Every year at the NFL Draft, the latest crop of first-round rookies take the stage after their name is called, don a new team hat, shake hands with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and pose for pictures with their new jersey.
While the NFL rookies have to wait until draft night to get their official New Era hat, you can order yours much sooner from Fanatics.
As in like, right now, sooner.
But have you ever wondered how each hat seemingly fits perfectly? And who gives them the hats anyway? Well, I did. So I did some digging.
How are NFL Draft hats given out?
According to a New York Times post from 2022, there are a number of pretty crazy things that happen on the lead up to draft time.
New Era will bring around 2,500 hats to the draft, after getting measurements from each of the rookies that will be in attendance.
So before they hit the stage, the cap they’re handed will fit them perfectly.
Then they immediately get it taken away from them.
Wait, so the NFL Draft hats the rookies get aren’t really for them?
Well, they are. Kind of.
Once the rookies hit backstage, the jersey and hat they had are taken by a Panini representative and saved for use in the production of football cards.
Then the rooks are given another jersey and hat. Oh, and all their friends and family members get a hat, too.
SportsLogos.net
When are NFL Draft hats going on sale?
New Era’s 2023 NFL Draft hats are available now at Fanatics in various styles.
Every team has hats available, with styles including:
- On-Stage 59FIFTY Fitted
- 39THIRTY Flex
- 9FIFTY Snapback
- Low Profile 59FIFTY Fitted
- 9FORTY Adjustable
Each style is a little different, so there’s something for every fan. The 59FIFTY is the iconic New Era fitted cap that the rookies get. The 39THIRTY flex hat is a narrower hat that isn’t adjustable. Rather, it flexes between sizes (it takes about a week to get it perfect fit for your head and is my personal favorite). The 9FIFTY snapback is exactly what you’d imagine it to be and the 9FORTY has an unstructured, relaxed fit.
The styles vary by team and the price points vary by style. The most expensive is the 59FIFTY ($45.99), with the least being the 9FORTY ($31.99).
There should be a secondary colorway for each team coming soon – but the on-stage versions are selling pretty quickly.
Celebrate your team’s latest addition with the same hat they’ll be wearing.
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