Jacksonville Jaguars to announce two draft picks from London
Wednesday 1 April 2015 15:54, UK
London will become the first city outside of the USA to take part in the NFL draft as the Jacksonville Jaguars commit to announcing two of their picks from England’s capital.
The first three rounds of the NFL draft will take place in Chicago with clubs then announcing their fourth to seventh round picks from their respective team bases.
The Jaguars, however, will have a UK-based NFL fan announce their sixth and seventh round picks live, on the Sky Sports News HQ set.
That fan will be chosen from a competition run by NFLUK.com.
The news strengthens Jaguars connection with London, with the Jacksonville side committing to play one game in the city every year. This year, on October 25 at Wembley, the Jaguars will face the Buffalo Bills.
Last year’s NFL draft was watched by a global television audience of 45.7m and similar figures are expected this year, with the the best 256 college American Football players to be picked by 32 NFL franchises over seven rounds.
The draft plays a major part in each team’s preparation for the new season and creates a media and fan frenzy as followers of each team wait to see which exciting new talent will be brought into their team’s roster.
Jaguara president Mark Lamping said announcing two draft picks from London was a way to strengthen the club’s connections with UK-based fans.
“We are so excited to provide our fans in the US and abroad with an exciting opportunity to be part of the NFL draft and introduce everyone to our newest Jacksonville Jaguars,” Lamping said.
“Additionally, we are also equally thrilled to be the first team in the league to bring the NFL draft to the international market in London.”
