NFL draft heads to Dallas
The Eagles lost the 2018 NFL draft to the Cowboys — and the $94 million in economic impact it brought with it last year.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell announced the move to Arlington, Texas, during the owners meetings Wednesday in New York.
“Philadelphia raised the bar by taking the draft to another level,” Goodell said. “And this new opportunity in Dallas will enable us to continue the event’s evolution and grow it even further.”
The NFL reported the draft in Philly last spring drew a record three-day crowd of 250,000. It also was the first draft held outside.
The 2018 lottery will be at glitzy AT&T Stadium in Arlington. It will be the first draft held at an NFL stadium. Round 1 is Thursday, April 26, rounds 2 and 3 April 27 and rounds 4-7 conclude that Saturday.
The draft in Philadelphia, according to NFL figures, generated more than $94 million in economic impact for the city.
The first round was the mostwatched cable program of the week and the most-watched sports event of the week on broadcast and cable networks.
••• Goodell said the owners spent considerable time during the meetings talking about the player demonstrations during the national anthem.
The league is adamant that “everyone should stand for the national anthem.
“That is an important part of
our policy, it’s also an important part of our game that we all take great pride in,” Goodell said. “It is also important for us to honor the flag and our country. Our fans expect us to do that. That is something that we continued to focus on this morning. We are really talking about the opportunity that exists with our players to try to go and really make a difference in our communities in a positive way.”
Goodell said there are “six or seven players” involved with the protest now and that the NFL wants to “deal with the underlying issue and understand what it is they are protesting and what we can do to address that.
“The important thing for us is to be able to do that and take that opportunity to make real differences in our communities,” Goodell said. “That is really what will ultimately be the important aspect for us longterm. This is a long-term issue and we need to be sure that we do that in the right way.”
••• Eagles linebacker Joe Walker was voted the Ed Block Courage award winner by his teammates.
Walker’s grittiness bouncing back from a torn ACL in the summer of 2016 is what appealed to his teammates. The seventhround tackling machine out of Oregon still wasn’t all the way back from the injury in the preseason.
Walker not only made the 53-man roster, he made one of the signature plays defining this one-for-all, all-forone Eagles season. In time it will occupy the Birds’ 2017 highlight reel.
To recap, Walker entered the Giants game in Week 3 to take snaps that had gone to linebacker Jordan Hicks, who got injured.
With the Eagles nursing a 7-0 lead and the first half about to end, the Giants lined up in run formation on fourth-and-goal at the Philly goal line, a crowd of 69,596 at Lincoln Financial Field howling.
Walker hurdled over the pile to stuff 220-pound running back Orleans Darkwa in mid-air short of the goal line. Eagles teammate Vinny Curry grabbed hold of Darkwa’s ankles.
The Eagles rode the emotion and a walk-off 61-yard field goal by rookie Jake Elliott to a 27-24 win over the Giants that kick-started the four-game win streak giving them a 5-1 record, tied for best in the NFL.
The Ed Block Courage Award honors NFL players who exemplify sportsmanship and courage. Each team votes for their honoree. The award is named after Ed Block, the late trainer of the old Baltimore Colts.
Walker is just the third Eagles linebacker to be voted the team’s Ed Block winner, joining Shawn Barber (2002) and Jody Schultz (1986).