Rep. Brady: NFL Draft will be in Philly next year

U.S. Rep. Bob Brady told Philly.com that the NFL Draft will be held in Philadelphia next April, though city officials have not yet confirmed the deal.

Brady said Mayor Jim Kenney called him to say that the city agreed to a deal, committing$5 million to make it happen, according to the report.

The congressman reportedlyadded thatthe Building Trades Union would also put in more than $1 million toward building a temporary stage and arena on the Ben Franklin Parkway that would sit about 3,000 spectators.

“The NFL wanted to come here, which is a good start,” Brady reportedly told the paper in a phone interview.

“I talked with the mayor. The mayor had a concern about money because he didn’t want to put the city in debt, rightfully so…He was very conscientiously worried about the city being on the hook for the money because when he took office, there was no money left. He had to pay back money for the pope and some other things.”

While the city recently also hosted the NHL and MLS drafts, the selection of Philadelphia, if indeed true, would be an odd choice for next year’s draft:The Eagles won’t have a first round pick this year, after trading it to the Browns to move up to the No. 2 spot in this year’s draft.