Story perspectives

NFL Picks Minneapolis for 2028 Draft, Boosting Local Economy

5/21/2026

Summary

Minneapolis Hosts Draft

The NFL announced that Minneapolis will host the 2028 NFL Draft in downtown Minneapolis.
The league will partner with the Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Sports and Events to run a three-day draft at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Commissioner Roger Goodell said Minnesota consistently delivers major events and expects the draft to boost the local economy.
The 2026 draft in Pittsburgh attracted 805,000 fans over three days.

Summary

NFL Moves Draft

The NFL moved the draft from its long-time New York City venue to a rotating host-city system beginning in 2017.
Attendance of 805,000 in Pittsburgh in 2026 reflected fan numbers that rose from 300,000 in 2022 to over 800,000 by 2026 after the virtual 2020 draft.
The 2028 draft will be the third NFC North market to host in five years, following Detroit in 2024 and Green Bay in 2025.

Summary

Minnesota Secures Draft

Minnesota Sports & Events submitted a 238-page proposal that secured draft.
The proposal named The Commons, a 4.2-acre park by U.S. Bank Stadium, as a hub.
Officials cited Minneapolis’s walkable downtown and skyway system, praised after Super Bowl LII, as infrastructure strengths.
Organizers scheduled events in St. Paul, the Mall of America and the Viking Lakes site in Eagan, with Mayor Jacob Frey pledging a party with restaurants, music venues, parks and lakes.

History

Historical Context

After the NFL moved its 2015 draft from New York—its first non-NY venue in fifty years—to Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre and Grant Park, the league added a free-admission fan festival that attracted roughly 200,000 visitors. That success prompted Commissioner Roger Goodell to adopt rotating host cities, a model now echoed in the 2028 Minneapolis draft partnered with the Vikings and Mayor Jacob Frey.

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Minneapolis Hosts Draft

The NFL announced that Minneapolis will host the 2028 NFL Draft in downtown Minneapolis.
The league will partner with the Minnesota Vikings and Minnesota Sports and Events to run a three-day draft at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Commissioner Roger Goodell said Minnesota consistently delivers major events and expects the draft to boost the local economy.
The 2026 draft in Pittsburgh attracted 805,000 fans over three days.

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