Philadelphia Set To Host 2017 NFL Draft

The NFL Draft is headed to Philadelphia.

Philadelphia Set To Host 2017 NFL Draft

League Commissioner Roger Goodell and Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney announced at City Hall on Thursday that the 2017 draft will be held April 27-29 in the City of Brotherly Love, thus marking the annual event’s third distinct venue in the last four years.

After being held in New York for 50 straight years, the 2015 and 2016 drafts took place in Chicago. The NFL draft was last held in Philadelphia in 1961, and the first-ever NFL draft took place in Philadelphia in 1936.

The 2017 draft will be held along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Peter O’Reilly, Senior Vice President of Events for the National Football League, said.

“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,” Goodell 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 (PHLCVB) to create a week-long celebration of football for our fans.”

Lurie, 64, is the owner of the Eagles, a title he has held since 1994.

Both years that the draft was held in Chicago, the city proved to be a successful venue for the three-day event. With an outdoor fan festival called “Draft Town” anchored at Chicago’s Grant Park and filled with fan attractions, this year’s draft drew an estimated 225,000 fans. The previous year, a reported 200,000 football fans attended the draft.

Other cities have already begun expressing interest in hosting drafts beyond 2017.

Dallas is among the cities competing to host the draft in 2018. Green Bay has stated it hopes to host the draft in 2019, 2020 or 2021, while Detroit is another strong contender to host the event. Other potential host cities include Denver, Chicago, Los Angeles, Jacksonville, Canton, Pittsburgh and Atlanta.

While Philadelphia will host the NFL Draft, the Eagles will not have a pick in the first round.

The Eagles traded their first pick of the 2017 draft to the Cleveland Browns for the second overall pick in 2016 draft, North Dakota State quarterback Carson Wentz. 

CHICAGO, IL – APRIL 28: Carson Wentz shakes hands with Roger Goodell during the 2016 NFL Draft at the Auditorium Theater on April 28, 2016 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)