The city of Nashville is now on the clock.
According to ESPN.com and multiple sources, the NFL home of the Tennessee Titans are the frontrunners to host the 2019 NFL Draft. This past April, Dallas held the three-day event at AT&T Stadium.
Per the story, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Thursday.
A decision is expected to be announced during the league’s spring meeting May 22-23 in Atlanta.
In the unlikely event that Nashville was to lose out on the 2019 draft, the city would be in prime position to then host the 2020 event, sources told ESPN.
Jay Johnson of Jaguars Wire wrote in February, “It appears Jacksonville will have to wait to host the NFL draft as the NFL revealed its finalists for the annual event in 2019 and 2020 Thursday. That group includes Cleveland/Canton, Tennessee, Kansas City, Denver, and Las Vegas.”
Jacksonville Mayor Lenny Curry was in Dallas during the NFL Draft event in April to pitch the idea of the Jaguars and the city of Jacksonville hosting the event at a later date.
Per ESPN, “Butch Spyridon, the president and CEO of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp., told ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe on Wednesday that the city encouraged the NFL to use the Ascend Amphitheater for the draft theater, Nissan Stadium (home of the Tennessee Titans) and its parking lots for the fan experience, and the Schermerhorn Symphony Center for the Titans’ war room.”
The city of Nashville’s “vibe” for music and live entertainment is one of the reasons for the NFL’s excitement over the Titans hosting the NFL Draft.
“If we can embrace it Nashville style, we got a shot,” Spyridon said. “It’d be a big party. You’d know you were in Nashville. I promise they wouldn’t be disappointed.”
The NFL Draft was held at Radio City Music Hall for nine years that ended in 204. The NFL branched out where the event was held in Chicago (2015-16), Philadelphia (2017) and Arlington, Texas (2018).