According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Philadelphia will be announced as hosts of next year’s NFL Draft tomorrow.
Back in April, ESPN reported Philly was the leading contender to host the 2017 draft. On Thursday, it will become official. Philly, 2017.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 31, 2016
As Schefter notes, this has been expected for a while now after initial reports about the move from Chicago started to surface in April. It is however a little ironic that Philadelphia will host the Draft when they have no first round pick..something that could sting if the Browns end up picking inside the top five.
Philadelphia hosted a visit by Pope Francis last year and of course the Democratic National Convention back in July, so is by no means inexperienced when it comes to hosting large events.
The NFL is looking at hosting the Draft at the Memorial Coliseum upon its completion in Los Angeles, but until then, the City of Brotherly Love could be the Host filling the void.
It’s great news for Eagles fans and for general sports fans of Philly who will have the three day event on their doorstep in 2017, but without a first round pick for the Eagles, the response could be interesting.
Mandatory Photo Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski/USA TODAY Sports