GREEN BAY, Wis. — In an exclusive one-on-one interview with Spectrum News, Packers President and CEO Mark Murphy said securing the NFL Draft in Green Bay was a team effort.

“In 2015, when they started taking the draft on the road, we all thought, 'What better place than Lambeau Field in Green Bay?'” said Murphy.“In 2015, when they started taking the draft on the road, we all thought, 'What better place than Lambeau Field in Green Bay?'” said Murphy.

Getting that selection took the collaboration of Packers officials, including Ed Policy and Gabrielle Dow, and community efforts, such as involvement from Discover Green Bay and the city, Murphy said.

“I think we all saw, the reality is, we’re never going to host the Super Bowl, so let’s go host the draft,” he said.

While it took a bit to convince the League, Murphy said they could eventually see the vision he and others had in mind: The rich history and tradition of Lambeau — and the dedicated fan base.

Murphy said he believes the Resch Expo and the Titletown development eventually put them over the top.

With a $94 million local impact expected from the NFL Draft in Green Bay, Murphy said the vision has always been to give back to the community.

“We’re a community-based team, so our number one priority is winning championships, but close behind that is supporting the local community and it’s hard to imagine anything we could have done that would have more of an impact on the community,” he said.

Murphy said the impact will stretch beyond Green Bay to the entire state.

“It’s really going to put us on a stage that I think will benefit the state and Green Bay for years to come,” he said.

Murphy said the reception from fans in Green Bay so far has been positive. He described the draft campus and events surrounding it as a “Disneyland for football.”

“We’re really excited for the next three days,” he said.