The 2024 NFL Draft set an attendance record as 775,000 fans flocked to downtown Detroit for the three-day event, breaking the previous record of 600,000 set in Nashville in 2019.
“It has been a historic week here in the great city of Detroit,” said Michigan governor Gretchen Whitmer during an appearance to announce a fourth-round pick for the Detroit. “We have shown the world what the Motor City is all about.”
Detroit had already set the record for Day 1 attendance, with more than 275,000 fans showing up to see the first round.
The three-day event was free of charge, but the city is expected to generate more than $160 million in economic impact through sold-out hotels, bars, restaurants and merchandise sales.
Detroit native and Detroit Lions fan rapper Eminem kicked off the draft with a concert on Thursday, with Lions’ Hall of Famers Barry Sanders and Calvin Johnson, along with current Lions stars Amon-Ra St. Brown and Aidan Hutchinson. Southern California’s Caleb Williams was the No.1 overall pick, chosen by the Chicago Bears.
The Round 1 coverage of the draft was seen by an average audience of 12.1 million viewers across ESPN, NFL Network, ABC, ESPN Deportes and digital channels. The ratings were up 6% versus Round 1 of the 2023 NFL Draft which took place in Kansas City.
Since the NFL moved the draft out of New York following the 2014 event, the process behind selecting a draft location is similar to picking a Super Bowl host. Various cities submit bids to the NFL, which are reviewed and ultimately voted on by the 32 owners. The draft is of particular interest in colder-climate cities that are less likely to host a Super Bowl. Chicago is the only city to claim the event twice, in 2015 and 2016.
“The draft has become our biggest offseason event hosted in different cities and spectacular locations across the country,” said NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, in a statement last Monday.
The league has decided that Green Bay will be the home of the 2025 draft at Lambeau Field, home of the Packers.