NFL to hold 2018 draft at Cowboys’ stadium

The 2018 NFL Draft will take place, for the first time, inside a stadium: AT&T Stadium, home of the Dallas Cowboys.

Commissioner Roger Goodell made the announcement Thursday. The Auditorium Threatre downtown hosted the 2015 and 2016 drafts after it moved from New York City, its home since 1965. Philadelphia held the draft last year, drawing 250,000 fans.

“Philadelphia raised the bar by taking the Draft to another level, and this new opportunity in Dallas will enable us to continue the event’s evolution and grow it even further,” Goodell said.

The first round will be held April 26, the second and third rounds the next day and the rest April 28.

When the NFL left Chicago after 2016, it said it wanted to take the draft to cities around the country, but did not rule out an eventual return.