Indianapolis has "requested information on bidding" for the NFL Draft between '20-23 and is "awaiting further instructions from the NFL on how and when to proceed," according to Stephen Holder of the INDIANAPOLIS STAR. No decision has been made on whether to "submit a bid, but the idea has clearly piqued the interest of local officials." Indianapolis is "far from the only city to express interest" in hosting the Draft, as 15 NFL cities and Canton, Ohio, "sent representatives to Philadelphia" for last week's event. The NFL "hasn't committed to a city" for '18, but is "expected to take bids" for '19 and beyond (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 5/3).
STAR GATHERING? In Ft. Worth, Gil LeBreton notes Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones "wants to host next year's NFL Draft." LeBreton: "But how can he possibly recreate the outdoor festival Boo-palooza that Philly just did?" The 12,000-seat facility at The Star in Frisco "seems puny." Jones has 91 acres at the Cowboys' training facility, while the setup in Philadelphia "stretched for a half-mile." Jones is "already backing off on his reported wish to have The Star be the site of the event." Jones said, "Not necessarily. I misspoke. At The Star or AT&T Stadium -- or both." The spectacle in Philadelphia "forced Jones to think bigger, in other words." He "clearly isn’t scared of inviting 100,000 to his party." Jones: "I like the practice of moving the draft around to the cities in the NFL, and letting cities and fans participate in this aspect of the thing" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 5/2).
CRAZY EIGHTH? YAHOO SPORTS' Eric Edholm reported a venture group known as The Final Round Draft has "pitched" adding an eighth round to the NFL Draft to the league. The Draft would "remain the standard seven rounds." With a "moratorium on free-agent signings prior to Round 8, that final round would consist of fans voting for their favorite teams to sign one undrafted free agent apiece." Final Round Draft CEO Michael Morizio said, "How do you keep that fan engagement throughout? You can do that by giving the fans a voice." The patent for fans "making draft picks was developed by John Walters, a former NASCAR team owner," who "partnered with Morizio" on his idea. Now any professional sporting league in North America that "wants to involve fans to help pick players will have to talk to the folks at The Final Round Draft." Morizio "believes the momentum toward seeing a fan-driven draft is strong." NFL VP/Communications Brian McCarthy said, "There was a meeting but there was no intent from our side to move forward" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 5/2).
