Pittsburgh Steelers: Could Pittsburgh host NFL Draft?
By Matt Shetler
May 8, 2014; New York, NY, USA; Ryan Shazier (Ohio State) poses for a photo with commissioner Roger Goodell after being selected as the number fifteen overall pick in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft to the Pittsburgh Steelers at Radio City Music Hall. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
If the NFL Draft moves out of New York City, something it can do after the 2015 NFL Draft, there will be plenty of suitors to host the insanely popular television event.
That makes you wonder if there is any chance the NFL Draft could make its way to Pittsburgh in the near future?
Sports Illustrated’s Don Banks reports that the NFL is considering taking the draft on the road in 2016 and Pittsburgh is among one of 11 cities that have shown interest in hosting the spectacle.
"While the owners will be consulted on how to proceed with the draft, it continues to look as if the NFL is leaning in the direction of taking the event on the road, by 2016 at the latest, perhaps deciding the host city or cities by a bidding process that would allow the league to further monetize the event. Other than New York, the cities known to be interested in playing host to the draft include Dallas, Green Bay, Houston, Pittsburgh, Boston, Philadelphia, Orlando, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Chicago and Canton, Ohio, home to the Pro Football Hall of Fame."
Given some of the other cities that have shown interest, they probably have a lot more to offer in terms of fans traveling to the event, but if NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell wants to bring the draft to a fan base that would eat it up and embrace it, Pittsburgh would be as good of a choice as any other city.