KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Red carpet fashion is far from what players wear on the field.
Thursday night, first-round picks will get their first NFL team jersey with their last name printed on the back.
The process of creating a player’s draft-day jersey is a sight only a select few ever see, including KSHB 41’s Abby Dodge.
“I think that’s probably one of the biggest surprises as people come back and think we have a room full of jerseys. We have a great-looking wall of jerseys,” said Patrick Caveny, director of brand activation and events. “We make them to-order, to-pick. So, they are literally hot off the presses.”
While players make a name for themselves on stage, Patrick Caveny and his team are behind the curtains, imprinting their name into NFL history.
“We take a lot of pride making sure we are on target, on point,” Caveny said. “It’s 100% part of the experience the player has.”
The team gets a 30-second head start before the pick is announced to grab the correct jersey and nameplate to press into the fabric of each player’s future.
Jerseys in the first round of the draft are only made for the players in attendance, not those watching from home.
Stahls’ prints out each player’s name twice for every possible pick. In total, there are 1,088 nameplates on site.
“I can honestly say that it’s always nervousness until that first jersey makes it out on stage,” said Brent Kisha, Stahls’ vice president of strategic sales. “It is what it is. It’s exciting times.”
Nothing is permanent until a name is pressed, making the role even more meaningful.
“We are part of their life-changing moment because it really is a life-changing moment for these guys,” Kisha said. “When their name is called and they get to go on that stage, boy, it’s a whole new ballgame for them.”
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