In a historic moment for Detroit, the city set a new attendance record for the NFL Draft as over 700,000 fans flooded downtown Detroit during the three-day event.
The announcement was made by Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer at Campus Martius Park on Saturday, the final day of the draft featuring selections in the fourth through seventh rounds.
While the true impact of this year's draft picks on their respective teams will unfold over time, one thing is certain - Detroit seized the opportunity to showcase its city to hundreds of thousands of fans and over 50 million viewers.
Surpassing Music City's previous record, Motown outshined Nashville's three-day attendance record of 600,000 set in 2019 when fans packed Broadway.
Detroit saw a record-breaking 275,000 attendees on Thursday for the first round, and the numbers swelled to 550,000 by the end of the second round, surpassing attendance records set in Nashville five years ago during the league's nationwide tour.
Notably, the NFL did not charge fans to attend the event in Detroit, with visitors and local residents expected to generate over $160 million in economic impact through bookings at sold-out hotels, bustling bars and restaurants, and retail activity in the heart of downtown.
Former Lions running back Billy Sims was enjoying brisk sales of barbecue from his restaurant under a tent on a sidewalk along Woodward Avenue on Saturday.
"Fans have been great, and business has been good," said Sims, who was drafted by Detroit with the No. 1 overall pick in 1980. "To have the draft here is great for the entire state of Michigan."
The NFL is engaged in some level of talks with 20-plus teams interested in hosting a future draft, which is of particular interest in colder-climate cities that probably can't win a Super Bowl bid.
Green Bay will host next year's draft.
