by Kevin Cody
In Monday’s Los Angeles Times, veteran NFL reporter Sam Farmer wrote a mock draft in which he predicted 338 pound Oregon Duck center Jackson Powers-Johnson will be the Los Angeles Rams’ first round draft pick.
“This might not be a sexy pick…but it’s an important position to lock down,” Farmer wrote.
Sexy or not, local Rams fans are expected to explode with excitement when the Ram’s pick is announced during what may be the biggest draft day watch party in the nation.
An estimated 2,000 to 5,000 Rams fans are expected to watch the Ram’s choose their first round draft pick on giant screens on the beach, south of the Hermosa pier. The giant screen will be part of a week-long Rams Draft Experience, unanimously approved by the Hermosa City Council at its Tuesday, February 27 meeting.
“It’s an unbelievable opportunity for our city. Last year 59 million people watched the draft. That’s a lot of eyeballs,” Councilmember and Rams fan Raymond Jackson said before introducing a motion to approve the event.
The NFL draft will be broadcast on Thursday and Friday, April 25 and 26 on ESPN, ABC and NFL Network from Detroit, where the draft takes place. But the Rams have applied for permits to broadcast from Hermosa, creating the expectation that Hermosa Beach will be showcased on the national broadcasts.
In addition to the screen for showing the draft broadcast, the Rams Draft Experience will include a stage for live music and an Arena Football-size field on the beach south of the pier. Arena fields are 50 yards long and 85 feet wide.
Activities will also take place on Pier Plaza, but will be suspended on Saturday, April 29, to avoid interfering with the 20th Annual Hermosa Beach Surfer Walk of Fame inductions and the related Spyder Surf Fest.
“The estimated event revenue would be $48,587 in indirect costs (fees),” Community Resources Manager Lisa Nichols told the council. The Rams will also pay for related staff time, parking and other permits.
Last September, the Rams co-sponsored Beach City Sports Flag Football kids and adult coed games on the beach.
“We had hundreds of families. We had a Mariachi band, and Rams cheerleaders. To quote Casablanca, it was the beginning of a beautiful friendship,” Jackson said after the Rams Draft Experience was approved. ER
