Detroit NFL Draft breaks attendance record with 700,000 in attendance

Among the most notable selections of the day was USC wide receiver Brenden Rice, son of San Francisco 49ers legend Jerry Rice

The 2024 NFL Draft set an attendance record on Saturday with 700,000 people at the three-day event in Detroit, Michigan, USA.

The Draft, which has been held since 1936, took place at Campus Martius Park and the Hart Plaza concourse in downtown Detroit, which hosted the event for the first time in history.

On day one of the draft last Thursday, when the first round of players were selected, 275,000 fans attended and cheered each of the picks. On Friday, during the second and third-round drafts, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said 230,000 people were in attendance.

This Saturday, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer announced that total attendance over the three-day event was 700,000, a record that surpasses the 600,000 who witnessed the 2019 Draft held in Nashville, Tennessee.

“It’s been a historic week here in the great city of Detroit. We showed the world the strength of our ‘Motor City’. It’s an honour to announce that the 2024 NFL Draft broke the all-time record with 700,000 fans,” noted Whitmer, who introduced Detroit Lions fourth-round selection Giovanni Manu, offensive tackle from British Columbia.

Record-breaking Draft

The 2024 Draft kicked off last Friday, which tied the record for most quarterbacks selected in the first round with six, a record set in 1983. The day also set the record for most offensive players selected in the first round, with 23, which surpassed the record of 19 set in 2004 and 2009.

The first-round selection was made by the Chicago Bears, who drafted quarterback Caleb Williams, a 2022 Heisman winner with the USC Trojans. This Saturday’s draft concluded with the fourth- through seventh-round selections.

Among the most notable selections of the day was USC wide receiver Brenden Rice, son of San Francisco 49ers legend Jerry Rice, a Hall of Famer. Brenden was taken in the 225th round of the seventh round by the Los Angeles Chargers.

And Briton Travis Clayton, a former rugby player, was selected by the Buffalo Bills. Travis comes from the NFL’s International Player Pathway programme, which identifies athletes outside the United States who have the potential to play in the NFL.

Jaylen Key, a deep defensive end from Alabama, was the last player selected in the draft at 257th overall, a position for which he is nicknamed ‘Mr. Irrelevant’.

He was selected by the New York Jets. The 2025 NFL Draft will be held at Lambeau Field, home of the Green Bay Packers, located in Green Bay, Wisconsin.