In the end, Detroit saw Nashville’s 600,000 and raised it. By a lot.
Per the NFL, “over 775,000” attended the three-day draft. That surpasses the prior record, from 2019, by nearly 30 percent.
Next year, Green Bay gets its turn. The fact that a division rival drew so many people will surely be regarded as a challenge by Green Bay and all of Wisconsin to match or exceed it.
It feels like, somewhere, the draft will hit one million for the three days, sooner than later. It’s come a very long way from Radio City Music Hall, where the first night was magical and the second night was OK and the third day featured tons of empty seats. (I was present for each of the last five drafts held there.)
The league left in 2015 because of a scheduling conflict. The draft went to Chicago for two years and then to Philly and it will never look back.
The next time it’s in New York, it won’t be in Radio City Music Hall. And it will feature a lot more people. Hell, it might be held in Times Square, turning New Year’s Eve into a three-day affair.
Regardless, look for the draft to keep on moving. And look for it to keep on getting bigger and bigger.