Chicago, Illinois
The 2016 NFL draft has returned to Chicago, Illinois for the 2016 season and festivities are underway in the Windy City. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell sang the city’s praises on the first day of the draft events at the Play 60 clinic for underprivileged youth. Per John Byrne of the Chicago Tribune, while speaking with Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel yesterday, Goodell praised what the city has done for the event but reiterated the league’s desire to expand its draft location to other communities:
“Yeah, there’s a chance we’ll come to Chicago. They did a fantastic job for us, they helped us redefine the draft,” Goodell said. “And what we’re looking to do is figure out how we can keep evolving it. This, I think Chicago has done that very, very well. So I do think we could come back.”
“I don’t know about next year,” he added. “We have a lot of cities that are interested in it, and we’re thinking about rotating it. But it’s not out of the question.”
“I don’t know if it’s anything. I think what you’ve done in the last two years in redefining it is already spoken volumes,” he said. “I think it’s really now about obviously trying to satisfy the desire and the demand of other communities that would love to do this too. And unfortunately, when you do such a great job, everybody else wants a shot at it too.”
It seems likely the draft will travel to another city next year and cities such as Denver, Boston, Philadelphia, Orlando, Dallas, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Canton have been discussed.
Day 1 of the draft will air on Thursday night with the Los Angeles Rams being the first team on the clock by virtue of their trade with the Tennessee Titans. The draft starts at 8:00 pm EDT with coverage live via ESPN and NFL Network. Here is the updated draft selection list for the first round:
1. Los Angeles Rams (from Tennessee Titans)
2. Philadelphia Eagles (from Cleveland Browns)
3. San Diego Chargers
4. Dallas Cowboys
5. Jacksonville Jaguars
6. Baltimore Ravens
7. San Francisco 49ers
8. Cleveland Browns (from Philadelphia Eagles through Miami Dolphins)
9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
10. New York Giants
11. Chicago Bears
12. New Orleans Saints
13. Miami Dolphins (from Philadelphia Eagles)
14. Oakland Raiders
15. Tennessee Titans (from Los Angeles Rams)
16. Detroit Lions
17. Atlanta Falcons
18. Indianapolis Colts
19. Buffalo Bills
20. New York Jets
21. Washington Redskins
22. Houston Texans
23. Minnesota Vikings
24. Cincinnati Bengals
25. Pittsburgh Steelers
26. Seattle Seahawks
27. Green Bay Packers
28. Kansas City Chiefs
29. Arizona Cardinals
30. Carolina Panthers
31. Denver Broncos(The Patriots lost their 29th pick in the #Deflategate punishment.)
Day 2 begins Friday night at 7:00 pm EDT with rounds two and three being conducted. Live coverage of that event will also air on ESPN and NFL Network. Day 3 begins Saturday at Noon EDT with live coverage via ESPN and NFL Network.
For a full list of the upcoming 2016 draft selections click here.
Stay tuned to Pro Player Insiders for more updates from the NFL Draft. Follow Sharona on twitter at @SportsBySharona and on Instagram at @sharonasports.
