Philly to Host the 2017 NFL Draft

Speculation has been flying for months that Philadelphia would be the next city to host the NFL draft. It’s been all the talk on sports fans’ and commentators’ lips, and all over the blogosphere. Yesterday, it became official. A news conference held at City Hall at noon Wednesday confirmed the news, with proud mayor Jim Kenney standing by as it was announced. Today, more details were announced by Kenney and by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

The stage will be set in Philadelphia in 2017 for the NFL draft.

The draft has been held for the past two years in the “Windy City” of Chicago. Before that, it spent fifty years being held in New York City. Philadelphia last hosted the NFL draft in 1961. The City of Brotherly Love holds the distinction of having held the very first draft, way back in 1936.

Commissioner Goodell was enthusiastic about the choice. “Philadelphia is a passionate football town and will serve as a tremendous backdrop for the Draft and provide a great atmosphere for our fans and incoming players,” he said. “Jeffrey Lurie has been a strong advocate and supporter of the draft on behalf of the City of Philadelphia throughout the entire selection process. We look forward to working with the Philadelphia Eagles, the City of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau to create a week-long celebration of football for our fans.”

A tradition held in Chicago during the draft’s two-year tenure of a “Fan Town” outside the draft location will likely make its way to Philadelphia. This year, “Fan Town” drew an estimated 225,00 fans!

Before all you “Iggles” fans go and start parading in the streets, however, keep in mind that our home team itself has little to gain in the 2017 NFL draft, thanks to trading away their first-round pick to the Browns in exchange for being able to add Carson Wentz to the team roster.