May 14, 2017

Cowboys will try to lure 2018 NFL draft away from Philly

By Michael Tanenbaum
PhillyVoice Staff

The 2017 NFL draft, held at the Museum of Art before a sprawling festival atmosphere on the Ben Franklin Parkway, was widely considered a runaway success for both the city of Philadelphia and the NFL.

National sportswriters and NFL analysts were quick to praise Philly for its spirit in making the draft a model for fan interaction. More than 250,000 people who attended the April 27-29 event helped set a new league record, while aerial shots of roaring crowds and pans across the Philadelphia skyline displayed a city that has increasingly captured the national eye.

Just how much the city benefitted economically from the draft has certainly been questioned, but there is little doubt the event itself was executed with flare and originality. There was already speculation, fueled by Ron Jaworski, that the NFL is likely to pick up an option to bring the draft back to Philly in 2018.

Leave it to the home of Jerry Jones and the Cowboys to potentially spoil Philly's bid for next year's draft.

According to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys have submitted a bid to host the 2018 NFL draft, with a plan to hold the proceedings at AT&T Stadium and The Star in Frisco, the Cowboys' entertainment district.

Stephen Jones, the Cowboys executive vice president, said the club made it clear in its bid that both facilities would be available to use however the league sees fit during the three-day event.

"They know how we can configure for X-amount of people,'' Jones said. "Then they'll come back to us with what they want which night.

The bid comes after an ESPN report in April suggested Dallas had "emerged as a favorite" over Philadelphia, Green Bay and Kansas City. The draft has never been held in Texas.

Former Cowboys wide receiver Drew Pearson went out of his way to troll Eagles fans during last month's draft.