US Congressman Bob Brady Says 2017 NFL Draft Will Be Held in Philadelphia

United States congressman Robert Brady of Pennsylvania was reportedly informed by Philadelphia mayor Jim Kenney that the City of Brotherly Love has agreed to host the 2017 NFL draft next April. 

According to the Philadelphia Inquirer's Wendy Ruderman, Brady said Kenney and the city will commit the necessary $5 million to have Philadelphia serve as the backdrop for the annual three-day selection extravaganza.   

"We've been dealing with this for the past couple of weeks, maybe three weeks, and [Kenney] just called me this afternoon and told me that we got the NFL, that the city is going to do it and he feels comfortable that the people who said they were going to help raise the money are going to do it," Brady said, per Ruderman. 

However, Kenney's office did not confirm the news. 

"I can't speak for the congressman, but I can tell you that the city has definitely not been awarded the draft," mayoral spokeswoman Lauren Hitt wrote in an email to Ruderman. 

According to CSNPhilly.com's Dave Zangaro, a league spokesman said there was no agreement in place yet between the NFL and the city. 

In April, ESPN's Adam Schefter cited sources who said Philadelphia had "emerged as [the] leading candidate" to host the draft. 

According to Brady, a draft in Philadelphia would likely take place on Benjamin Franklin Parkway, which features the famed Philadelphia Art Museum. 

"That's what the NFL wanted, they wanted to do it right on the Parkway, I think, I don't know but I would imagine, with the Art Museum as the backdrop," Brady said, per Ruderman. "They wanted to come here and do that so we just had to guarantee them money." 

New York City hosted the NFL draft from 1965-2014, but the league decided to shake things up and move the festivities to Chicago in both 2015 and 2016. 

Shortly before the 2016 draft, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said it was "very likely" the event would move out of Chicago in 2017, according to the Chicago Sun-Times' Chris De Luca. 

The Philadelphia Eagles do not currently own a first-round pick in 2017 after they shipped their selection to the Cleveland Browns as part of the package that allowed them to nab Carson Wentz at No. 2 overall in this year's draft.