The Mighty O’Ba Sports Report: Buffalo Bills Are Making a Move On the 2028 Draft
By Pat Freeman, The Mighty O’Ba
The Buffalo Bills are making a bid on the 2028 NFL draft to be hosted in their brand-new stadium in Or chard Park New York. Ac cording to the Buffalo News new organization Executive Vice President Pete Guelli feels this could be an event that benefits the local economy.
Since the NFL started moving the draft around, it has no doubt been a benefit to each city that has hosted it. The issue I have is looking at the existing infrastructure of Orchard Park not being the best place to hold this event because of its proximity to hotels and public transportation.
Now my issue could be remedied by all involved parties admitting to the development of the ECC South campus as part of a Buffalo Bills themed destination development. That makes more sense than saying this is being done because we are building a new stadium that has no infra structure near it to host such an event. The cities that have hosted the draft have not necessarily featured the stadium as part of the prerequisite, but more along the lines of having the ancillary infrastructure where the event would take place as most of it is put together in an open space where they can erect temporary structures and not use the stadium as part of the draft.
The key is having the adequate accessible infrastructure in place to do so. Honestly, the best location would be in the cobblestone district where you can erect the stage and temporary facilities to host this type of event which would put you near all existing downtown hotels and public transportation. The only way to have it in Or chard Park is if a plan were to develop a Buffalo Bills des tination like what Jerry Jones created in Frisco, Texas as a year-round revenue enhancer. These franchise facilities include hotel conference centers that produce year-round revenue.
If that is the plan for Orchard Park, it needs to be dis closed so that the entire population can benefit from such an undertaking.