Reports: Chances Denver will host 2019 or 2020 NFL Draft dwindling
May 21, 2018, 9:44 AM | Updated: 9:45 am
Watching future NFL stars march across the Red Rocks stage, or that of another Denver venue, seems to be unlikely, at least for the next few years.
According to multiple reports, Denver heads into Tuesday’s meeting of the league owners as an underdog to host the 2019 NFL Draft, behind favorite Nashville.
Denver had been announced as a finalist to host either the 2019 or 2020 NFL Draft in February, along with the Cleveland-Canton area, Kansas City, Las Vegas, and Nashville.
Mike Klis of 9News reports, however, that even with the NFL owners not likely to vote on the 2020 location this week, Denver’s likely has a small chance then as well due to scheduling conflicts with downtown hotels.
Earlier this month, “Stokley and Zach” hosts Brandon Stokley and Zach Bye expressed frustration and disappointment with Denver being potentially overlooked, saying that a place like Red Rocks, which has hosted the likes of “the Beatles and Jimi Hendrix and The Grateful Dead,” should be good enough for the NFL Draft.
“Tell me a better setting than Red Rocks. I don’t get it. I was looking forward to it. I don’t understand,” Stokley said. “Once again, it just feels like Denver’s an overlooked sports town.”
Though several major U.S. cities have held the draft — Milwaukee, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, and Washington, D.C., among them — for a half century the event had been held in New York City.
In 2015, the draft moved to Chicago, then again in 2017 to Philadelphia. And last month, Dallas hosted it.
Follow digital content producer Johnny Hart on Twitter: @johnnyhart7.
