Nashville is finalist to host NFL Draft

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Nashville is a finalist to serve as host for the 2019 or 2020 NFL draft, according to the league.

The city was notified on Thursday it was among five finalist cities for the three-day event.

The next step will be for the cities to present their proposals to the NFL, and final selections will be made in May at the NFL spring meetings in Atlanta.

“We are thrilled that Nashville is one of the finalist cities for the 2019 or 2020 NFL Draft,” said Amy Adams Strunk, Titans controlling owner. “We are so proud of Nashville and all that it has to offer. This city has a number of unique qualities to showcase and of course it knows how to put on a show. We look forward to making that case to the NFL owners in May.”

► More: Could Nashville host an NFL draft?

The NFL draft was in Chicago in 2015 and 2016 and in Philadelphia last year.

In addition to already airing on ESPN and the NFL Network, a new report says the 2018 NFL Draft will also be broadcast on over-the-air TV, with Fox televising the yearly event. Time

The 2018 draft will be held in Arlington, Texas, at AT&T Stadium.

"Years ago we let the NFL know that we would be interested in hosting the draft, and we've updated that and renewed it whenever they've opened it up to look at potential cities," said Scott Ramsey, president and CEO of the Nashville Sports Council.

A record 250,000 people attended the 2016 NFL draft in Philadelphia, and Butch Spyridon, president of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp., was there.

Spyridon was invited by the NFL along with representatives from 15 other cities.

Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 and on Twitter @MikeOrganWriter.

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