An application was submitted to the NFL headquarters last week, per the Browns. If selected, Cleveland and Canton would host the three-day (Thursday through Saturday) event.
It’s worth noting the NFL’s 100th season is 2019, and its centennial is 2020, so there’s logic behind the sport’s birthplace hosting the draft.
“Since even before the establishment of the NFL nearly 100 years ago and the legacies of household names like Jim Brown, Paul Brown, Otto Graham and Lou Groza, Northeast Ohio has been rooted in football and NFL history and has been dedicated to developing the sport we love at all levels of competition, “ said Dee and Jimmy Haslam in a statement. “With the support of the Pro Football Hall of Fame and Greater Cleveland Sports Commission, Cleveland and Canton are the ideal sites for the NFL Draft due to our region’s unmatched passion and respect for football, as well as our commitment to its future and the next generation of Hall of Fame players.”
The NFL draft, formerly traditionally at Radio City Music Hall in New York, was held in Chicago consecutive years before moving to Philadelphia in 2017. The league has suggested it plans to continue rotating host cities.
The location of the 2018 draft hasn’t been announced.
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