5 cities that should host future NFL Drafts
#5 Cincinnati, Ohio
Why here? The obvious answer to that question is, well, the NFL let Cleveland host an NFL draft. However, the real answer is a bit more complex. You have to consider the Bengals ties to the NFL in the historical sense. The Bengals became a team in 1967 as a member of the AFL until it merged with the NFL. However, it is the Founder of the Bengals whose ties ran deep with the NFL.
Paul Brown was originally the co-founder of the Cleveland Browns and began in the AAFC in 1946, and then the AAFC officially merged with the NFL in 1949. Paul Brown, besides being a co-founder of the Browns and their first coach. Between 1950-1963 the Browns played in the NFL championship game seven times, winning three and amassing a record of 122-48
In 1961 Art Modell bought the Browns, and a feud later emerged between him and Paul Brown. Modell later fired Paul Brown; he traded halfback Bobby Mitchell to acquire the rights for Heisman Trophy winner Ernie Davis. Two problems emerged shortly after. First, Brown never informed Modell of the move, and Davis was diagnosed with leukemia, and Brown never let him play despite objections by Modell.
On January 7, 1963, Modell fired Paul Brown. So what did he do? He moved to Cincinnati and founded the Bengals for the upstart AFL, which then later merged with the NFL, as did the AAFC. In his creation of the Bengals, he created one of the top five rivalries in the NFL, as the Steelers play them twice a year. Then you have their intense rivalry with the Browns for the Battle of Ohio every season.
The Bengals have never had the success of other clubs in the NFL; they have played in the Superbowl and have become a powerhouse in the NFL with their addition of Joe Burrows and Ja’Marr Chase. Due to Cincinnati’s historical ties to the NFL, they should have the chance to host the NFL draft in the near future.
Why not? To a large degree, the stadium is scenic, much like Pittsburgh sitting right on the banks of the Ohio River. While people will be flocking to get barbecue over the draft weekend in Kansas City, it would give fans and players alike to grab a dish of famous Cincinnati Chili, and you can grab a dish at Camp Wahington Chili 24 hours a day.
Plus, if you need another reason why Cincinnati should host the draft, go back to 1989. Apparently, some fans threw snowballs onto the field at some of the Seahawks players prompting a brief stoppage in play while coach Sam Wyche addressed the stadium asking “will the next person that sees anybody throws anything onto this field point em out and get them outta here you don’t live in Cleveland you live in Cincinnati.” One of the most epic televised moments in NFL history.