The NFL came to Akron on Saturday for a live draft party that also celebrated the city’s place in the founding of the league.
“The Cleveland Browns select Drew Forbes, guard, Southwest Missouri State!”
Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan announced the Browns’ sixth-round pick on national television as part of the Draft Day experience at Lock 3. The event also celebrated the fact that Akron was one of the charter cities in what eventually became the NFL. The Akron Pros entered the league in 1920.
Darrell Taylor, youth football manager for the Cleveland Browns, says he hopes there are future draft weekend events in Northeast Ohio, given the history of the Pros and the Browns, not to mention the presence of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
“Football originated right here in Northeast Ohio. You’ve got Canton, Cleveland, Akron, so we’d definitely love the NFL to continue to activate here and to show where football started and where it’s going.”
Later at the Lock 3 party, the Browns drafted Tulane cornerback Donnie Lewis, Jr.
