NFL Draft Experience preparation along Parkway is coming down to the wire

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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.

The media got to walk through the NFL Draft Experience on the Ben Franklin Parkway on Wednesday morning, and well, there wasn't a whole lot to see just yet.

Due to some rain over the last day or two in Philadelphia, the final preparations aren't completed just yet. All of the major structures appear up but the bells and whistles aren't in place. NFL officials expect it all to be complete and all ready for fans when it opens on Thursday at noon.

One things fans should expect is plenty of security. They are calling for "airport level" security with walk-through metal detectors and similar bag policies to those at NFL games -- aka no bags of any significant size.

The tent for the NFL Museum was up but there was no memorabilia in it just yet. I thought the display for Super Bowl rings was apt in Philly:

The tent hosting the Vince Lombardi trophy was up but the prized trophy was nowhere to be seen.

They were still putting memorabilia in the team locker section. Cam Newton's locker had his jersey in it but no horrificly ugly suit.

The 40-yard dash, Hail Mary, and vertical-jump test area was still under construction. Fletcher Cox looked rather immobile.

The screen accompanying the 40-yard dash area looks like it will be pretty cool. Ideally, it seems like you'll be able to race against an NFL player on the screen. But again, this was still being completed.

The Draft Experience is open to all fans beginning Thursday at noon and will close at 11 p.m. The same hours for Friday and 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. on Saturday.

One topic I asked about that fans will surely be interested in was beer. There will be a plenty of options including the Draft Tavern. But fans will be able to enjoy a beverage anywhere inside the experience, not just limited to certain areas.

It is highly recommended fans download the Fan Mobile Pass app on their phones that has maps, FAQs, schedules, etc. It also has a barcode you can use when at the draft to try and be a seat filler inside the "closer" portion of the draft theater on Thursday through Saturday. That's different from the Draft Experience area that is open to all fans without a ticket.

We also have a photo gallery with some more video from the Parkway right here.

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