Live draft coverage begins Thursday at 5 p.m. with Philly Sports Talk and continues until midnight on CSN, CSNPhilly.com and the NBC Sports App.
CSN’s Derrick Gunn checks in with his 10 thoughts before the NFL draft kicks off in Philadelphia on Thursday night with Round 1.
1. Wouldn’t it be great if the NFL draft opened up Thursday night with Sylvester Stallone on top of the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps announcing the first pick in the draft?
It would be an iconic moment that both Philadelphia and the NFL could own. We can talk all we want about how world class our Art Museum is (and it is!), but let’s face it — the NFL didn’t choose the Art Museum steps for its world-class art. The league chose it because Rocky made those steps synonymous with Philadelphia.
2. Who dresses some of the soon-to-be millionaire athletes the night they are drafted? Some of the outfits end up looking like a cross between Easter Sunday’s best and Halloween.
3. So much has been said about which direction the Eagles will go in this draft, but one thing is crucial: whether the Birds go offense or defense first, it better be a player that can be plugged in and play right now. The development of Carson Wentz goes much further than QB play or a playmaker to throw to. Even on defense, this year’s draft will affect both the Eagles’ and Wentz’s future.
4. I wish the decibel level would be broadcast when Roger Goodell steps onto the stage to open the 2017 NFL draft. With all those loud boos, Arrowhead Stadium’s world record noise level could be in jeopardy.
5. I wonder if they are going to have cheesesteaks backstage. If so, how cliché. But I wonder where they would come from: Geno’s, Pat’s, Tony Luke’s, Jim’s, Steve’s and many more?
6. Think about this … in the last few years, Philly has hosted the Pope, the Democratic National Convention and now the NFL draft. It would be hard to argue that Philadelphia isn’t a must-see destination.
7. After the first two rounds of the NFL draft, do we really care about rounds three through seven? I do, but that’s because it’s my job.
8. I firmly believe that Myles Garrett, the defensive end from Texas A&M, will be the first name announced Thursday night. He will bring some much-needed defensive help to Cleveland. The Browns have been woeful on defense the last several years. Too bad LeBron can’t play defense for the Browns — he would be an upgrade. Goodness knows the Browns have screwed up enough first-round picks over the last decade. It’s about time they hit on one.
9. Speaking of picks, I think the Eagles go with Corey Davis, the wide receiver from Western Michigan. Here’s why: The Eagles invested in Wentz last year. You don’t make that investment and not build around him. Howie Roseman said as much when he stated: “We want to build around our quarterback.” Davis will be the perfect complementary building block to the Wentz foundation.
10. If you go down to the Ben Franklin Parkway for this year’s NFL draft, have fun and enjoy. Things like this don’t come around that often. Soak it in. I’ll be back at CSN’s command headquarters keeping you up to date online and on TV. I hope my boss is catering this thing. (I’m making a request for smoked ribs!)