What are the must-see parts of NFL Draft fest in KC? Here’s the best, according to fans
The NFL’s theme park has come to life, as the NFL Draft Experience and Theater take over Union Station and the National WWI Museum and Memorial.
All eyes are on Kansas City, as fans from all over the country made the journey to the home of the defending Super Bowl champions.
Cheeseheads, Viking helmets and bear outfits blended in with the thousands of children playing two-hand touch and adults walking around with food in hand throughout the festival during the day on Thursday.
For every one-handed snag you’d see from someone jumping through the clouds, you’d see fans from enemy teams chatting like they were lifelong friends.
With so much to do at the NFL Draft Experience, from games to photo sessions, here are what fans in attendance on day one say everyone should do while they’re here.
Reminder: if you haven’t signed up for the NFL Draft Experience, here’s how you can and what you need to know about what to bring inside.
40-yard-dash
One of the most popular attractions during the first day of the NFL fan festival was the 40-yard dash.
The premise is pretty simple: Organizers count you down as you line up and try to run 40 yards as fast as you can.
On Thursday, it seemed to take most fans around 7 seconds, but someone set a record for the day with 4.34 seconds, which is even faster than Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes’ time of 4.8 seconds.
I also ran the 40-yard dash so you don’t have to. Here’s how it went:
Who wants to race? I still have some athleticism left in me #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/jBvijgHvsc
— Joseph Hernandez (@josephh816) April 27, 2023
Field goal kick
Another popular attraction at the NFL Draft Experience was the field goal kick.
Fans took their turn trying to kick a football through the uprights. Many failed, but that didn’t take away from the good times.
One person, however, kicked it right through the middle from 25 yards out.
Nate Nascimento, decked out in a Super Bowl XXXIX jersey, felt the pressure of the crowd on him. All the eyes watching as he lined it up had him nervous, but it didn’t phase him.
Nascimento waited an hour, and it was worth it.
“If you know anyone on Dallas, tell them to hit me up because I am available,” Nascimento said. “I’ll kick for anybody.”
For more on what other activities you can participate in, check out our guide.
Super Bowl trophies
The Chiefs’ three Lombardi trophies are on full display for fans to see and take pictures. It should come as no surprise that fans decked out in red crowded this display.
The line spanned the walkway at the bottom of Liberty Memorial, but some fans didn’t mind the long wait.
One fan traveled all the way from Germany for the NFL Draft and was excited to see the newest Lombardi trophy.
He went to the AFC conference championship game against the Cincinnati Bengals in January, and wanted to see the end result of the season after they defeated Joe Burrow and company.
“It was cold, but it was still a great game,” he said.
You can find the Super Bowl trophy display and many more displays by checking out our interactive map
Autograph sessions
Fans love meeting players and showing their appreciation for all their hard work on the football field.
Thursday’s fans got to meet former Chiefs Chad Henne, Priest Holmes and Jamaal Charles, current Chiefs Isiah Pacheco and Trent McDuffie, as well as Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.
The lines were seas of red, which was expected when the players were some of the greatest to wear the red and yellow or were a part of the most recent Super Bowl victory.
Fans eagerly showed off their footballs autographed by the stars.
You can find who’s next for autograph sessions by checking out the “Schedule” tab in the NFL OnePass app.
As the crowds migrate from one activity to the next, one thing’s certain: Visitors won’t be bored while they’re in town.