 24 at 6:00 PM CT. NFL Legends and local Nashville influencers will come together in support of raising awareness and creating advocacy for juvenile offenders and be treated to a three-course dinner from Café Momentum’s team of award-winning chefs. Ten young men currently in the Nashville juvenile justice system will train with Café Momentum and NFL Legends from April 22-23 to help to prepare and serve the dinner.
Centene and Pro Football Hall of Fame Youth Summit in Nashville: Saturday, April 27 8:30 AM – 1:45 PM CT, Tennessee State University’s Floyd-Payne Campus Center.
Centene Corporation, the Official Youth Wellness Partner of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, will host its 13th Strong Youth Strong Communities (SYSC) Summit at Tennessee State University’s Floyd-Payne Campus Center on Saturday April, 27 from 8:30 AM – 1:45 PM CT. Founded by Pro Football Hall of Famer Darrell Green in 2015, SYSC is focused on equipping our youth with life skills, resources, and leadership-focused mentoring to maximize potential, promote active thinking, sound judgement and connect them with thought leaders committed to developing youth leaders.
The free summit, led by Pro Football Hall of Famers Darrell Green, Bruce Matthews and Aeneas Williams, will be open to all middle and high school students in the Nashville area. Green, Moss and Williams will be joined at the summit by Iman McFarland, COO 21st Century Expo Group, along with various other community leaders, mentors and health experts, to lead discussions on topics such as bullying and self-esteem. Partners include National Urban League, Big Brothers Big Sisters, National Council for Mental Illness, Sandy Hook Promise, National Youth Council, Beyond Differences and Peace First.
2019 NFL Draft Nashville Green Events
NFL Green will have a large footprint at this year’s Draft, while also highlighting fans and community members who are doing their part to create a cleaner planet.
Local Artist Exhibit Gallery: The NFL is partnering with Turnip Green, a local art and education organization, to create a gallery of artworks which will be on display at Draft Experience. All the featured artwork will be made by local professional and student artists and created from recycled materials.
Recycle and Win: The “Recycle and Win” project will catch fans in the act of recycling on the Draft Experience site. Members of the NFL Green Team will award these fans with a unique NFL Draft cap and an opportunity to have their picture displayed on NFL Green social media as a recycling champion. Photos of the recycling champion fans will be displayed on video monitors throughout the Draft Experience.
Lowe’s Picnic Table Donation: In partnership with the NFL on Monday, April 22, over 40 Lowe’s associates from the Nashville region will help build picnic tables to be used at the NFL Draft Experience. Following the Draft, these picnic tables will be donated to Habitat for Humanity of Greater Nashville as well as Metro Nashville Public Schools. Lowe’s is making this donation as part of its focus on meeting critical community needs aligned with safe, affordable housing and education in the skilled trades.
Urban Forestry Event: The NFL and key sponsors Verizon, Bridgestone and Lowe’s will be joined by Nashville Mayor David Briley, city officials and the Root Nashville tree project team for a tree planting event on Tuesday, April 23 at 9:45 AM CT at the Hull Jackson Montessori School in North Nashville. There will be 40 trees planted at that school and the nearby John Early Museum Magnet School. These trees will help shade the campus, reduce the “heat island” impact, improve air quality and help increase a sense of community in this newly established neighborhood.
NFL Nashville Community Greening: Three additional projects are planned as part of the NFL Community Greening initiative in Nashville. Working in partnership with Verizon, Bridgestone and Lowe’s, the NFL is joining Root Nashville and the city of Nashville to plant trees in the Mill Ridge neighborhood of the city. The other two projects, sponsored by Verizon, will plant seedlings to reforest areas in need of trees. One will restore the floodplain located at Gibson Creek to help control flooding impact in nearby neighborhoods and the final project will be at another site in Henderson County, where Verizon will be planting 2,560 trees. There will be ten trees planted in honor of each player selected at the 2019 NFL Draft and an additional 100 trees will be planted by NFL Green in honor of the league’s centennial season.
Other environmental initiatives at the 2019 NFL Draft include solid waste recycling and composting throughout the Draft Experience, donation of prepared and nonperishable food from NFL Draft events, collection and donation for reuse of all available event materials to local nonprofits and the use of renewable energy certificates to “green” the energy usage at Draft event venues.