NFL Draft Start Time 2017: Live Stream, TV Schedule and Latest Rumors

An outdoor venue in Philadelphia hosts one of the year's biggest sporting events, starting Thursday evening. 

Said event, of course, is the 2017 NFL draft. The year-round process of mock drafting first made popular by a guy named Mel Kiper Jr. concludes when commissioner Roger Goodell marches to the podium and receives a heavy dose of boos, as is tradition. 

Then begins a 253-pick march through seven rounds of drama, a gigantic restructuring of league hierarchy as franchises tie their futures to prospects. As also is tradition, the hours before the event produce rumor after rumor as smoke screen season goes out with a bang.

Below, let's look at the draft viewing info and a few of the more notable rumblings making the rounds.

2017 NFL Draft

Date	Time	TV	Streaming
Thursday, April 27	8 p.m. ET	ESPN, NFL Network	ESPN.com, NFL.com

Latest Rumors 

Mitchell Trubisky, No. 1 Pick?

About a month ago, chalking up Myles Garrett as the top pick in the class and moving on to analysis about the No. 2 pick made sense. 

Not so much anymore.

As the draft nears, more and more smoke starts to pop up about the Cleveland Browns loving North Carolina quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. This all came to a head recently with ESPN's Adam Schefter reporting he's still on Cleveland's wish list at No. 1.

It'd be a stunner, as Garrett is widely considered one of the best edge defenders to enter the league in a long time. Sprinkle in the fact the Browns are in the opening stages of a rebuild and can't afford to pass on the best player available.

Which isn't to suggest Trubisky would be a terrible pick. He looks the part at 6'2" and 222 pounds, has a strong arm and can get moving with his feet if necessary. His collegiate system won't hurt the transition to the pros much, though it would've been nice to see him start a few more games at North Carolina.

But the problem that goes against the major narrative is simple—this is a quarterback class with an odd top four, all of whom should come off the board in the first round. Trubisky looks like a high-end prospect, but he has his major negatives like struggling under pressure, which Cleveland's current roster won't mask much. To top it off, the Browns also hold the No. 12 pick and can likely get a quarterback there.

But as usual, the divide between the media and the league itself can be quite large. Garrett seems like the top player, but if the Browns view Trubisky as the No. 1, these rumors will turn out to be quite true.

Titans Seeking Trades 

The Tennessee Titans aren't strangers to trades.

Led by general manager Jon Robinson, who loves trading thanks to his days with the New England Patriots, the Titans made a big splash a year ago by moving out of the top slot.

Now he might have them moving out of the fifth.

Schefter dropped the report:

Call this the perfect class to pursue a trade down while acquiring more assets. It's rich with defensive backs, guys who can rush quarterbacks and tight ends.

Granted, Tennessee is set at tight end and also happens to hold the No. 18 pick, but having players able to attack defensive back repeatedly and giving Marcus Mariota some reliable targets in the passing game can happen even after a trade down.

Who gives the Titans an offer they can't refuse? Maybe it's the Browns, who according to NFL Media's Michael Silver, have called about moving up from No. 12:

Should the Browns want to take Garrett with the first pick and move back up to chase Trubisky, the Titans are certainly the team to target.

And that's just one scenario involving Tennessee. In such a deep class, the gap between the fifth pick and one in the teens isn't as big as it would normally be. Moving down and adding even more talent via additional picks looks like a great idea if the trade offer is right.

Jaguars Eye a QB 

Most mocks don't know what to do with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

With a new leader like executive vice president Tom Coughlin in place, some see the Jaguars rolling the dice on a running back like Leonard Fournette and seeing if they can salvage quarterback Blake Bortles. Others see them throwing in the towel on the experiment and getting Coughlin a potential franchise passer to call his own.

According to Bleacher Report's Jason Cole, the Jaguars seem linked to Clemson's Deshaun Watson:

Watson makes sense in many ways. Quarterback wins aren't overly important in evaluating a prospect, but a guy like Watson elevating Clemson and taking down Alabama in the national title game is noteworthy because he would need to step in and immediately act as the face of the Jaguars while trying to turn around the franchise.

While he might be mentally up to the task, it's the physical tools that make Watson look like a great fit. He has a big arm, his body (6'2", 221 pounds) can take the hits, and his mobility allows him to compensate for a poor offensive line in front of him.

Then again, maybe this is a smoke screen because the Jaguars don't want to get jumped via a trade. Or maybe they do. That's the beauty of the draft, right? Watson makes perfect sense, but Coughlin going a completely different direction wouldn't come as a shocker, either.

Stats courtesy of NFL.com. All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus.