The NFL draft in Nashville will be more accessible to fans than any draft in history.

Not only will the draft be free to attend, as it always has been, but also the lottery system, which limited the number of fans allowed to attend, has been eliminated.

"Unlike previous drafts, it's going to be pretty much wide open access," said Butch Spyridon, CEO of the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. "It's free, and there will be ample space."

The venue will be sectioned off, and attendees will need to pass through security. All attendees will need to download a ticket by using the NFL Draft - Fan Mobile Pass app at nfl.com/apps/draft.

A different ticket for each day is required.

Opening up the April 25-27 draft, which will be at a location that has not yet been revealed, to more fans than ever before was a key negotiating point in Nashville's pitch to land the event.

"Going wide open like this is a big departure for the NFL," Spyridon said. "It's exactly what we wanted, but wasn't sure we were ever going to get there."

Officials got there by convincing the NFL that security would not be an issue and by pointing out that Nashville has a proven track record for successfully pulling off big events such as the CMA Awards and its annual New Year's Eve party.

"It was just a matter of getting the NFL comfortable with the safety aspect and the fact that Nashville is pretty good at putting on big events and that we could make the draft different yet again," Spyridon said. "Different from Philadelphia (2017), different from Chicago (2015 and 2016), different from Dallas (2018)."

The draft and other events will be open to fans at the following times:

April 25: Noon - 10 p.m.

April 26: Noon - 10 p.m.

April 27: 9 a.m. - 6 p.m.

All of the other events associated with the draft also will be free, including an autograph stage with current and former NFL players, concerts, interactive games, clinics and the Play 60 Zone for kids.

Volunteers to work the draft are also needed. More than 900 already have signed up.

To volunteer click https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd6VTNBC424t6Q9ga2Jk2k9o5iC7n2dQ3kYR5rYB9DPjw8koQ/viewform.

Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.

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