Ever since the NFL Draft moved from New York City to Chicago last year, there has been long-held speculation towards the possibility of another major city hosting the NFL Draft.
One the eve of the 2016 NFL Draft, news is starting to buzz to where next years prospects will be gathering.
According to Adam Schefter, Philadelphia is the front runner to host the 2017 NFL Draft. Los Angeles is also in the mix, but the assumption would be that the NFL will wait until their stadium/convention center is built before moving out west.
Philadelphia has hosted the NFL Draft 16 times, including the first ever in 1936. They have not hosted it since the 1960’s, where they held it for most of a decade.
Philadelphia is a front runner to host the 2017 NFL Draft
— NFL Mocks (@NFLMocks) April 27, 2016
Possible locations for the 2017 NFL Draft in Philadelphia could include outside of Independence Hall or inside the Kimmel Center for Performing Arts.
The Kimmel Center, which has approximately 2,500 seats, could presumably host the first round similarly to Auditorium Theatre in Chicago. Days two and three of the Draft could then potentially be moved to Independence Mall outside of the building where the United States was first founding.
Another possible location, which would certainly be much larger, would be the Wells Fargo Center. The arena hosts the Philadelphia Flyers and 76ers, but it certainly does not live up to the glamour of Radio City Music Hall. Additionally, the Flyers could be in a playoff race, thus making the home building unavailable. The 76ers on the other hand will certainly be able to clean house.
The choice could be interesting considering Philadelphia does not have a first round pick this year. Could a possible move be in the future to electrify the fan base in Philadelphia once again?